April 22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Heather Siano 203.259.6305 ext. 103
or Cat Urbain 203.878.7440

Ospreys Return to Milford Point
View Live Activity on Connecticut’s Only Osprey Cam – www.ctaudubon.org

Milford, Connecticut - The Ospreys have returned to their Milford Point nesting platform at the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. This pair of Ospreys has been returning to the same location in the Charles E. Wheeler salt marsh at Milford Point for seven years. They officially returned home on Thursday, March 24th.

On Sunday April 17, the first egg was laid, followed by a second egg on Tuesday, April 19 and a third on Friday, April 22. The incubation period for the eggs is 28-35 days. Both the female and the male Osprey protect the eggs. The newly hatched Osprey will leave the nest after approximately eight weeks.

The activity of the Osprey can be monitored daily via Connecticut’s only “Osprey Cam.” In 2003, the Connecticut Audubon Society, with the support of Westport businessman and conservationist, Leon Hirsch, launched the Osprey Cam in order to track the nesting and breeding behavior of the Osprey.

Ospreys mate for life and return year after year to the same location to rebuild and add materials to their nest. Osprey nests are never far from the water and are located in tree tops, poles, towers, etc. The Ospreys soar and dive along coastal waters in search of surface-swimming fish. Ospreys begin their southern migration from September through early November and winter anywhere from the Gulf States to South America.

The Ospreys have been making a remarkable comeback in recent years along the Connecticut coastline. In the 1940s and 1950s the Osprey population was plentiful in Connecticut. Pesticides and coastline development nearly eliminated the entire population in the 1960s. However, the species has been making a recovery recently and these long-winged hawks have returned and adapted to new nest sites and man-made Osprey platforms around rivers, marshes and coastal areas.

Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society is a statewide, non-profit membership organization dedicated to providing excellence in environmental education, encouraging the conservation of the state’s natural resources and advocating for enlightened public policy on ecological matters. The Society operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury, Pomfret and Hampton as well as program outreach offices in Hartford and Essex. Connecticut Audubon manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries around the state preserving over 2,500 acres of open space. For membership and other information, visit www.ctaudubon.org

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