July 14, 1994 - Keeping the Osprey on the UpswingJuly 14, 1994 • The Suffolk Times • 7A
Keeping the Osprey on the Upswing
By Paul Stoutenburgh ' ly they started the En-
Last week we were startled by an
overpowering mechanical noise that lit-
erally sounded as if we were being in-
vaded. Then from over the treetops
emerged a huge, yellow helicopter that
dropped over the marsh in back of the
cottage and hovered over our osprey
platform. Then it dawned on us that this
was the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) peo-
ple making its
sur-
Focus on vey annual
air.
Nature From this close -up
view they could
determine the
health and number of young in each nest
according to a precise map that showed
all the osprey nests on the East End.
The good news is that each year our
osprey population has increased. Back in
the '30s and '40s the osprey population
was almost unbelievably high. On
Gardiner's Island alone it was estimated
in those early years that there were over
300 nesting ospreys building their big,
bulky nests anywhere from on the
ground, on rocks offshore to old fence
posts, stone walls and, of course, in the
majestic trees the island is so well
known for. Even the long, sandy spit of
Cartwright Island that runs to the south
had up to 30 beach nests on that location
alone.
It was in the '50s that students of these
magnificent fish hawks started to realize
there was a dramatic decline, not only in
the number of nests on the East End but
also in the number of fledglings coming
from each nest. Something was definite-
ly wrong. On this once productive island
in 1971 Dennis Puleston and I found
only 34 active nests that produced just
17 fledglings. Samplings of the eggs and
their contents showed high levels of
DDT. And later, PCBs
were detected.
It all goes back to
the food chain where
these potent chemicals
enter the water and are
picked up by the
plankton and small
fish, which are eaten
by larger fish which
concentrate these
insidious chemicals in
their systems. These then are caught and
eaten by the osprey and eventually affect
its reproduction system. Studies from
other areas confirmed the chemical cul-
prits and the irony of all this was that
here we were dealing with an ideal situa-
tion on an island where there was no
interference by humans and their trap-
pings plus there were no predators and
still the problem existed.
vironmental Defense
Fund) took the county
Mosquito Control to
task. Because of the
overwhelming amount
of evidence against
DDT it was banned in
the county and eventual-
ly in the whole country.
Quite a remarkable
achievement for citizen
action. From that time
on, the osprey popula-
tion has increased each
year to a point that the
state is now trying to
reintroduce the once -en-
dangered osprey from
our area into other parts
of the state where they
nested at one time.
Now the local story
gets even more interest-
ing. From the survey the
DEC could select
healthy, mature
nestlings and line them
up for relocation. Ken
Meskill, a Fish and Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
Wildlife technician, OSPREY FAMILY —One of these healthy young ospreys was removed from the nest by
later visited each site, the DEC to be reintroduced into western New York State.
contacting the neighbor-
ing people about the upcoming removal
of one or more of the young ospreys
from his selected list of nests. I was told
they never take all the young. They
always leave at least one of the birds in
the nest.
I felt this was the right thing to do. If
we could help some other section of the
state reintroduce these handsome birds
into its area I was for it. After all, back
in the '70s when our East End popula-
tions were so low and failing, Paul
Spitzer and others brought eggs by plane
in special carriers from nests down in the
Chesapeake area where
DDT and PCBs had not
affected them. Our birds
were laying eggs that had
shells so thin from the
ingestion of DDT that
they were crushed when
the adults sat on them. It
was the birds from these
transported eggs, I'm
sure, plus the fact that
DDT was banned, that
brought back our local population.
Wednesday at 8 a.m. was the day and
time they were to come and collect one
young from our nest in back. Sure
enough, promptly at 8 a.m. the truck ar-
rived with ladder and crates marked
"Live Birds Caution" and the DEC tele-
phone number. In no time Ken and
Floyd Knowlton, both wildlife techni-
cians, had the ladder up and selected the
healthiest bird. It is interesting to note
that birds can't count so I doubt if Mom
and Dad osprey ever really knew that
one of their fledglings was leaving and
going to a new location.
In the meantime Tracey Ericson and
Michelle Alfieri, both wildlife techni-
`Birds were laying
eggs with shells so
thin that they were
crushed when the
adults sat on them.'
DDT and Mosquitoes
Because of the extensive use of the
DDT spray for mosquitoes on our salt
marshes in Suffolk County, which even-
tually found its way into our waters, a
group of Brookhaven citizens (eventual-
For all those ladies beating the heat in their
outfits from
210- MAME ST.,
here's a toast to you!
clans, were collecting their quota of
ospreys from farther out on the island. A
total of 12 birds would be taken from the
over 300 fledglings on Long Island.
Before any bird is put into the waiting
crate to be transported, it was given
medication to ward off any problems
that might arise. "Just to play it safe," as
one technician said. It seemed it was the
hottest day of the year with lots of hu-
midity and so to protect the young os-
preys they were taken to an air- condi-
tioned room to wait for the next part of
their journey.
First -Class Flight
In previous years the ospreys were dri-
ven to the western part of the state and
anyone who has made that drive knows
it is a long and tedious trip. This year,
through the generosity of the Niagara
Mohawk Power Company, an executive
plane whisked the ospreys to their desti-
nation in less than an hour and a half,
assuring their health and safety.
We, of course, would have to see the
final takeoff and after lunch we headed
for Westhampton to see them off.
Promptly at 2:30 a sleek twin - engined
Beachcraft pulled in and the birds were
loaded into the luxury leather - seated,
air - conditioned plane for the trip west.
Open 7 days, 10 - 6
What will happen to these young os-
preys once they arrive at Oak Orchard
Wildlife Management Area is a routine
that is now three years old. They'll be
taken to a "hacking tower" where they'll
be kept away from human contact and
fed live fish until they are fully matured
and ready to fly. Here the birds will
grow stronger and develop their wings in
pre -flight exercises. Then, like any other
bird, they'll take off.
Most will stay dround the hacking plat-
form for the free handouts but as time
passes they will develop the skills of
fishing in the two nearby lakes that lie in
this 20,000 -acre complex. This area has
been especially selected for the ospreys
and already this year they have seen
results of their work coming back as they
spot banded ospreys from previous years.
And so, for those who saw and heard
the great yellow bird hovering around
their favorite osprey platform, and for
those who saw someone climb up and
take one of "their birds," I hope I've told
the tale to your satisfaction. The way I
see it, years ago we were helped by good
eggs being introduced to our area from
someone else's backyard and now it's
our turn to help others by reintroducing
ospreys into their neck of the woods.
Claudio's
Fish Market
at the foot of the Main Street dock
On The Harbor, Greenport a 477 -8252
LOBSTER SPECIAL
Culls -
A 5 for 120
FRESH STRIPED BASS
Fillets -
1102' 1b.
Fresh Local Vegetables