Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here.
In my next life, I want to come back as an osprey.
Ospreys have few enemies. Bald eagles and great horned owls occasionally raid nests and can sometimes take an adult. However, ospreys are fierce enough to defend their nests from all but the most determined predators.
Conversely, ospreys get along well with their neighbors. There’s enough fish nearby that they don’t compete for large territories, defending only the area immediately around their nests. In places with plenty of food, they live surprisingly close to each other. I chuckle every time I drive over the suspension bridge to Deer Isle. There are active nests on top of both towers and a third just around the corner along the causeway.
Ospreys don’t compete much for food because they are the only hawks in North America that prey almost exclusively on fish. They’re built for it. Ospreys have a reversible outer toe that lets them grasp slippery prey more firmly, augmented by small barbs on the pads of their talons that improve the grip. Owls are the only other raptors that share the reversible toe trait.
When flying, ospreys carry fish headfirst to minimize wind resistance. The only time an osprey drops a fish is when an eagle harasses it to steal the meal.
If an eagle does manage to steal the fish, it’ll be just a few minutes before the osprey grabs another. They hunt in shallow water and can’t dive deeper than three feet. If they spot prey below that depth, they can hover long enough to see if it approaches the surface. Ospreys succeed on roughly half their dives and usually have a meal within 12 minutes of trying.
Ospreys achieve full maturity in three to four years. Once they reach breeding age, they typically mate for life. It takes nearly five months to raise a family. The incubation period alone lasts more than a month, and it’s another two months before the nestlings fledge. Once the family leaves the nest, parents will continue supporting the youngsters while teaching them to hunt.
This lengthy child-rearing timetable helps explain why ospreys are often still on or around the nest all summer. By Labor Day, family members start going their own way, with mothers heading south first and dads leaving last. Dad returns first the following spring.
In theory, with two parents hunting successfully, nestlings should be well-fed. However, if there is a food shortage, ospreys also have a strategy for that. They lay up to four eggs, but do so sequentially. One chick hatches first, and the last may not come out for another five days. The older chick grabs the biggest share of food, ensuring the survival of at least one of the brood. Younger chicks may not be so fortunate.
Ospreys often nest on manmade structures. They seem to love cellphone towers and high-voltage power lines. Nesting platforms are frequently erected near these structures to lure the ospreys to safer spots.
You’ll notice that eagles and ospreys both build big nests. However, ospreys prefer to nest in the open with no overhead cover. Eagles like to have a bit of foliage canopy above the nest.
Ospreys quickly get accustomed to people, nesting in such busy places as marinas and parks. The more people nearby, the more relaxed the birds get around them. Ospreys occupying remote nests do complain vociferously if humans approach.
Ospreys nearly died out in the mid-twentieth century, victimized by DDT poisoning. By the time DDT was banned in 1972, 90% of the ospreys between New York and Boston were gone. Eagles and peregrine falcons shared the same fate.
Ospreys recovered faster than eagles and falcons, primarily because they are such accomplished hunters, preying on an abundant food source.
Ospreys are also champion migrants. In winter, most North American birds head for Central and South America. Resident populations in southern states may not migrate at all. Basically, ospreys can go anywhere they want.
They do the same thing across the Atlantic. Ospreys are one of only six land-based birds that have a global distribution. Among raptors, only the peregrine falcon has a wider range. European ospreys winter in Africa. Asian ospreys migrate as far south as Australia.
To sum up, reincarnate me as an osprey. They have few enemies. They get along with their neighbors. They live a full life near water, dining on seafood and enjoying world travel.
Plus, they have really cool reversible toes.
