Ospreys Return to Lower New York Bay

Yeah!  They're back! Like the cliff swallows that annually return to San Juan Capistrano, in California, Ospreys annually return to Lower New York Bay every spring.

Ospreys, large fish-eating raptors often seen nesting around Lower New York Bay, including Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay, have come back. It's a sure sign of spring (forget the weather) when Ospreys reappear for another season to feed, nest and raise a family.

Spring was certainly calling loud and clear this past week with the sounds of returning Ospreys at Cheesequake State Park in Old Bridge Township, Comptons Creek &  Pews Creek marsh in Middletown Township, and even across the bay at Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens. The first Ospreys, eager to breed, returned to the area only to be greeted by rain, wind, and chilly temperatures. It didn't seem to bother them too much. The fish hawks quickly made themselves at home by going fishing.

The birds were no doubt hungry and worn-out from their long winged migration. They flew as much as 100 or 200 miles a day starting in February from their winter home in Central or South America or the Caribbean. Flying for long periods of time to arrive near New York Harbor soon after St. Patrick's Day.  It's a remarkable journey that takes them over a diverse landscape that includes the open Atlantic Ocean, highly populated coastal cities, and angry tropical fish-farmers who consider the birds pests and will shoot at them for taking a fish. The birds also have to deal with a variety of bad weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rains, thick fog, and even snow. There is no guarantee an Osprey will return. A certain percentage do not.

Soon after St. Patrick's Day, I was doing daily checks at a couple of local Osprey platforms around Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay for initial signs of their return. First to arrive were two male Ospreys at nesting platforms at Cheesequake State Park. They were followed a day or two later by two other male Ospreys at nesting platforms near Comptons Creek and Pews Creek.  Males usually arrive at nesting sites before females by a week or so to ensure there is no competition with a new Osprey. So the boys were back, but where were the girls?

Last Saturday, I arrived at Cheesequake State Park around noon just as a female had arrived, at least that's what I thought. She could have flown in earlier in the day, but she certainly looked like a new arrival. Feathers were in disarray and out of place. There was not much time to preen  or take care of appearances when you're on the move and restless to start breeding. 

I was more than 400 feet away from the nesting platform trying to take some pictures of the event. A pair of bright yellow eyes were looking right back at me. She knew I was there, but could care less. She was too hungry and tired; and immediately started calling for her mate to bring her a fish.

Ospreys mate for life, but because they spend winters at separate locations in the tropics, the fish hawks must go through a yearly courtship ritual to reaffirm their bond. One element of that ritual is for the male to provide the female with food. This activity strengthens the relationship and demonstrates that the male is still a good provider.

This particular female made a good choice. Within about 20 minutes of the female calling, her mate showed up with a fish in his talons. Most likely a fat menhaden, also known as bunker. An Osprey's  curved, sharp talons and rough-soled feet are specially designed to hold onto slippery fish like a Menhaden. The bunker are also active now and beginning to spawn in the mid-Atlantic.

Spring courtship marks the beginning of a five-month period when the pair will work together to build a nest and raise young. The male will be busy bringing sticks, branches and whatever else seems appropriate for the female to make a new home by the shore; strong enough to support a family of 1 to 3 young.

Every day more and more Ospreys will begin to show up. I expect most of the nesting platforms around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay to be in use. More than 30 pairs of Ospreys will be busy this summer rearing young and creating new life around the bay. This is real life happening right here.

The return of Ospreys to Lower New York Bay, including Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay, is a success story for this urban coastline. Unfortunately, it's not always easy on the birds. Although Ospreys are very tolerant of people and will nest in densely populated communities, the birds often mistakenly pick up trash to line their nest, including plastics and fishing line. This material sometimes gets swallowed into the stomachs of young Ospreys. In addition, fishing line and hooks can entangle or injure an Osprey as it hunts for food in the water.

In order for Ospreys to remain healthy we must work together to protect and restore their habitat, in part, by properly throwing away our waste in a trash can, or even better recycling, re-using, or reducing our waste. These simple actions will help to make sure that Ospreys remain a familiar wild animal every spring in one of the most urban coastlines in the world.

For more information, pictures and year-round sightings of wildlife in or near Sandy Hook Bay, please check out my blog entitled, Nature on the Edge of New York City at http://www.natureontheedgenyc.com