Nest

Ospreys are magnificent birds of prey that nest on the Outer Banks. I recently came across this nest, high in the crotch of a dead tree between Island Creek and Old Hammock Creek. No ospreys were to be seen. I wondered why.

Then I came across the following explanation on the Internet.

According to "Wildlife in North Carolina," September/October, 2012, Volume 76, Number 1, published by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina. Department of Conservation and Development, Division of Game and Inland Fisheries, "one of the most successful birds of prey on Earth, ... show [the] incredible behavior of returning to their natal homes. Upon migrating south in the fall, the ospreys that call the Outer Banks home will undertake their journey to Central America at break-neck speeds. Once arriving in places such as Venezuela, that year’s fledglings will then spend the next two years of their lives in the tropics where they mature."

I am learning something new all of the time!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Wreck of the Banana Boat. You can read it here: www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102115.htm.