Maurice River Recollections Project
Osprey Nest Anecdotes
Ficcaglia

The Ficcaglia family watches the nest and helped to erect it. They are the dutiful watchers of the birds' endeavors.

When we first started the osprey colony project, we had just entered our 30s. Now I don't mean to infer that young folks have no common sense, but I will share that we were clearly in our invincible years. And it is with that attitude that we likely put up this early structure. The pole was 24? long and very heavy. We were also blessed that day to have an Eagle Scout candidate Curt Hartenstine and his younger comrades join us. Curt was in his senior year of high school and earning his Eagle Scout badge, a true sign of accomplishment and tenacity. He was a football player and a big strapping fellow.

The tiny scouts got in the bow of the pram and when he got in, the stern the craft went wild. At this point, the craft was only in 2 ft of water. It was March and not the warmest of days. The only thing we did correctly, as I recall, was put lifejackets on the crew. Somehow, we righted that first incident, only to send out three smaller women in the same boat. We just needed to navigate about 100 yards of waterway, so really, what could go wrong? So we persisted. Who knew a small metal pram could sink? Sink it did, and if I recall correctly, even the press was present to memorialize the incident in photos. Thankfully, they were kind to us. Fortunately, everyone swam to shore, boots and all, and although one camera drowned, no one was hurt and we learned an important lesson on using adequate-sized crafts. It was one of those times when you were only a thread away from having a tragic story to tell and ended up with a memorable tale that will not be easily forgotten. Yes, the invincible years; the years we survived simply by sheer luck.

Let's move on to the personality of the birds in this nest. You have heard of a junkyard dog? Well, this bird has it all over any local junker. Besides the usual sticks and grasses, its nest is filled with primarily two items: orange nylon rope and clear plastic - so much so that we have, on occasion, had to cut chicks free from the bondage of the line. We don?t know where the orange rope comes from but we have written it up in the local paper to try to get to the bottom of this. The mystery remains unsolved. The bird is also a “builder bird,” making an unusually large nest.

 

Ficcaglia nest festooned with orange rope, plastic, cardboard, tire tread, plastic plant containers

Ficcaglia nest festooned with orange rope, plastic, cardboard, tire tread, plastic plant containers

 

Portion of orange rope removed from nest

Portion of orange rope removed from nest

 

 

Orange rope hangs down like streamers from nest

Orange rope hangs down like streamers from nest

 

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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.

This pdf is a supplement to our Maurice River Recollection Project. The project, available on our website at http://www.cumauriceriver.org, includes natural history facts, plans for constructing osprey nests or predator guards, the history of the colony project and much more. Or you may simply go to Google Earth along the Maurice River and visit the nests virtually and the accompanying anecdotes. 

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. 
We hope to have afile available shortly that can be dowloaded and viewed using Google Earth.

Sincerely,
Jane Galetto
President