Rafael – Allens Pond, Dartmouth, MA
On May 11 around 10am we set out by canoe and kayak for platform AP2 on Allens Pond in Dartmouth, MA under the guidance of Osprey researchers Rob Bierregaard and Alan Poole. We had selected the adult male from this nest as a transmitter candidate based on a strong breeding record the last several years. We were also interested in trapping the female from this nest, who is banded. When trapping adults, usually the female is trapped first, because she spends most of her time incubating the eggs and is the first to come back to the nest.
Using an extension ladder, Alan climbed the platform to set the leg noose trap over the nest containing 3 speckled Osprey eggs. Our group paddled away from the platform and watched from a distance as the female circled the nest, tentatively landed and was caught shortly after. We paddled back to the trapped female to free her from the nooses, record her band number and take some measurements. Rob put a hood on the female covering her eyes which helped to keep her calm. Meanwhile, Alan set a second noose trap over the nest and we paddled away to wait for the male.
With the nest unattended, the male moved in to do his part incubating and protecting the eggs. Generally it takes a bit longer for the males to get trapped because they share a smaller portion of the egg-incubating duties. In fact, some males fail to land on the nest at all. If that were to happen we would remove the trap and try another nest. Luckily this male was ready to take over in lieu of his mate and so within minutes landed on the nest and was trapped. As soon as the male was trapped, we released the female so she could return to the nest and resume her incubating duties. After checking the banding records we learned she had been banded as a juvenile on June 24, 1997 by Gil Fernandez on the Westport River. She is 12 years old!
Once we had the male in hand, Rob set to work taking some measurements and fitting him with the transmitter. Rafael weighed 1,500 g (3.3 lbs), a little on the light side. The process took several minutes as Rob carefully adjusted the transmitter straps to fit the bird; once in place, he sewed the straps together to create a custom fit of the transmitter on the bird, much like wearing a tiny backpack. We named this bird Rafael, a suggestion by one of the Transmitter Project sponsors who lives close to the pond.

Hudson – West branch, Westport River, Westport, MA
Mid-afternoon we set out for nest platform W3 on the lower west branch in David’s Westport skiff to trap Hudson, a banded male chosen for his strong breeding record and named by a sponsor of the Transmitter Project. On our way out to the nest Rob and Alan noted that thefemale was heavily molting, or growing a new set of feathers, which is not uncommon during this time of year. Both male and female were defensive (as they should be) as Rob set up the noose trap over a full clutch (4 eggs). Within only a couple of minutes of moving away from the nest we had a bird on the trap – the male! The next day we observed this male, Hudson, incubating the eggs, which helps to explain why he came in so quickly. According to Alan, the males’ participation in incubation varies widely among Westport Osprey and this male appears to fall at the higher end of the spectrum.
After removing Hudson from the trap we took him back to the shoreline to take measurements and fit him with a transmitter. Minutes later, after a careful transmitter fitting, Hudson was on his way. After checking the banding records we learned that, like Rafael’s mate, he had also been banded by Gil Fernandez as a juvenile bird in the Westport River. Hudson had been banded on June 23, 1996 -- making him 13 years old.

Ozzie – East Branch, Westport River, Westport, MA
We headed out on the morning of May 12 to the upper east branch for our third transmitter candidate. When our first platform choice turned out to have young chicks in the nest (young chicks are more vulnerable than eggs) we moved to Plan B, another one of Gil’s banded birds. Once again the trapping process went very smoothly: female trapped first, then the male, Ozzie, named by students at Westport Elementary. Ozzie turned out to be the mellowest bird we’d encountered yet. He just laid back in my lap for the measurements and transmitter fitting like there’s no place he’d rather be. He’d been banded by Gil Fernandez on July 7, 1996.

Update -- March 2010

We've learned a lot about the daily habits of Rafael, Hudson and Ozzie as we've tracked their movements over the last two months. Check out our maps below to see where they've been going. If you live in Westport or even next door in Rhode Island, it's possible they may have flown right over your head! For more maps and information check out Rob Bierregaard's website.

Map Key: (Click bird name below to view additional maps)

R= Raphael

H= Hudson (2009 migration)

Hudson (2010 migration)

O= Ozzie (2009 migration)

This map shows all of the birds and where they have been going since the beginning of May when we began tracking.