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Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Osprey Files: Herring!

May is a bountiful time of year for portions of Maine's Osprey population. A few rivers still host annual runs of herring (aka alewives) that come in from the sea to go to their spawning grounds in freshwater lakes and streams. Hatched in fresh water, alewives spend several years in the ocean before returning to their natal stream to spawn. This is Maine's equivalent to the salmon runs of the Pacific Coast of North America.

And like the salmon runs on the Pacific, the alewife population has suffered greatly. Most of the rivers that hosted runs in the past no longer have alewives returning yearly - some due to dams that the fish cannot scale, others to overfishing and pollution. And for the dams that do have fish ladders, most of the ladders are old, crumbling, and are not very easy for the fish to climb. The last I saw, only 5 rivers and streams (out of several hundred) in Maine had predictable, yearly, alewife runs.

A few streams still have healthy populations though, and it's these streams that, I hope, will provide the foundation for the return of the alewives. In the meantime, Osprey, Herring Gull, Bald Eagles, and other wildlife depend on these remaining runs to help raise their young.

Herring Gulls - waiting for the Alewives


I spent the last couple of days volunteering with an alewife counting project near my home in the Midcoast of Maine. I'll admit that I volunteered not only to help with the fish restoration project but to be in one of the best places in the US to watch Osprey actively fishing.

The stream didn't disappoint!

The alewives come in on a high tide when the stream temperature is warm - above 58 deg F seems to be best. Fish are cold blooded so if the water temperature is too cold, they are sluggish and have a tough time swimming upstream.

Alewives - the start of the run


The area was devoid of Osprey during the low tide but as the tide came in, several birds flew over to check out the stream.

Osprey checking out the river


I'm not exactly sure what they were looking for - could the Osprey sight individual fish from 100 or more feet above the water? Were they looking for fish rises or other activity? I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that as soon as the run started in earnest, the area was inundated with hungry Osprey!

As the tide rose and the alewives came in, the fish were packed so tightly that the surface of the water was turbulent with fins and splashing fish. The submerged entrance to the fish ladder was black with the backs of alewives - a very good sign! Onlookers were anxiously watching the fish ladder from the top of the dam, cheering the fish on as they passed step after step.

On Friday I counted at least 18 individual fish catches by Osprey in the 1 hour I stayed after max tide. On Saturday the count was 16. I left only because the high tide was in the evening and the shadowed lighting was just too dark for photography - but shadowed water seemed to help the Osprey sight fish so they kept fishing after I left.

Some of the raptors perched on branches that overhung favorite fishing holes. They would watch the water, head bobbing back and forth trying to spot a fish. Once a fish was in their sights they leapt off their perch, slamming into the water feet first, then flying out again with a fish in their talons.

Osprey watching the water from a favorite branch



When the favorite perches filled, arriving Osprey had to hunt from on-the-wing. They flew in low and slow, face into the wind (upstream), hovering over the fishing hole. If they didn't see a likely target they circled off and came back around again for another try. As the alewife run progressed, more and more Osprey chose this method to spot a fish.


A few Bald Eagles flew past during the height of the Osprey fishing-frenzy, but the Eagles didn't fish for themselves. Their tactic was to wait on a nearby branch until an Osprey caught a fish. As soon as the Osprey flew away with the fish, the Eagle would launch itself off its branch and chase down the smaller raptor. The Eagle would then harass the Osprey by diving at it until the smaller bird released its fish, at which point the Eagle would grab the fish out of the air and fly off. The poor Osprey would them turn around and go back to the river for another fish.



Watching these beautiful birds in their fishing frenzy was one of the most amazing things I've witnessed here in Maine. Over two days and 34 catches that I witnessed, only once did I see an Osprey dive and miss a fish. Pretty good success rate!

For more information on Alewives, visit:

http://www.fws.gov/GOMCP/pdfs/alewife%20fact%20sheet.pdf


All photos and text copyright Nancy Rynes, 2012. You may link to this article, but do not copy any content without my permission.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Osprey Files: Weathering the Storm



The latest news from the Osprey family at Wolfe's Neck State Park is happy - they survived the Nor'easter of April 22/23. For those of you not living in New England, a Nor'easter is a strong storm that comes in off the Atlantic with heavy winds from, yes, the northeast. These storms typically bring heavy rains or snows, strong winds (sometimes of hurricane strength), often a storm surge, and very big surfs. While not hurricanes, they often do more damage to New England forests and buildings.

Our spring Nor'easter started with strong winds and light rain on the evening of Sunday, April 23. By Monday morning the rain was extremely heavy and the winds were driving it almost horizontal. Not many humans, inlcuding me, wanted to be outside in these conditions. We'd have been drenched to the skin in minutes! I'm such a softie when it comes to animals that all I could think about was the Osprey couple and their budding family out in the elements on their island nest a few miles away.

The storm was mostly gone by Tuesday morning, with moderate damage to trees and over 5 inches of much-needed rain left behind. We humans weren't impacted much and I continued to hope that the Ospreys came through OK too.

Notenwi (the male) returning with nest-repair material


I soon learned about the resiliancy of these beautiful birds. As soon as the weather had cleared off a bit a couple of days later I swung by the park and checked up on our couple. They were alive and well and still incubating eggs! Imagine - sitting out, exposed, at the top of a 40 foot tree for 36 long hours, being continually tossed back and forth by strong winds and drenched with cold rain. I know I would not have been able to endure it - I bet most humans would feel the same.

But these amazing birds came through this latest storm, apparently none the worse for wear. The female, Wapatewi, still sat on her eggs while her mate flew off from time to time in search of food. The nest took a bit of a beating, though, as it looks like the birds repaired its landward side with new sticks and bits of bark. In fact, they were still in the process of repairs the evening I watched them. Notenwi flew off several times between hunting trips and brought back bits of kelp, seaweed, and bark that the female used to line the nest.

I know Osprey have come through countless storms during their long history on this planet so I suppose I shouldn't have concerned myself about them. That didn't stop me from worrying just a bit though. Even knowing that the species is one of the "comeback kids" of the bird world - Osprey bouncing back to double their numbers after usage of DDT put them in serious jeopardy* - I still want this little family to thrive so I have the opportunity watch their young grow and fly off on their own!

The Wolfe's Neck Nest before the April storm


The Wolfe's Neck Nest after the April storm




A Second Nest

This past weekend I found a second natural Osprey nest near my home. An Osprey pair had just found it but had not set up permanent residence yet. I'll check back on these status of these two birds in a few days. I hope they decide to stay for the summer and raise a brood - I'd enjoy having two Osprey families to watch and photograph!

Female Osprey on nest at Reid State Park



*DDT also greatly affected other birds, particularly birds of prey including Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons.


Text and photos copyright Nancy Rynes, 2012. You may link to this page but you're not allowed to copy any portion of it without my express written permission.