Winter Osprey Platform Rebuilding

In late January and early February the unusually mild temperatures allowed a group of Friends of Sedge (FOS) members from the Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association to work on the platforms which hold osprey nests. We paddled out into the Marine Conservation Zone and visited more than a dozen platforms. Some of these are on utility poles more than twenty feet above the ground. Others are on 4’X4’ platforms less than six feet above the ground. We found that most of the nests are in relatively good repair. On our first visit we replaced some of the perch poles used by the birds when they return to their nests with a fish. We did spot four upright nest support poles far out on the western edge of the Marine Conservation Zone, but the site was in such a bad state that we thought it had been abandoned for years.

After our initial visit I discussed the situation with Pete McLain, who chiefly responsible for rebuilding the osprey population in the Sedge Islands beginning in 1970. Pete told me that it was important to rebuild this nest platform if we possibly could because of its history. The “Jenkins Nest” was built in the early 70’s and has been occupied every summer since its construction. In 2005 the platform rotted out and collapsed. Undaunted, the faithful pair of osprey rebuilt their nest on the ground and produced several chicks last summer.

Now we had a goal. On a blustery day in early February a team of four members of FOS kayaked to the site towing a canoe filled with lumber and other repair materials. The tide was so high we were able to paddle right up to the nest site. Standing in knee-deep water, we began working to secure the upright cedar posts that were in relatively good condition. We screwed 2”X 6” cross beams on to the four uprights. We then constructed a platform on the beams and built a low wall around the top to hold branches in place. Our final task was to replace the perch pole. (See pictures) We worked so efficiently that we had time to paddle several more miles in the MCZ. We looked for seals as we ate lunch at the dike in Barnegat Inlet but did not spot any.

We look forward to the date in March when the ospreys traditionally return to the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone. We will keep a close eye on this particular nest site to see if it is reinhabited. Since these birds are banded it is theoretically possible to determine if it is the same birds return to the nest. The problem is that we do not want to capture the birds (using nets or traps) and thus disturb their nesting behavior. As with the other nests in the Marine Conservation Zone, we will band any juveniles raised in the newly rebuild Jenkins Nest.

This was the first Friends of Sedge project for 2006. With four people working (and playing) we logged fifty-eight hours of volunteer work on this project alone. We are off to a good start. We will continue to paddle in the MCZ this winter