Osprey Parents Guarding Egg On Nest At Island Beach State Park

by Patricia A. Miller

You couldn't ask for better parents.

They are dedicated to watching over their soon-to-be firstborn, high atop the osprey nest next to the Interpretive Center at Island Beach State Park.

The osprey arrived back in Island Beach earlier this spring, after a long flight from South America, their winter home. They busied themselves furnishing their nest and waiting for the first egg to appear.

That happened on Tuesday.

Both the female and the male take turns keeping the egg warm, even through yesterday's downpours and today's chilly temperatures.

You can watch them at work on the Osprey Cam, courtesy of the Friends of Island Beach State Park.

There are plenty of osprey nests throughout the park these days. But it wasn't always so. In 1968, there were only 12 osprey nests at Island Beach. By 1974, there was just one. The barrage of DDT and other chemicals used in the 1950s and 1960s left the eggs too thin and brittle for the chicks to survive the incubation period.

Paul D. "Pete" McLain - a former deputy director of the state Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife - was on a mission to bring the birds back to the Jersey Shore and Island Beach.

You can read his story here.

McLain founded the Osprey Project along with Teddy Schubert, a conservation officer with the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife. The two traveled to Maryland, where osprey eggs were healthier because there was less pesticide contamination and more nesting areas.

The Friends have dedicated the pole to McClain, who died in June of 2014.

To watch the live Osprey Cam, click here.

Patch will keep you posted when the next egg arrives.

Photo credits: Friends of Island Beach State Park.