| Osprey (pandion haliaetus) Juvenile osprey. Photo by Pete
McGowan, USFWS Ospreys occur in nearly every corner of the
globe, but nowhere as abundantly as the Chesapeake Bay area. The
Chesapeake nesting population is the largest known concentration
in the world, numbering nearly 2,000 pairs! Some even refer to
the Chesapeake as the “osprey garden.” Ospreys migrate to the
Chesapeake every spring, usually around the beginning The
familiar swooping of ospreys plunging for fish and their
distinctive "kyew kyew kyew" call is enjoyed by many boaters and
fishermen. Fortunately, ospreys are doing very well on
Chesapeake Bay and are common sights on navigational buoys and
markers. Yet, there was a time not long ago when their survival
on the Chesapeake was threatened. The osprey, or fish hawk,
feeds exclusively on live fish. Its toes and talons (claws) are
long and sharp for holding onto slippery fish. Ospreys are
mostly brown on their backs, white below, and have long narrow
wings in the shape of a stretched out “M.”