Westport, Massachusetts, is home to one of the more significant breeding populations of Osprey in North America.
Since 2004, Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, with the essential support of volunteers and partner organizations, annually monitors the breeding activity of 80 pairs of Osprey on nearly 100 nesting platforms in Westport and Dartmouth, MA. These platforms were installed beginning around 1965 by two local residents, Gil and Jo Fernandez, and willing property owners and Osprey friends.
Why Monitor Ospreys
As top predators (fish-eaters) in salt-marsh estuaries and nearby bay waters, Ospreys are an important barometer of change in our coastal environment. Ospreys also hunt in freshwater streams and ponds, particularly during the herring run season when they pick them out of fish ladders. Healthy, productive Ospreys reflect healthy, productive fisheries, which in turn mean productive estuaries and bay waters.
Given that the Westport River/Allens Pond landscape is a state-designated Important Bird Area in Massachusetts partly because of the significance of these raptors on the landscape, monitoring their success is a way to be good stewards of this natural resource.
Four main goals of the South Coast Osprey Project are:
- To determine the outcome of each pair’s breeding attempt and contribute these data to scientific research of our environment and this species.
- To maintain platforms
- To communicate the richness and vulnerability of our environment.
- To engage volunteers and students year-round, instilling the actions of stewardship and conservation.
How We Monitor
From April thru mid-July, nests are checked by staff and trained volunteers every few weeks to document success or failure at each stage of breeding (residency, incubation, hatch, and fledge).
- Early April: Our first look from roadside vantage points determines how many pairs have returned to nest and at what platforms. A few females will already be incubating this early.
- Two weeks later: We begin counting eggs at nests by either climbing a ladder up the platform or raising a mirror from below to reflect what is in the nest.
- Through May: Monitoring shifts to count chicks in the nest. At this time, storms cause some clutches to fail or chicks to die when males are challenged to feed their mate and brood and females are challenged to keep eggs or chicks warm and dry.
- Mid-June into July: When chicks have reached the age of 5 weeks, we get our last up-close look at them, band them, and count them as likely to fledge. From then on, we only observe them from a distance because if disturbed, they could very easily be spooked off the nest and perish without the skills to successfully fly.
Volunteer
We're always looking for people who can contribute their time, skills, and effort to help the South Coast Osprey Project with the following:
- Monitor the nesting platforms from land by using your own spotting scope and sending us your observations. (March through September, ongoing)
- Build new platforms according to our interchangeable design to have a stockpile for fast deployment during the narrow window of maintenance; we provide the specifications. (Year-round)
- Participate in workdays to repair or replace old platforms in the field—especially if you have a boat! (March, April, September, October)
- Help our outreach team at local events and through various communication channels. (Year-round)
A note about scheduling:
Due to wind, rain, or other demands that pop-up slots may be cancelled. I will try to update volunteers that sign up as soon as possible!
