Blogtrek

Osprey Nest at Kiptopeke

Last weekend I went to a convention of mathematicians in Salisbury, MD. I took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to get from the Tidewater area to the tip of the Eastern Shore. Shortly after this, I went to Kiptopeke State Park. This is on the western side of the Eastern Shore, and consists of a trail, a picnic area, and a place where one can fish and go boating. I went to the harbor there, and found a wide wooden piling jutting from the water, close to me on the dock. I saw a strange bird there and took a picture of it, although my best shot, of one standing on the piling, was ruined by a passing boat; the birds all flew away. But then one bird went upon a nest built of sticks; evidently a female setting on her eggs or brood. I got out my tripod and binoculars and took a picture through the binoculars. This came out beautifully, and when I got home and could study the bird book at some length, I found that the bird was an osprey. I could tell because of the black band on its head and its white breast. Ospreys once were made endangered by real estate developments encroaching on its habitats and by the use of the pesticide DDT. The DDT went up the food chain and concentrated in the ospreys. They are coming back, thanks to that ban, and are fairly common on the Delmarva Peninsula, but still it was a thrill to see one.