Osprey chicks hatch two years after parents made nest at Huntington Lighthouse
HUNTINGTON BAY, N.Y. -- A couple of osprey hatched their first chicks in a very precarious place on Long Island.
It was a high-profile change of address when the osprey took up residence on the entrance ramp to the Huntington Lighthouse in 2021 and were gingerly relocated to a safer, man-made perch.
They hoped the federally-protected birds would like their new digs and multiply. They did.
To the delight of patient lighthouse preservationists, the osprey welcomed three hatchlings last week, after two years without chicks.
"It's absolutely awesome," said Pam Setchell, president of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society. "We were teary eyed, we were so excited about it."
The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society went to great lengths to consult with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and build a room with a view for what's likely the same young pair that returns each year.
Osprey mate for life.
"They wanted to live here because they were building on the lighthouse, so we decided to work it out so we could peacefully cohabitate. So we've got three little guys out there and all of us are just over the moon," said Setchell.
The perch paid off. The growing brood is evidence, according to Chip Hamilton, a wildlife biologist for the DEC.
"It just shows that when people put a little bit of effort in the right places, with the proper guidance, you can have a positive outcome," said Hamilton.
After near extinction, the iconic coastal birds' population is dramatically rebounding. Efforts like this help.
From the lighthouse, visitors can watch the osprey parents' co-parenting skills.
"Typical. Mom's taking care of everything at the house, keeping it clean and tidy, and Dad's pretty much out hunting and he'll bring back fish," said Setchell. "We've got our first pair of keepers out here since 1949, so we're pretty happy about it."
The hope is the osprey chicks will spread their wings and move out of their parents' nest in time for the big music festival that attracts more than 1,000 boats to the area over Labor Day Weekend.
The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society may expand the perch this winter, when the osprey migrate south. A deeper nest could help ensure chicks' survival.