The osprey nest on view in our Ospreycam is located in
the Thomas Jurzenia Nature Preserve, part of the Silver Sands Motel in Greenport,
New York. Greenport is the next-to-last town on the North Fork of Long
Island. Our osprey nest has been up for 6 years, and we believe that the
same pair of ospreys has returned for each of these years to nest and have
new young. The nest is situated on a man-made platform on the edge of a
large wetlands.
About the Osprey:
The osprey is often mistaken for both hawks and eagles,
even in its basic nomenclature. On one hand, it's commonly known as the
"fish hawk" due to its hawklike appearance and its unparalleled
fishing skills. At the same time, the scientific name of the North American
osprey is Pandion haliaetus carolinsis, which can be loosely translated as
"bone-breaking sea eagle". But while the osprey is in fact
related to both hawks and eagles, scientists classify this magnificent bird
separately and a closer examination reveals that the osprey is truly
one-of-a-kind.
Ospreys can be found in many parts of the United States,
including the Northeast coast, Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes region, the
Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Ospreys can
also be found in South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Physical Aspects:
The osprey has a dark brown back, while its head and
underside are white. They have large and piercing yellow eyes. The ospreys
weigh anywhere from 2.5 pounds to 4.5 pounds. Their wingspan can be as wide
as 6 feet. The female is slightly bigger than the male, on average.
Note:
The nest will unfortunately be
empty until the spring when the ospreys
return. By then, we'll also have installed a much stronger lens on our
OspreyCam so that we can provide closer views of the nest for you.
Please join us on the web in this
unique opportunity to observe the wonderful osprey in its natural
environment.
Some of the facts for this piece
were obtained from the following great books on ospreys:
- "Ospreys" by Dorothy
Hinshaw Patent
- "The Fish Hawk Osprey" by Stephen D. Carpenteri
fax. (631) 477-0922