Some may come and some may go...

Last Wednesday I received a call from my friend
David Park who noticed on a recent kayak trip that a
local osprey nest was missing from it's usual stand.
Being a bit upset, I ventured out on the boat, and sadly confirmed David's findings, not a twig was left standing.

I've been very bummed out about this, since I have been following this pair up close, for the last five years.
They returned this past April 1st and had their nest well underway. On our April 15th survey, she was sitting, most likely on eggs, the nest was large, and all was well.

This nest was on one of the privately owned Norwalk Island docks, I know there was incredible wind the past few weeks, I really hope this was the cause of the nest destruction, God only knows!

Besides this doom and gloom the islands are buzzing with new life, as life again is renewing itself, those early arriving Double-crested Cormorants are parenting the first newborns in the Norwalk Islands as we speak, the birds that first arrived and took up the area closest to the Goose Island shack are the first to produce young.

I was also witness to a spectacular standoff between a Great-Black Backed Gull and a Double-crested cormorant, devouring the cormorants egg clutch, incredible!





Black-bellied Plover in full gear

Altercation on Cormorant nesting site

The Great Black-backed Gull raiding the Double-crested

Cormorants nest, with huge disapproval

It is not seen here, but the gull came up with some yolk,

despite it's size the gull is very cautious of this snapping cormorant

When they are not bothering others, they

are very beautiful while sitting on nest.

Another, hidding in the grass.

Adult Cormorant feeding it's clutch,

most pairs have 3-4 youngsters to feed.

The mate will find food and return to the nest

to help feed the young.

The average adult Double-crested Cormorant consumes about one pound of fish per day.

I saw a very nice early season Summer Flounder weighed in by Marcy Lozniak at the South Norwalk Boat Club yesterday, it pushed the scales at nearly 8 lbs!

Nice fish Girl!!!