Community Corner

Ornithological Awe: Ospreys on the Waterfront

An osprey family is nesting on a dock post in the Potomac River near Founders Park.

A family of ospreys has been entertaining folks traversing the Old Town waterfront this spring with feedings, fish hunting and other general awe-inspiring raptor behavior.

The family—which includes three fast-growing chicks—can be spotted just off of Founders Park in a nest constructed on a dock post in the Potomac.

According to National Geographic:

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“Human habitat is sometimes an aid to the osprey. The birds happily build large stick-and-sod nests on telephone poles, channel markers, and other such locations. Artificial nesting platforms are common in areas where preservationists are working to reestablish the birds. North American osprey populations became endangered in the 1950s due to chemical pollutants such as DDT, which thinned their eggshells and hampered reproduction. Ospreys have rebounded significantly in recent decades, though they remain scarce in some locales.”

Exceptional fishers, ospreys are common throughout the Potomac River watershed. They hunt by diving into the water’s surface from sometimes as high as 100 feet in the air.

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Ospreys typically lay three eggs. Both parents, who usually mate for life, help incubate.

Tell us: Have you seen the osprey nest? Have you seen then flying near the waterfront this spring?


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