Osprey: From Surviving to Thriving
In New Jersey, osprey are one of nature’s great comeback stories.
Key Takeaways
- The effects of the pesticide DDT decimated osprey populations. In New Jersey, the osprey was officially listed as endangered in 1974.
- DDT was banned and New Jersey conservation groups joined forces to erect nesting platforms in marshy habitats with clean water and healthy fish.
- For over 20 years TNC has been stewarding osprey habitat and maintaining nesting platforms, helping the species rebound.
Cape May Live Osprey Cam
Ospreys migrate south every fall and return to New Jersey's coast from early spring to late summer to nest and raise young. During nesting season, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) live-streams from the platform at our South Cape May Meadows Preserve, giving viewers a true bird’s-eye view of the ospreys’ nesting and feeding activities. Adults, which mate for life, return to the same nest every year; juveniles spend about two years in South America before coming back to our shores. In 2017, birds banded in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia were spotted in Aruba, Antilles and Venezuela. In 2023, 50 ospreys banded locally as nestlings were re-sighted during nest surveys.
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Nature's Great Comeback Story
One of the first signs of spring in New Jersey is the return of osprey in mid-March. Osprey pairs nest and raise their young along our coast from early spring to late summer before migrating back to South America.
Osprey, also known as fish hawks, were once abundant along the New Jersey coast, their six-foot wingspans easy to spot as they soared in the skies and dove to pluck fish from the water. But even with sharp talons and a reversible toe, osprey could not keep a foothold in the region when DDT pesticide came into use for insect control. A diet of DDT-laced fish stunted osprey reproduction, causing their eggshells to become thinner and decimating their numbers.
By 1974, with fewer than 50 nests in the state, osprey landed firmly on the New Jersey endangered species list.
The use of DDT was banned, and osprey populations slowly started increasing. Conservation groups erected platforms to encourage nesting in marshy habitats where development replaced tree lines, and the osprey caught on—by the mid-1980s there were more than 200 healthy pairs nesting here.
There are now more than 800 platforms around the state, and it’s estimated that 75% of nesting osprey are using these man-made structures in New Jersey.
Thanks to efforts by The Nature Conservancy and other conservation groups, the osprey population in New Jersey is going strong. The fierce-gazed raptors are happily proliferating, with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey estimating 808 occupied nests in the state in 2023—54 new nests compared to 2022 and the most recorded to date! A total of 762 young were produced from the 657 known-outcome nests throughout the state; just over 200 pairs failed to produce offspring. In the last few years, weather impacts have affected coastal nest productivity, driving down the statewide average rate to 1.16 young per active (known-outcome) nest, the lowest recorded since 2003 (0.86 young per active nest). Still, enough chicks fledged successfully to sustain the population.
While the Atlantic coast, particularly the wetlands and waterways around Barnegat Bay and Great Egg Harbor, accounted for most of the nests, ground surveys determined that the most productive nests were those along the Delaware Bay.
Stewarding Osprey Habitat
Every year before nesting season, TNC repairs or replaces nearly 30 osprey platforms in southern New Jersey. These platforms provide nesting habitat for ospreys, making their availability and upkeep vital to osprey conservation.
Osprey Platform Repairs: Every year before nesting season, TNC staff and volunteers make necessary repairs to nearly 30 osprey platforms in Southern New Jersey. © Lily Mullock/TNC
Mama Osprey: An osprey nesting on a platform protects her eggs. © TNC
Osprey Nest in New Jersey: TNC staff monitors an active osprey nest in New Jersey. © TNC
Osprey Hatchling: Osprey chicks hatch towards the end of May into early June. © Trisha Seelman/TNC
Healthy Lands, Healthy Osprey
Today, we know we must conserve and restore land at an unprecedented scale—for the benefit of people, wildlife and our climate. Ospreys remain a priority for TNC in New Jersey. For more than two decades we’ve been stewarding osprey habitat and maintaining and monitoring osprey nesting platforms in Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties as part of PSEG’s Estuary Enhancement Program. Since 1994, that initiative has restored, enhanced and/or preserved more than 20,000 acres of salt marsh and adjacent lands to vital, healthy habitat for fish and wildlife.
TNC in New Jersey manages osprey platforms in more than 5,000 acres under the PSEG program, including nesting sites in Dennis Township and Commercial Township and within watersheds of the Maurice River, Cohansey River and Alloway Creek. TNC also protects critical osprey habitat at the Maurice River Bluffs. We have installed osprey platforms at three of our flagship preserves—South Cape May Meadows, Garrett Family Preserve at Cape Island Creek and Maurice River Bluffs—and share osprey data from these locations with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Endangered and Nongame Species Program to be added into the overall count for the state.
Outcomes
During March, nesting ospreys return to the platform at our South Cape May Meadows Preserve. We live-stream the nesting process and keep records of the nest’s productivity.
2020
Eggs laid: April 20, April 23, April 29
Hatchlings: May 29, May 30, June 1
Fledglings: Three
The 2020 nesting season was the first year TNC began live-streaming the osprey nest. Since ospreys hatch in the order they were laid, the chick that hatched on June 1 was noticeably smaller than the others, earning them the nickname "Runt." Although there were many moments throughout the season that didn't look promising for Runt, all three chicks successfully fledged.
Another highlight from this season was when two of TNC's land stewards went to the osprey platform for maintenance. Upon arriving, they found one of the osprey chicks in the marsh, tangled in vines. Working carefully and swiftly, the stewards were able to untangle the chick and place it safely back in the nest.
2021
Eggs laid: May 1, May 4, May 7
Hatchlings: Zero
Fledglings: Zero
The 2021 nesting season posed some challenges for the nesting osprey pair. Early in the season, a great horned owl visited the nest at night to use it as a hunting perch. Once the eggs were laid, this became an issue, as the female osprey started staying with the eggs to incubate them overnight. On more than one occasion, the great horned owl scared the female off her nest, leaving the eggs exposed and unincubated for several hours at a time. One night, the owl pushed the female osprey off the nest.
These disturbances, paired with multiple run-ins with another osprey pair that was trying to take over the nest, resulted in the eggs being left unincubated for too long, which caused them to be unviable.
2022
Eggs laid: April 30, May 4, May 8
Hatchlings: Zero
Fledglings: Zero
For the second nesting season in a row, the osprey pair laid three eggs, none of which were viable. The reason why the eggs weren't viable was not determined.
Generally, ospreys mate for life unless one of the pair dies or disappears or they experience nesting failures. As TNC suspected, the female selected a new mate for the 2023 nesting season.
2023
Eggs laid: May 7, May 10, May 13
Hatchings: June 15, June 16, June 18
Fledglings: Zero
2023 was a tough nesting season, not just for TNC's nest, but for ospreys across the state alike. Several weeks after the osprey chicks hatched, a nor’easter impacted the coast with strong onshore winds and rain for several days. Zeus, TNC's male osprey, left the nest to find fish and did not return to the nest for four days, leaving both Hera and her chicks without food. Hera left the nest and did not return for a day, returning without fish for the chicks. Strong winds, rain and cooler temperatures make it difficult for ospreys to catch fish.
All three chicks passed from lack of food/starvation. Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ reported that the same happened at several other nests throughout the state. Events like these are known as brood reduction, which occurs when the number of nestlings in a bird's brood is reduced, usually because there is a limited amount of resources available. Two natural factors contributed to the widespread brood reduction: the nor’easter in mid-June and the lack of local abundance of Atlantic menhaden, a primary food source during the nestling period from late May through July.
TNC Osprey Camera Kit
The South Cape May Meadows Osprey Kit is a fun and interactive way to engage remotely with wildlife and ecosystems. The kit includes activities that are both educational and entertaining. Engage your kids with nature by taking an osprey themed quiz, jotting down nest observations, or learning more about ospreys in New Jersey through the resources we've provided.
Videos and Additional Resources
Freshen up on your osprey knowledge by reviewing these resources.
- Osprey Fact Sheet: learn the basics about ospreys.
- TNC Osprey Webinar Recording: gain a deeper understanding of ospreys in New Jersey through this 35 minute webinar hosted by TNC.
- New Jersey Osprey Project: read more about the different conservation groups in New Jersey that are working collectively to manage and protect ospreys.
Activities
- Quiz for Kids: guide your child through our osprey fact sheet and test their knowledge with our online quiz! Also available as a printed version and answer key.
- Quiz for General Audience: read the fact sheet and additional resources we've provided, then see if you can ace this online osprey quiz! Also available as a printed version and answer key.
- Osprey Camera Field Notes: print out this worksheet so you can record your osprey nest observations, just like a real scientist!
- Scavenger Hunt: check off nest activities as you see them happen in real time with this fun scavenger hunt.
- Osprey Nest Tutorial: learn how to make your very own osprey nest with this fun craft tutorial video.
Explore More NJ Species
Birds of New Jersey
The changing seasons bring new birds to New Jersey. Learn more about what birds you'll see and hear during the different seasons in our small state.
Cape May Piping Plover and Least Tern Protection
At the South Cape May Meadows Preserve, TNC is using innovative science and a little creativity to improve survival odds for endangered migratory shorebirds.
Sharks of New Jersey
New Jersey’s back bays and coastal salt marshes are some of the state’s most productive habitat and act as nurseries for everyone's favorite apex predator, sharks!