Sunset Park Osprey

Pandion haliaetusWe’re at the limits of my optical abilities here, but it looks like the Ospreys nesting atop a light tower on the parking lot of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal have had at least one youngster. Note that spotty back; young birds have this scaling of the feathers. Pandion haliaetusPossibly two. One of these birds flew off while I was observing yesterday afternoon, heading for the bay.

I stumbled upon this new nest back in April. While Osprey nest at Marine Park and Jamaica Bay, this is the first time any have set up housekeeping along the Upper Bay-side of Brooklyn (since when, the arrival of Europeans?). What a success story Osprey have been after taking such a wallop from DDT! To encourage their recovery, many a nesting platform was set up along the coast. In fact, platforms were put up in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Bush Terminal Park not so long ago, although they’ve had no takers; they may be too close to civilization even for a species that shows such a high tolerance for humans. However, the vast, mostly empty parking lot this nest towers above shows the birds’ adaptability. The under-utilization of the SBMT is clearly working in their favor, if not Brooklyn’s economy.

3 Responses to “Sunset Park Osprey”


  1. 1 Sally July 28, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    This is so encouraging, to see osprey in a urban environment.


  1. 1 Raptor Wednesday | Backyard and Beyond Trackback on May 31, 2017 at 7:01 am
  2. 2 Osprey | Backyard and Beyond Trackback on November 29, 2019 at 7:47 am

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