The calls started coming to TIOF fast and furious. The issue, a broken nesting pole by the Sanibel Lighthouse that was home to a very popular and productive pair of ospreys. “The birds are back!” While this was great news, the situation wasn’t. The pole was in no shape to support a huge osprey nest. But nobody told the birds that. They started building right away. Beachgoers and Sanibel residents let us know of their concerns. TIOF, along with Ned Bruha, THE WILDLIFE WHISPERER, (our main installer) and Sanibel Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Chris Jackson started planning the installation. Firefighters Ron Petito and Arian Moore under the direction of Chief Mike Martin, got straight to work removing the nesting materials. Ned wrangled the new platform into place and added back the nesting materials while the birds kept an eye on things from the air. As the sun descended into the western sky, our ospreys re-established residency on the new platform. HOME-SWEET-HOME!

View the 2023 International Osprey Foundation newsletter by clicking the download button below.

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View the 2022 International Osprey Foundation newsletter by clicking the download button below.

The arrival of Hurricane Ian on our shores changed life as we know it on our islands for the foreseeable future. No one who has watched the news coverage of this event on TV, driven through our streets lined with debris or tried to walk the shores of our island communities will ever be the same after this. Unfortunately, this storm did not just happen to us. The wildlife displacement and environmental destruction of their habitats has been monumental. This has been especially true for Ospreys, our neighbors who nest on our highest trees, snags and nesting platforms. Southwest Florida, especially the island communities are some of the most significant osprey nesting areas in the western hemisphere. Florida native ospreys as well as a large migrating population of these fish-eating raptors make their homes on our islands each spring. Ospreys come back to the same nests every year. The birds are starting to return, but many will find no place to come home to. The International Osprey Foundation, whose monitors record nesting data for over 150+ nests in our local area, is concerned that most Osprey homes have been destroyed and that the birds will now be nesting anywhere they can, returning to inappropriate spots atop power lines and chimney tops and possibly increasing human/osprey conflict at an already stressful time for everyone. On behalf of the ospreys, for whom The International Osprey Foundation (TIOF) is their voice, we would like to ask everyone within the reach of this publication to let us know about the condition of osprey nests near you. TIOF needs to have information from the public about nesting sites, platforms and tree nests, in your neighborhoods as soon as possible, especially those that have been successful in the past. TIOF wants to know the exact location (street address or intersection) or GPS coordinates (obtainable with cell phone map apps). A description of the damage and a picture if possible, would be great! 

The International Osprey Foundation’s first Photo Contest! Contest Theme: An Osprey’s Life! Give us your best shots! 

After a two year in-person hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions, Colonial Beach recently held its annual Osprey Festival. Mayor Robin Schick welcomed the enthusiastic crowd with a sincere and proud proclamation designating the osprey as the official bird of Colonial Beach. Mayor Schick also emphasized gratitude and collaboration as key to the festival’s success. “What Colonial Beach, along with Joanie and her team have done, is remarkable” stated Kathryn Brintnall, president of The International Osprey Foundation who traveled from Sanibel Island, Florida, to join in the festivities. “Putting on a successful festival of this magnitude is no easy task, hats off to Joanie (and her husband, Barry), the other co-chairs, Joyce Reimherr, Sally Adams and the many volunteers for a job well done” added Brintnall. Specifically, Mayor Schick and Brintnall were referring to Joanie Millward, volunteer co-chair of the event. “I can emphatically say that everyone genuinely had a great time,” said Millward. “It is because we have a strong volunteer base, great vendors and an impressive lineup of presenters. It’s a strong recipe. And we cannot wait for 2023,” concluded a giddy Millward. Dr. Alan Poole delivered the keynote presentation via Zoom. With an overflow capacity, the presentation was also streamed live at the local brewery with a sizeable crowd. A renowned author and leading osprey researcher at Cornell University, Poole gave an inspiring, motivational and informative presentation. He emphasized that the Chesapeake Bay region, to include Colonial Beach, supports the largest osprey breeding population in the world. While the widespread use of toxic pesticides pushed populations of the fish-eating raptor to an estimated low of 1,450 breeding pairs in the early 1970s, a 1972 ban on the pesticide DDT helped populations recover. By the mid-1990s, an estimated 3,500 breeding pairs were found on the bay and its tidal tributaries. Estimates from the Center for Conservation Biology place the bay’s current osprey population at 8,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs, with the world population at fewer than 100,000 birds. Similar population decline and recovery stories exist for bald eagles, brown pelicans and peregrine falcons. The amazing rebound of ospreys has exceeded the availability of natural nesting sites. Human-made nesting structures are rarely unoccupied, and ospreys are now nesting on cell towers and lighting structures. This can create conflicts with human values and needs. Poole urged conservation and co-existence awareness. Given this year’s success, festival goers are already looking forward to next year. “Sign me up, I will definitely be back,” said a happy Sharron and Bobby Shifflett. And who can blame them? Source: https://fredericksburg.com/lifestyles/announcements/osprey-enthusiasts-migrate-to-historic-colonial-beach-for-annual-festival/article_530d4f95-563a-52b6-ad21-a7d8bb2bb369.html Author: Sal Icaza