The Osprey Flyer, XXIX July Edition 2025
- Virginia Osprey Foundation
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Our Osprey Garden
Greetings!
I will start off with the not so very good news. Our Osprey Garden in Colonial Beach is not doing well. First, I want to tell you about our camera nest. As you know, in the last newsletter I reported three eggs. On May 28, after Lily, our female, had not eaten for almost 24 hours, she left the nest in search of food. While she was gone, a crow came in and destroyed the three eggs. It was heartbreaking to say the least. Many of us watched as Lily returned to the nest to discover what had taken place. Later that afternoon, David, our male, also returned.
We watched this pair digest their loss; their eggs were gone. So, while we grieved what might have been, we continued to watch and learn from this pair. Our male incubated the shells from time to time while Lily disappeared for 16 days. However, she did return, and David began to bring in sticks again, and dried grass and more sticks. Both Lily and David arrange the sticks in the nest, and he brings fish to Lily, there was even one half-hearted mating attempt. Both still occupy the nest together from time to time and sometimes separately. I spoke with a researcher, and he described their behaviors as “House Sitting”. I have left the camera up so we can observe our pair. We continue to learn through their loss.
The nests in Colonial Beach have not fared well this year. Of the 52 available nesting sites on 5/14/2025, 14 appeared to be incubating, another 16 were occupied, two showed feeding behavior and 13 were abandoned after seeming to be occupied with a pair. On June 7, in preparing for our annual bird banding, Dominion Energy assisted us in getting “eyes on” both chicks and eggs in several nests. We only saw 11 chicks and 8 eggs out of 15 nests.
On July 6, we did another nest check from the ground, we saw a total of 8 chicks in 6 nests. In comparison, two years ago, we fledged 55 chicks from our nests in Colonial Beach. Now we wait to see how the 2025 chicks will fare the rest of the summer. We are in contact with the Center of Conservation Biology and they are aware of our situation here. I am sad to say, we are not alone, this is happening all over the Chesapeake Bay. There has been a population collapse on the Eastern Shore.
You can read the report at https://ccbbirds.org/2025/06/16/osprey-population-along-the-seaside-of-the-delmarva-peninsula-has-collapsed/
Research has shown that there is food stress associated with the deaths of our osprey chicks. Over harvesting of Menhaden is causing a decrease in food abundance. Menhaden is a nutrient rich fish vital for our osprey chicks. Currently, the two regulatory bodies governing the menhaden fishing industry have not responded to this crisis. What can you do to help? You can write to your state legislators, to the Virginia Marine Fisheries Commission and to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
You can find their contact info at https://www.virginiaospreyfoundation.org/advocacy. If you need assistance, you can contact us at ospreycbva@gmail.com.
Another way you can help is to financially support the two year research project, no amount is too small. You can find the link at https://www.virginiaospreyfoundation.org/advocacy.
We must be the voice of our Osprey!
On May 18, the Virginia Osprey Foundation hosted the showing of Bob Lennox’s 2nd documentary about osprey banding in Colonial Beach. a beautiful film that explains banding and the science behind it. Ken Smith gave a presentation about banding and shared his many experiences with us. We had a great turnout and appreciated the Ice House Brewery for allowing us use their establishment to hold this important educational event.
The Wildlife Rescue League from Northern Virginia received approval from the Caroline County Board of Supervisors to begin work on a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Woodford, Virginia. The Virginia Osprey Foundation attended this meeting and spoke in support of this project. This is a much needed service for this area and our wildlife.
On June 18 the Virginia Osprey Foundation along with Colonial Beach Parks and Recreation led an Osprey Walk and Talk at the Cooper Library in Town. Approximately 20 children, parents and grandparents attended. We visited an osprey nest and learned about the ospreys that they see here every day. Everyone had a great time!
If you know of any nature or environmental events, I would love to share them on our website! Send details via email and we will get them on our calendar!
Until next time!