The 510 acre peninsula that encompasses the center consists of six distinct birding habitats. All of the migrating waterfowl, herons and most shorebird species can be seen from many of our bird blinds and observation towers. Birders who keep a “life list of species” will find excellent birding throughout the year. The site boasts 210 species sighted throughout the property. From bald eagles to brown headed nuthatches from surf scoters to yellowlegs CBEC offers an experience for all birding levels.  

Winging It

This will be an informal update of bird activities on the property.  Although I keep more extensive/technical notes for future use, I want to keep this as an easy read.  Sometimes I will follow birds from nest to departure, and other times list one or two entries on a particular bird.  If you have any questions and/or suggestions, please contact me.

If you have sightings on the property (CBEC) that you would like to post, please send them to me.  We will post a one-pager with sightings, and update every two weeks.

If you have bird questions, please ask, and I will attempt to provide an answer. 

Judy Wink

jwink@bayrestoration.org  

Summer Osprey Nest Hunt

July 08, 2009

The end of the day found a wealth of nesting ospreys!!!  We visited a number of osprey nests throughout Kent Narrows, Eastern Bay and Prospect Bay by boat.  The nestlings ranged from fledged,  ready-to-fledge through younger birds.  Some of the nestlings that had already fledged were returning to nest platforms and channel markers to rendezvous with parents in hopes of a fish dinner.  The newly fledged birds are in the process of mastering the “catch” and are supplemented with food via parents.

A good sighting this year when checking the nests-of-the-year…no dead young in the nests.  Monofilament line and other entangling debris brought back to the nest by the parents often tangle the feet and wings of the nestlings and they die before fledging.  We did not witness any mortality of young on nests.

Out of the ten (10) nests observed – we were able to account for 24 juvenile birds, so it was a “bumper crop” this year for ospreys around the Kent Narrows/CBEC area.