Current Nature: A Soaring First Year For The Nantucket Osprey Watch

As Nantucket’s Ospreys take to the skies and begin their journey south, we pause to reflect on what has been an incredible first season of the Nantucket Osprey Watch. These birds are now on their way to their wintering grounds around Central and South America. What makes their migration especially fascinating is that males, females, and juveniles all migrate separately and travel alone.

The females are the first to set off on their journey, usually leaving about a month ahead of the males. The males stick around a bit longer, taking care of their young and making sure they’re well-fed until they’re strong enough to head out on their own. We had a delightful observation at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation of a very large juvenile who was quite the character! This young bird would spend its days flying around, but it always came back to the nest and begged for food from its dad. It was amusing to see how it worked every time! We can only hope that by now, it has learned to catch its own meals and isn’t just relying on its father. Once the males finally take off, the juveniles aren't far behind.

Unlike many bird species, Ospreys do not migrate in family groups (flocks) or with their mates. A mated pair will head to entirely different wintering grounds. Remarkably, they reunite on Nantucket in the spring, returning to their same nest sites as a pair.

For juveniles, the journey looks a little different. After leaving Nantucket for the first time, young Ospreys will typically remain in their wintering grounds for about 18 months. This means they will not return the following spring but will stay until they are ready to breed. Most will make their first return as adults in their second spring when they begin looking for nest sites of their own.

While the Ospreys are now embarking on their incredible migrations, here on the island, we are celebrating the achievements of the very first year of the Nantucket Osprey Watch. Thanks to our amazing team of volunteers, we documented 50 nest sites across the island, with 40 confirmed active nests. Together, 44 volunteers submitted 981 nest checks, totaling 242 hours of observations! The season produced 40 young ospreys, who are now practicing for their first flights and their long journey south.

We also gained insights into the Ospreys' nest choices across Nantucket. Of the nests monitored, 37 were on osprey poles, 12 were in pine trees, and one was even on a chimney. These details give us a snapshot of Nantucket’s Osprey population today and lay the foundation for tracking long-term trends and changes with nest success and preferences.

Our first annual Osprey Watch report is now complete, and you can view it here or at https://llnf.org/nantucket-osprey-watch. It’s filled with all the highlights, nest data, videos, and volunteer photos that capture the energy of this year’s breeding season.

The Nantucket Osprey Watch project would not have been possible without the time, energy, and enthusiasm of our volunteers. Your commitment has helped launch something special that will only grow stronger in the future. Since this was the very first year of the Nantucket Osprey Watch, we will be building on the project and already have exciting new plans for next season.

If you would like to join the Nantucket Osprey Watch, we would love to have you! Sign-ups for the 2026 season have already started, and we will be reaching out in March to get the party started again, just in time for the Ospreys' return. Whether you are an experienced Osprey watcher or just curious to get involved, there is a place for you in this island-wide effort.

As our Ospreys settle into their winter homes, we can all look forward to their return next spring and to another exciting year of watching, learning, and protecting these amazing birds together.

Stay tuned for more editions of Current Nature, a bi-weekly column featuring seasonal topics, natural history information, and advice on the outdoors from the staff at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.