Birds of Prey

The Osprey is a large bird of prey with a wingspan of 4-6 feet. They feed primarily on live fish, which they catch by using their long, hooked talons. While hunting, they will occasionally momentarily submerge their entire body. Ospreys typically use dead trees or man-made structures for nesting, however they will occasionally nest on the ground. Their nest is often used year after year and can become quite large, with some nests being up to 10 feet high. Osprey typically are in New York State from April to September, and migrate to Central and South America in the winter, with some Osprey migrating as far south as Argentina.

In 1980, Fred Evans from NYSDEC brought two 5-week-old osprey to the Allegheny Reservoir for a pilot project to try to establish a nesting population of osprey in WNY for the first time since the 1950s. The project was successful and there are now several osprey nests located on the Allegheny Reservoir.

The Bald Eagle is a large bird of prey, weighing up to 14 pounds with a seven foot wingspan. They are usually found near water where they feed on fish, waterfowl, small mammals, turtles and carrion. Bald Eagles are known for stealing fish from other fish eating birds, such as the osprey and common merganser. Eagles typically nest in trees with limbs strong enough to support their large nests, which are generally 4 to 5 feet wide, but can reach lengths over 10 feet across.

DichloroDiphenylTrichloroethane (DDT) is a synthetic insecticide that was widely used in the 1940’s and 1950’s for agricultural application. Large quantities of DDT were washed away into rivers and lakes, ultimately contaminating several waterways. DDT began to accumulate in the body tissues of animals, starting with insects and working its way up the food chain to fish, as well as fish-eating birds of prey. DDT led to reproductive complications in several birds of prey, including the Bald Eagle and the Osprey. This led to both the Bald Eagle and the Osprey being on the brink of extinction by the 1960’s and 1970’s. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT use in every U.S. state. Thanks to this ban, several birds of prey, including the Bald Eagle and the Osprey, have nearly made full recoveries to pre-DDT population levels.

 

To view the "Birds of Prey" kiosk panel that is currently at Onoville Marina Park, Click Here