ROCK HALL — Wings of Spring, celebrating the annual return of ospreys and the renewal of spring, made its debut over the weekend in Rock Hall.
Among the festival offerings on Saturday, April 25 were one-hour guided tours of Rock Hall Harbor and Swan Creek, which provided a unique vantage point to view nesting ospreys and local wildlife.
Our photo was taken by Trish McGee.
The abundant fish in the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding creeks in Rock Hall provide a reliable food source for the ospreys, also known as sea hawks or fish hawks.
The area provides numerous spots for nesting, particularly on the tops of utility poles, channel markers, dead trees, duck blinds and specially erected platforms around Rock Hall Harbor.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, osprey pairs are generally monogamous and often mate for life.
The male selects the nesting site.
The pair collects sticks and other nesting materials together, but the female generally arranges the nest, which is large and bulky.
Pairs will often use the same nest in following years.
The female lays between two to four eggs over several days, then the male and female both incubate the eggs.
The chicks learn to fly after about two months.
They remain in the nest for another two months, receiving food and protection from their parents and learning to fish.
