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Maurice River Recollections Project
Osprey Nest Anecdotes
Vanaman
The Vanaman nest was erected at the Vanaman homesteads on the Maurice River. It was Pat Vanaman Witt who suggested that nephew Frank needed a nest. He had wanted to attract an osprey to the upland on his property but the structure he employed wasn?t having much luck attracting any. We put up a platform in the marsh and it was active for 15 years before the upland nest finally developed osprey appeal. The marsh platform was involved in one of our more tragic occurrences with osprey and it caused us to redesign an aspect of our nesting box design. We originally used ½” hardware cloth across the bottom of the box. Between the side of the box and the middle support we place a 2” x 36” piece of wood to help support nesting materials so the weight of the nest is supported not only by the hardware cloth. When we clean off a nest, we do not clean it down to the structure but rather leave about 3” of sticks and grasses in place. First-year birds often don?t use a lot of nesting materials. And the first-year birds that built on this platform hardly placed any nesting materials at all. They were inexperienced and had gotten a typically late start. The chicks were reared in a hastily built nest and the ½” wire was, unbelievably, large enough for the chicks? legs to grow through the openings. We had put up over a dozen nests and not had this problem before. In 24 years of banding birds, and many more nests neither I nor the biologists at NJ Fish and Wildlife have ever witnessed a similar tragedy. I have seen only one nest with an equally sparse amount of nesting materials. To insure against a similar occurrence we now use 1/4” hardware cloth. We also do egg checks and, at that time, check that the adult birds have assembled a sufficient amount of nesting materials. In fact, most osprey don?t know when to stop building; collapse is a common problem in natural nests or when maintenance of man-made structures is inadequate.
Bedtraggled chick in Vanaman platform after a thunderstorm
View of Vanaman house from Vanaman nest Closest River Reach: Old Ferry Compton http://www.cumauriceriver.org/reaches/pg/narratives.cfm?sku=30 Ferry Crossing Clue to Reach Names III |
Osprey Colony Project
Introduction Welcome to Citizens United's River Recollections Project. These stories are but a few of my memories associated to osprey nesting structures along the Maurice River and its tributaries. It is part of a larger project including an interactive map of the of river reach lore, live campfire recollection events, documentaries, presentations and archives held by the organization. I believe the greatest connection that people have to a river is the sharing of their bond to it through the telling of stories. These stories are accurate accounts from my perspective the truth, as I know it. The stories are designed to give you insight into some life history of the osprey but are primarily designed to give you a flavor for being an osprey volunteer. Over 150 volunteers have been involved in the construction of the osprey platforms. Sincerely,
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If you enjoy these stories or have a love of history, you may find visiting our interactive River Reach Map, which allows you to explore cultural aspects of the Maurice River's tidal reaches, simply click on buoys to begin your voyage.