February
26, 2019 11.40am GMT
Research
associate, Cornell University
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A hundred
years ago, a person wandering the back roads of coastal New England might have
come across an odd sight: at the edge of a farmyard, cheek by jowl with pigs
and chickens and cows, a tall pole topped with a massive stick nest. And
standing guard in the nest, a large brown-backed, white-headed wild bird of
prey – an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).
Farmers
in this region knew that nesting Ospreys were vigilant watchdogs, quick to
chase “chicken-hawks” and other predators away. But as fish eaters, Ospreys
were no threat to farm animals. And they were trusting enough to live
comfortably near humans. So farmers lured them by building them places to nest
– generally, an old wagon wheel atop a bare pole, mimicking the dead trees in
which Ospreys had nested for millennia.
Although
these clever farmers didn’t know it, they were pioneering methods that would
help to bring Ospreys back from the edge of extinction decades later. As I
recount in my new book, “Ospreys: The Revival of a
Global Raptor,” these birds have made a spectacular recovery
from chemical pollution, guns and traps, thanks to many dedicated
conservationists and an amazing ability to thrive in close quarters with
humans.
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