Ospreys may be placed on the Threatened List?

[3CATSAILOR]

Ospreys are still not nesting. If you have seen any Osprey nests, have you noticed if they are actually nesting (building the nest) or not? The Ospreys I have seen in St. Jerome's Creek are not. In fact, I rarely see them coming back to the nest with any type of food. I wonder why our politicians aren't actually doing something about this problem. This upset in the Ecosystem indirectly effects people, The politicians that control MD and VA don't seem to care I guess. Otherwise, they would have done something by now. Ospreys are a migratory bird. Therefore, they are protected under a Federal Law called the MTA. At this point, it seems rather obvious MD and VA are going to do nothing about it. To make things worse, several years ago USACE took out two Federal Channel markers in the Creek that the Ospreys used. They were not replaced with other nesting platforms. Even though a Federal agency took out the channel markers they still would need permission from the US Fish/Wildlife Service. I assume they did that.

If this disregard for this Fish Hawk known as the Osprey continues, I would not be surprised that the Osprey would be place on the "Threatened or Endangered Species List". I don't think it will be anytime soon. But, it depends upon what the Fish and Wildlife Service has to say about it. Other Ospreys are likely getting food at other locations where their food is abundant. However, if their food source becomes overfished by mankind as well, then the problem becomes much worse.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

Generally speaking, ospreys nationally are being removed from the Threatened list and downgraded to protected (which they are anyway). Maryland's issue may be more one of still encroaching development and the wetland/waterway degradation that follows.

Not to mention that many people love them, and eagles as well, so much that they can't stop f***ing with them with the idea that they're "helping". It also doesn't help that, in many cases, that "help" consists of building nesting platforms so close together that no nesting pair will use any of them.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

Generally speaking, ospreys nationally are being removed from the Threatened list and downgraded to protected (which they are anyway). Maryland's issue may be more one of still encroaching development and the wetland/waterway degradation that follows.

Not to mention that many people love them, and eagles as well, so much that they can't stop f***ing with them with the idea that they're "helping". It also doesn't help that, in many cases, that "help" consists of building nesting platforms so close together that no nesting pair will use any of them.

According to what I am told, the problem the Opsreys have is the overfishing at the mouth of the Bay. Not much if anything gets through the nets and other types of overfishing there. No fish equals no food. Therefore, I have not seen them nesting for a few years in a row now. My bring a young into the World when they can hardly support themselves. The Ospreys don't have welfare programs that can support them.

 

[Gilligan]

According to what I am told, the problem the Opsreys have is the overfishing at the mouth of the Bay. Not much if anything gets through the nets and other types of overfishing there. No fish equals no food. Therefore, I have not seen them nesting for a few years in a row now. My bring a young into the World when they can hardly support themselves. The Ospreys don't have welfare programs that can support them.

There are not noticeable fewer of the kinds of fish the Ospreys take and we watch them routinely catch them as they always have. (We fish off the same dock.. ;-)) We have a lot of nesting Ospreys on St. George' Island including a pair in the stand at the end of our dock.

Bald Eagles have become a real problem for the Ospreys in recent years, as the overpopulation of them on the VA side has caused them to encroach more and more on "our" side of the river and they fight with the Osprey incessantly.

If anything, cormorants are probably one of the biggest local threats to osprey habitat; they are fishing machines and go after the same that the osprey do.

All that aside, we locals have noticed, and are concerned about, the rather sudden emergence of the "nesting but no chicks" phenomena that appeared only the last couple years.

 

[phreddyp]

We have several Osprey nests where I reside, birds continuedly go right past my house everyday with fish. I certainly do not see any decline; I also see Eagles steal fish from them on the bay whenever I walk the beach. Maybe you all just live in an undesirable neighborhood for them?