Inland Bays Osprey Survey
Ospreys of the Inland Bays
The return of ospreys to the Inland Bays is always a welcome sign of spring, but their survival and nesting success is directly linked to the health of the Inland Bays.
Ospreys are important indicators of the health of the Bays because they are at the top of the food chain. In a process called biomagnification, the birds ingest chemicals that may accumulate in the fish that they eat.
Researchers have been tracking data on the number of active eagle and osprey nests around the Bays for decades (eagle surveys began in the late 1980s and osprey surveys began in the early 1990s). In prior years, pesticides greatly impacted these species, and since DDT was banned and the level of pesticides found in the fish they eat have declined, populations have rebounded significantly.
The Center found record numbers of nesting pairs in its 2016 State of the Bays report, with 92 osprey nests counted in 2014.
The comeback story of ospreys (and eagles) is truly good news for the health of the Inland Bays.
Survey Goals
Previous surveys were overseen by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, which has discontinued their survey efforts several years ago for various reasons. The Center wants to continue to track local osprey populations, even though it is a success story and they’re doing well. Nesting data is an important indicator of the health of the Bays and is used in the Center’s State of the Bays reports released every five years.
What’s it like to do a Survey?
The new osprey survey will be conducted by volunteers from land and/or on water! You can walk, kayak, drive, or boat along the assigned survey zone to count active nests and adult osprey pairs.
Volunteers, individually or in small teams, will be assigned to specific areas within the Inland Bays watershed to collect information on the location of nesting sites and the number of actively bonded pairs using individual nesting sites. This survey will not collect information on eggs or hatchlings, and volunteers should use binoculars to participate in the survey.
Assigned sites will be monitored at least twice a month (or more frequently!) by volunteers in April and May when nests are active.
Osprey Survey Zones. To see enlarged images of zones, scroll down to the “Volunteer Resources/Documents” section for additional image options.
Get Involved
Volunteer registration for the 2021 survey season is now closed.
If you would like more information about other volunteer opportunities, fill out the Center’s 2021 Volunteer Application. Another way to support the Center’s mission is by donating HERE!
Volunteer Resources/Documents
- COVID-19 Volunteer Waiver
- Please fill out and submit the completed waiver by emailing volunteer@inlandbays.org.
- Volunteer Log and Waiver
- Inland Bays Osprey Nest Survey Protocol
- Osprey Monitoring Data Sheet
- Osprey Survey Zones Maps
- Recommended Reading and Resources List by Jodi McLaughlin
If you missed the virtual Osprey Survey training on March 9, you can watch it below.
Additional Osprey Survey Efforts
The Center’s new Volunteer Osprey Survey is NOT a substitution for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Citizen Osprey Monitoring Program. The Center’s Survey is an additional effort to focus on osprey monitoring in the Inland Bays during the months of April and May.
If you are interested in continuing the monitoring efforts, we encourage volunteers to continue monitoring their nests for the DNREC Citizen Science Osprey Monitoring Program through September by creating a free Osprey Watch account. In June, all volunteers can start entering data from their observed nests using the Nest # or ID that Jodi McLaughlin will have provided during the Center’s Survey efforts. For more information, go to dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/conservation/osprey-monitoring or contact Jordan Terrell at Jordan.Terrell@delaware.gov.