Friday's Foto

Osprey, sometimes referred to as the "Fish Eagle", are now fledging offspring from nests all around coastal New York City and Long Island. The use of the chemical DDT lead to a sharp decline in their population due to eggshell thinning. After the pesticide was banned in the US in 1979 this fish-eating species began a steady recovery such that in 1983 it was downgraded from its 1976 "Endangered" status to "Threatened". In 1999 it was again downgraded from "Threatened" to "Special Concern." You can find annual nesting pairs at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.