The past 50 years have seen an extraordinary resurgence in Osprey numbers globally. This good-news story has been triggered not just by cleaner waters and less contaminated fish, but also by greening cultures—dedicated groups of people who have built and protected safe nest sites for Ospreys and brought the species back to regions where it was missing for decades. Poole will lead us through this story with dazzling looks at some of the places where Ospreys are found and introduce us to some of the colorful characters who have helped make the revival possible. Part travelogue, part biography, part scientific detective story, this talk will bring us up to date on one of our best-loved birds of prey.
Alan Poole, an Associate of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, was the editor of the Birds of North America life history series for 22 years. He lives on the coast of southeastern Massachusetts, has been studying Ospreys for more than 35 years, and has written two books on the species. His recent book is Ospreys: The Revival of a Global Raptor.