A tribute to osprey 39/D

Project RedBand alumni update 
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
39/D being rescued on July 13, 2016. Photo by Bonni Myszka.
39/D being rescued on July 13, 2016. Photo by Bonni Myszka.
Ospreys are in the news again. This time it is not so pleasant news, or at least news that is hard to swallow for some, where an adult bald eagle predated a young osprey at Hog Island in Bremen, Maine. While it can be a traumatic thing to witness firsthand, it is pretty common where the range of ospreys and bald eagles overlap. We are only witnessing it because of technology. It can and has happened right here in New Jersey too. Last year, I found an adult female who had lost her wing. With no other way for that to happen (on the open saltmarsh, and her wing was gone), the only suspect is an attack by a bald eagle. As both the eagle and osprey population continue to grow, there will only be more interaction between the two species as they are competitors for food and bald eagles are opportunistic scavengers.
In other more local osprey news, on the afternoon of July 25th I got the most unfortunate news. Osprey 39/D was found dead near the nest where he fledged just two weeks ago. If you are not familiar with this bird, it is one who has graced the pages of the Asbury Park Press, The Sandpaper, and many other news networks online. His daring rescue was viewed over 2,800 times

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The Inspiring Story of Osprey 39/D

A promising outcome from a dangerous situation

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Yesterday evening, while conducting an osprey nest survey at Sedge Island Wildlife Management Area, I received a message from a local wildlife photographer about an osprey nestling that was entangled. I talked to the photographer, Rich Nicol and got detailed information about the situation, the nest, and started to formulate a plan to address the situation. After learning that the nest was on a 35-40’ high pole, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get up there without some help. Yes – a large ladder would suffice, but it would be tricky to handle the situation (with the bird being entangled). You see, after seeing photos of the young osprey, I knew it was RTF (Ready To Fly). Ospreys fledge or take their first flight at around 7-8 weeks of age. The entangled osprey was around 7 weeks old. I knew we had to act quickly to catch the bird and untangle it before it tried to fledge. This morning I saw the photos that Rich took and it clearly showed that the young osprey had monofilament or a net around its neck… Continue reading “The Inspiring Story of Osprey 39/D”