Ospreys in NF

[Rob Bierregaard]

Greetings,

I am currently working on a revision of the breeding range map for Ospreys for the Birds of North America Project.

I have had great success posting requests for information from state and regional listservs and Google Groups. I hope I may impose on you as well.

The current map (made in the late 1990s) shows Ospreys breeding all across NF except for the southernmost portion of the island south of a line from Stephenville more or less to Clarenville. The line droops down a bit presumably to include Meelpaeg Reservoir and Jeddore Lake, etc. It shows no breeding out on the whole peninsula where St. Johns is.

Does that seem accurate?

Anyone want to make a wild guess (not to be attributed) as to how many pairs are nesting in NF?

If you know of anyone who might be helpful but isn't in this Group, I would appreciate contact information.

(I've been studying Osprey migration via satellite telemetry for 16 years. Lots of info on this at www.ospreytrax.com.)

Thanks for any help you might provide.

[thefunkys...@gmail.com]

Hi Rob,we have been in contact concerning ospreys over many year's ago,I actually follow the philosophy of Denis Puleston and his colleages that go way back to the re-establishing of osprey's thru the transport of egg's from healthy areas that were not affected by DDT to areas in Martha's Vineyard and the North-east U.S to re-establish osprey population's.Here on this island and thru-out many areas of Labrador I would be confident to state there is a very healthy population of breeding osprey's,I have been watching osprey's pretty regularly since 1983,all here on the Avalon Penisula that includes St.John's,and I would be assuming but confident that osprey's have been breeding here on the Avalon before the potato famine in Ireland.There are many nesting pairs around the great water tributaries all around Churchill falls Labrador and high breeding number's along any areas of the island where they hunt mainly for flounder such as areas like Belliview Beach on the Avalon to the North side of the ocean drive outside of Corner Brook where beautiful sand ocean beaches have them hunting for flounder galore.We are the land of water both the island and Labrador,I'd guess they are well established all over the island to the far reaches of Labrador,one would have to actually travel the island along all areas to achieve any accurate number but it would be in the hundreds of nesting breeding pair's like 300 on the island and god knows what in Labrador and my guess for the island is definitely from a blind man guess.I enjoy the information you have achieved concerning osprey's but feel the knowledge is gained and satellite tracking beyond ten year's of putting 30 gram packs on osprey's backs even Denis Puleston and friends of his the true pioneers would state the information is gained,monies could be put somewhere now in other necessary areas.Call it a trade of,you get information,I get my say.Have a good day/Gerard Hickey-We were in contact concerning ospreys for year's!

[Rob Bierregaard]

Thanks so much for that very informative message. It was just what I needed! I agree with you totally about transmitters. We've tagged enough. I'm winding down now and will probably do just a few more, basically using transmitters we've recovered or moving transmitters from birds that have done a migration cycle. That said, if there were anyplace that I'd be tempted to tag a few more birds, it would be NF! My guess is that they would do something similar to the Martha's Vineyard birds--lots of Juveniles out over the ocean, but the adults backtracking to the mainland before heading south after they learned the safer, longer route on their first trips north.

Best, Rob

[thefunkys...@gmail.com]

Your welcome Rob and nice to hear the back packs will be winding down,also your work to educate in South America concerning ospreys is admirable! "Soaring with Fidel" if anyone wishes to read up on a back-packed osprey story of migration this is an amazing read.

[thefunkys...@gmail.com]

Rob that guess for the island should be more appropriately approx. 100 to a possible 120 and then Labrador does have them at Churchill Fall's and other areas but I could not really calculate a number.Here in St.John's we have a pair at the power station off Stavanger at Snow's Lane,a pair at Pippy Park and a possible pair at the cliffs just South of Middle Cove beach and while the adults have been fishing at Mundy Pond with-in St.John's there is usually a returned juvie who knows what age but they still scream like juvies as this one this year fishes lie a juvie and screams at the more seasoned adult males with that sound that only a juvie whistles.I have seen amazing pictures from Churchill Fall's Labrador of osprey nests in big power structures hundreds of feet off the ground,it appears this area is big for them there and possible knowledge can be gained by a possible call if you were able to find someone really familiar with that area.Along the Irish loop here on the Avalon there is a healthy pair at Trepassey with two healthy chicks.We have numerous water reservoirs,salmon river's and so forth on the Avalon so I confidently tell the elders at Mundy Pond here in North Central St.John's that the osprey have been fishing this pond before we ever got here.The Trepassey nest is off a road called Daniel's Point if ever in St.John's call me Rob at 1-709-722-5212,I love ospreys and love to have a chat some day,best of luck.During my time writing this an osprey caught a Talapia somewhere in South America,lets hope it's not over a fish farm!

[tpa...@hotmail.com]

Hi,

Thousands of Osprey breeding in Labrador, numerous studies have been conducted over the years by the Department of National Defense out of 5 Wing Goose Bay and the now shutdown Institute for Environmental Monitoring and Research. I'm sure a quick Google search would pull up most of these studies. I've personally flown all over interior Labrador, you cannot go 5 miles without seeing an Osprey nest structure of some sort.

Cheers,
TParr