Join the crowd - Watch ospreys in 2013
Over the next few weeks, bird watchers throughout the northern hemisphere will
welcome osprey as they return to their breeding grounds. This greeting is an
annual ritual that for many marks both the arrival of spring and the hope for a
productive breeding season. For the second year, The Center for Conservation
Biology is sounding the call to OspreyWatchers throughout the world to record
and share their observations with a growing online community of global citizens
that are linked by an interest in osprey biology and a concern for aquatic
environments. In its debut 2012 season, OspreyWatch included a network of more
than 800 observers that recorded observations on 1,600 nests in 5 countries.
Osprey are one of very few truly global sentinels for aquatic health. They
feed almost exclusively on live fish throughout their entire life cycle. They
are a top consumer within aquatic ecosystems and are very sensitive to both
overfishing and environmental contaminants. Nearly all populations breed in
the northern latitudes and winter in the southern latitudes, effectively
linking the aquatic health of the hemispheres. Their breeding season in the
north is highly seasonal making them an effective barometer of climate change.
The overarching objective of OspreyWatch is to engage a community of observers
to record breeding information on a large enough spatial scale to be useful in
monitoring aquatic health.
OspreyWatch is a user-friendly, internet platform that allows observers across
the globe to map their nests, log observations, upload photos, and interact
within an observer forum. Information entered into the platform will be
immediately accessible to users and will be summarized following the breeding
season. To join a growing community of global citizens, please visit
http://www.osprey-watch.org and become an OspreyWatcher.
www.osprey-watch.org
Michael Wilson
Center for Conservation Biology
College of William and Mary & Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
phone: 757-221-1649
fax: 757-221-1650
email: mdwils@xxxxxx
web: www.ccbbirds.org
