Osprey Chicks Get A Necessary “Home” Upgrade

Thanks to dedicated Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ staff and volunteers three osprey chicks were saved from what could have been an unhappy fate.

NJ Osprey Project Volunteers Matt Tribulski, Wayne Russell and John King were surveying osprey nests in the Wildwood back bay area this past weekend. They checked on a nest with three chicks and found that the platform top was broken and a strong possibility it could collapse, especially with any heavy rains or winds. The chicks weren’t old enough to fly and would have fallen to the marsh and died.

A plan was formed and CWF biologist, Meghan Kolk joined Matt and John to replace the platform.

A new platform was assembled before going out to the nest. Once at the nest the operation needed to go quickly so as not to put additional stress on the chicks. The three chicks were carefully placed in a basket, lowered to the ground and kept in the shade of an umbrella ,while the old platform was knocked down and the new sturdy one installed.  Once the platform was ready the chicks were placed back in the nest along with some frozen fish (all this happened in under 20 minutes). Once the boats pulled away from the nest area the adult ospreys returned to the nest. This was a tragedy avoided due to the dedication of CWF volunteers and staff. THANK YOU

• Learn more about the NJ Osprey Project