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Return of the Osprey. David Gessner. 2001. Algonquin Books
of Chapel Hill. 286p.
Cape Cod lost its ospreys twice. First, by 1850 all the trees essential for
nesting were cut into lumber for ship building. Secondly, by 1960 DDT thinned
egg shells halted reproduction. Persistent pesticides such as DDT accumulate as
they move up food chains. As top predators, ospreys gulped down fish heavily
tainted with the insecticide.
Dennis Puleston, an Englishman who studied ospreys on Long Island after World
War II, documented their decline. A Long Island conservation group with evidence
of DDT in osprey eggs provided by Dennis, brought a law suit that stopped the
mosquito commission from spraying DDT. This conservation group became the
Environmental Defense Fund.
David Gessner, not a scientist, but a good writer, having returned to his family
home on Cape Cod, dedicates a year to observing and “living on osprey time”. He
follows four pairs of adults nesting on platforms over about 10 miles inland
along Cape Cod Bay. In their startling dives for fish, they achieve an
impressive 50 to 90% success rate. Weighing only four pounds themselves, ospreys
have been recorded lifting four pound fish!
Over the year 1999 this population of raptors grew. Rapid housing development on
Cape Cod destroys habitat and poses the next threat to ospreys.
An avid reader, David enriches the text with observations from ornithologists,
historians and philosophers. He advocates slowing down and reconnecting with
nature. He argues that slowing down can lead to excitement that is “often
dazzling”.
Written August 5, 2005
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