NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
April 7, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 131
For more information contact Richard Julian, Cape Henlopen State Park, 302-645-6852 or Beth Shockley, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Delaware Osprey Update: “Claws” on the Move Northward
“Claws,” a young osprey fitted with a tiny satellite tracker in 2007 at Cape Henlopen State Park, appears to have begun his first migration from South America back to Delaware.
“He’s on the move north and we couldn’t be more pleased or excited,” said Richard Julian, manager of the Seaside Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park. “He spent the winter in Venezuela and is now making his way back home to Delaware.”
Claws was fitted with a small satellite transmitter two years ago to track his direction and progress as he migrated south during the fall of 2007, and as he migrates northward now.
Tagging of young Delaware ospreys began in 2006. Among the six birds tagged so far, only Claws and Little Ricky, who was tagged last year, are known to still be alive.
Banding studies show that only about 20 percent of young ospreys survive their first year. “Hardly anyone has tagged young ospreys because young birds of prey have a really low chance of making it to their first birthdays,” says Dr. Rob Bierregaard of the University of North Carolina. His work reveals that the birds’ long, solo trips are fraught with dangers, including physical malady and environmental stresses.
In order to find out more about osprey migrations, the DNREC Osprey Cam project was launched in 2006, a partnership involving Cape Henlopen State Park, the Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, SPI Pharma, Inc., and Dr. Bierregaard. The main component of the project, the “Osprey Cam,” looks inside an osprey nest located atop an SPI Pharma facility just outside the park, and offers viewers the experience of actually looking down into an osprey nest.
A nesting pair believed to be Claws’ parents returned to the Osprey Cam nest on March 21st and can be viewed online by visiting the DNREC website: www.dnrec.delaware.gov. They can also be viewed in person at the Seaside Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park.
