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Home My WebLink AboutFebruary 06, 2003 - Helping the osprey, then & now The Suffolk Times • February 6, 2003 • e ln e o s re � en now � z � S . .a<% TxE YEau wAs 1978,a year when the �. ospreys were trying desperately to ' �" come back after being devastated by pesticides.It was found that DDT in � � �� particular was being sprayed indis- '� 6 �,'', E..„ criminately on-our salt marshes in th �� °"�> � �� , hopes of ridding them of � �� , � "k . '° a-��• 9� a< mosquitoes. At the same , �' � �,, , . � � � time,it was working its way � " ' �'�� up through the food chain f' � �; �'� - `° ��., � � from the smallest fish to the � ��x,�� =� �" � -� � '° larger ones, eventually be- �� ` �� ' � coming concentrated in the � ��-.�r��- .M ��'� � V � ��, t.,. , , .. ;; fish the osprey were eating. �' ° ". _ , WLen the female osprey laid -�'.�°'� '� �" her eggs, the DDT affected �� „ "°�`�---•� � �� `�� u; , , ..., the thickness of the shells,and made '"" "'" them so thin that when she settled „ �� down to incubate them,the eggs �S`;�, �:.� ` � ',�, broke and,of course,the embryos ,..,,�"`""'"' ''�. � were destroyed. s�ffak rmES pnocos ny Pa�i sco�cer,b�r9n Finally after many battles,laws were The photo above, taken 25 years ago, shows a pole being lowered through passed banning the use of DDT and the ice into the pond bottom. The platforrn is on top, ready for the ospreys' other pesticides and eventually the return from their winter vacation down south. The photo at right, taken just osprey began to make a comeback.To last week, shows a small group of enthusiasts rebuilding the osprey platform further help the situation,many of us that fell apart over the winter and is now safe and secure, �awaiting this here on the North Fork built plat- year's ospre s. forms for ospreys to nest on.I worked in our area with groups of interested people willing to give some free time to a goad cause,and toward the east end of the island Bob Gloria worked with volunteers putting up platforms Husing Pond. ey tr�e an rie an To correct t e si ua ion we put up a to help the ospreys in Orient. platform with a make-believe stick Pro ress had moved in and with it �'�'ere making a mess of the lights with nest on a telephone pole across the g the material they put on them.Many street to lure the air awa fr the loss of many of the big trees were afraid the lights would get so hot hi h ball ark li hts.It wo ked.Buhe where the ospreys once nested.To when the were turned on that the g P g remedy the loss of the trees,nesting y y now we had a new problem.People platforms were put up in might cause a fire and destroy the were stopping on the highway to look lighting system and the nest as well. at the birds and others were takin appropriate areas,some of time to take ictures.We had g them using old irrigation P� pipe donated by interested farmers. At about this time we were told of a pair of ospreys trying to build their nest on the lights at the ball- park in Mattituck opposite 3�. �i .� ` - . <...1��:� �4.,�' � � �� f.f £� ��.�� y�, �•-.. F �, � r n � F .'q� �� °��° 14 � � �� s'� z � t f� r�� w ��tigf �yr�� ? ��i `_ x y ��h,'%� ; .. y� �` � . <5_. r •. t 'D�� :'., �. ��°'�Y� 1�f.B.P,#YE��. ..��'E{ �: � jSS� � � 9 �� ?` �. : ..,f ... �.y' �� k�'� �,.: ��« Y 7 : � � � !9$ � �3 ..�r°i mi,a' � :.,: ��; x� � '�'r,w�FG�";;`�l,�PW" ��w �„ ,,, � ! �..5� � ��s,'v � FoCus Then,with the e p o eorge unknowingly created an unsafe traffic Husing,Bill Becker from DEC,Ralp �N condition and an uncomfortable situ- Tuthill,project chairman of the NATURE ation for the birds.What to do? It was Husing Pond Preserve,my son Peter by Paul decided that it would be ideal if we and others we set about to put the Stoutenburgh could get a platform right out in the osprey platform up.(It's so long ago middle of Husing Pond,but that it's hard to remember all who would have to wait until wintertime. helped.) Once plans were set,we had This pond has an interesting history. to wait for the right time. �is time the job was a lot easier. I was told it was once called Horton's �re waited until winter came along MY son Roger went up to make sure that the ole was secure and every- Creek.It was a salt.marsh that ran thin w p almost up to the Main Road.Then it and the ice was thick enough to walk �eg olas ready for the new platform. was decided to convert it into a cran- on.Then I gathered the troops togeth- P e had a little list to the south berry bog.So a road was placed across er,chainsaws,lumber,a pump to jet but nevertheless we all decided it was the outflow and water was dammed the pole down and miscellaneous strong enough to hold the ladder. u behind it.Thus Husing Pond was tools.Through the cooperative effort With all the material we had put p � of all we got the platform up in the together ahead of time,we were now formed and Horton s Creek was � read to p reduced to a mere trickle to the east air by chopping a hole through the ice Y place it on the ole.So that still finds its way under the road and jetting the pole into the soft bog Adam passed the material up to my throu h a culvert and into the bay. bottom below.It served the ospreys grandson Rob,who nailed it into What�done was done,and Husing well.For 25 years a pair of ospreys place on top of the pole,making a have been on that platform raising new nesting place for our returning Pond was created,and through the os re s good graces of Miss Husing,the pond their young.Then this winter the nest P Y • and a sizable bit of woodland along its gave up and fell apart,so it was neces- We'll all be looking for the ospreys' ed e were iven to The Nature sary to get a party together.We had to arrival in the middle of March which g g wait once a ain until the ond was isn't that far awa ' Conservancy as a nature preserve. frozen enou h to et out on the ice g y�e Parents each An os re latform in the middle g g o their separate way during the win- of the pond would be away from and then we were able to attach the the Caribbean or as1 ar outh as the in predators and fairly far away from new latform. homes,so little could molest the nest- Amazon River in Brazil.But in about ing birds.To make it happen required a month and a half we'll be looking a lot of planning.Jim Murphy,who at for them back here when they meet that time worked for LILCO,helped up on their rebuilt platform in the us get a telephone pole and the need- middle of Husin Pond. ed props to help push the pole up.