Osprey Nests on Eaton's Neck Fishing Boat

An osprey has taken up residence atop The Wolf Larsen, a 72-foot fishing boat that's been moored off of year round for many years.

"The nest is an osprey nest and the bird on the boat is an osprey," confirmed New York State Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson Bill Fonda.

The osprey is a large bird of prey that feed primarily on live fish, according to the state DEC's osprey fact sheet. The female lays eggs in the spring in a large nest of sticks usually constructed at the top of a dead tree.

Nesting platforms and other man-made structures are also commonly used, such as those found in the marshes at The nest is often used year after year and can become quite large — up to 10 feet high — as more material is added prior to each nesting season, as appears to be the case on The Wolf Larsen, which is registered to Janet Vincent, according to Boat Info World.

Because ospreys are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, an agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, if the nest is active, as it appears to be, it cannot be moved except in cases of emergencies. If it has not been used, it can be.

By Sept. 1,ospreys typically leave the area. "At that point the nest can be moved if it has been actively used this season," Fonda said.