Osprey
July 8th, 2010
The Osprey is a large fish-eating raptor found throughout the world, on every continent save Antarctica. They breed both inland and on the coast. When my family first started going to Outer Banks--late 70's, early 80's--I never saw a single osprey. I now know that that was probably due to DDT poisoning. Being apex predators, osprey developed a concentrated buildup of DDT in their bodies. The chemical caused their eggs to be fragile and crack easily.
DDT has since been banned and their numbers have recovered. Now, crossing over from the mainland to Nagshead in summer, you can see multiple active osprey nests right beside the bridge!
When we went dolphin-watching, the dock where we departed from had an osprey nest close enough to photograph. One adult stayed in the nest while another flew back and forth, bringing food to the young. In the second photo, you can just see the fuzzy little head of a nestling peeking up.
July 8th, 2010
The Osprey is a large fish-eating raptor found throughout the world, on every continent save Antarctica. They breed both inland and on the coast. When my family first started going to Outer Banks--late 70's, early 80's--I never saw a single osprey. I now know that that was probably due to DDT poisoning. Being apex predators, osprey developed a concentrated buildup of DDT in their bodies. The chemical caused their eggs to be fragile and crack easily.
DDT has since been banned and their numbers have recovered. Now, crossing over from the mainland to Nagshead in summer, you can see multiple active osprey nests right beside the bridge!
When we went dolphin-watching, the dock where we departed from had an osprey nest close enough to photograph. One adult stayed in the nest while another flew back and forth, bringing food to the young. In the second photo, you can just see the fuzzy little head of a nestling peeking up.
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