The Westport River is host to many amazing animals but Ospreys have a special place in our community. Excessive use of pesticides caused Osprey numbers to plummet in the Westport River during the 1950s and 1960s. Over the past 50 years through the combined efforts of Gil Fernandez, Alan Poole and many other dedicated volunteers, the Osprey rebounded and reclaimed nesting areas throughout the River. Today the Allens Pond Osprey monitor, with the help of dozens of local volunteers, keeps track of the Westport Osprey breeding success and maintains the exisiting Osprey platforms. To ensure these efforts continue in future generations the Westport River Watershed Alliance has compiled a curriculum dedicated to teaching about these amazing birds through the Ospreys Are Special program.

Students have a chance to learn about habitats, food webs and ways that pollution enters our streams. Classrooms study the natural history of Osprey and track their migration patterns. At the end of the lesson students try to be ornithologists, recording eggs in “nests” and learning to read Osprey leg bands.

New Bedford Voc Tech High School students build an Osprey Platform display for visitors

This past winter students from the Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School learned about the Westport Osprey Project through a series of visits from Allens Pond's Osprey Monitor. In collaboration with Allens Pond the students are working to put together an Osprey platform display which will allow visitors to view a nesting platform up close. They conducted careful research in preparation for creating the platform design and are in the process of building the platform. Their plans include a model of an Osprey nest with eggs so that visitors will have the opportunity to peek into the nest.

Check out more of the students' work in progress.

The students will be presenting their displays at the upcoming Ospreyfest on Sunday, May 31 from 3-5pm. Join WRWA and Allens Pond for an Osprey celebration free and open to the public located at 2031 and 2037 Main Rd., Westport Point, MA.

Jr. Bird Club members help out with Osprey monitoring

On a mild evening during the first week of May, 2009 the Mass Audubon Allens Pond Jr.

Bird Club set out with Osprey monitor Becky Cushing to help check an Osprey nesting platform at the edge of Allens Pond. Allens Pond staff and visitors had noted that the Osprey pair were incubating for the past several weeks but we had yet to count the number of eggs.

The small group of Jr. Birders approached the nest as a silent, compact group to minimize the impact on the birds and the marsh. Using a small extension ladder to climb the nest we were able to peer inside and observe three eggs -- a typical full clutch.

In February, 2010 the Allens Pond Jr. Bird Club built four new Osprey platforms to replace damaged and missing platforms on the Westport River, Allens Pond and the Slocum River. More than 20 Jr. Birders and their parents worked for two hours to complete the task.

The Jr. Bird Club is a free program run by Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary for children of all ages with a curiosity for birds and the natural world. They meet the first Wednesday of the month, 6:30-7:30pm. For more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call the Sanctuary (508) 636-2437.

 Osprey Coloring Page-click here

How to Identify an Osprey

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

If you heard the peep of an osprey before you saw one, you would be surprised by the size of the bird behind the cute little voice. This large raptor, classified in the same family as eagles and hawks, often gets mistaken for a Bald Eagle. Read this article for tips to identify this majestic bird of prey, often called the Fisk Hawk or Eagle Hawk, which can be found near lakes and rivers virtually anywhere in the world.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Notice the head of the osprey, which displays distinctive features. It has a hooked bill with dark coloring, whereas its eyes gleam yellow. The crown is usually brown or grey. Dark strips of coloring surround each eye and sweep down the side of the head to meet together over the back of the neck. The throat, neck and forehead contrast these stripes with white coloring.

Step2

Identify the characteristic body features of this large bird whose body usually grows to between 16 and 32 inches. Its back is solid brown, its belly is solid white and its breast sometimes boasts a streaking or striping pattern. Its legs and feet are gray or white. Males and females have similar body styles.

Step3

Recognize the osprey's flight pattern. First see its long tapered wings and square tail. The bird flies with deep and slow wing beats punctuated by occasional glides. The under-wings and under-tail sport a checkered brown and white design.

Step4

Find the osprey worldwide except in Antarctica. The birds usually reside near large bodies of water and feed mostly on fish. They eat in mid-morning and late afternoon by diving into the water feet first to pluck their prey. They have monogamous relationships and do migrate.

Step5

Listen for the bird's vocalization style, exemplified by a short musical whistle. Its warning and begging cries are noticeably tame for a bird of its size.

Step6

Distinguish the osprey from the Bald Eagle, which is commonly confused. The Bald Eagle's entire head and tail are white, whereas its wings and under-parts are black. In flight, the osprey demonstrates a prominent crook in its wing and displays a black mark at its "wrist."