Barrington resident helps track ospreys at Allin's Cove

David Winsor one of the many volunteers helping with Audubon's osprey report

By Josh Bickford
Posted 7/21/17

Barrington resident David Winsor has been keeping an eye on the ospreys in Allin's Cove for years. 

Initially, he was a "casual observer" of the platforms that had been installed in the cove …

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Barrington resident helps track ospreys at Allin's Cove

David Winsor one of the many volunteers helping with Audubon's osprey report

Posted

Barrington resident David Winsor has been keeping an eye on the ospreys in Allin's Cove for years. 

Initially, he was a "casual observer" of the platforms that had been installed in the cove back in 2004-05 as part of the Army Corps of Engineers' marsh restoration project.

"While there were occasional flyovers by osprey we didn’t notice any regular activity of either platform until 2007 when a pair of osprey were seen on the west platform late that summer," wrote Mr. Winsor in a recent email. 

"We were very curious about the osprey and attended a lecture at the Audubon Society ... and learned that there was a program that needed volunteers to keep track of the osprey population."

In 2011, Mr. Winsor started officially monitoring the nests in Allin's Cove as part of the osprey program. He also took photos and started making videos. 

"I’ve been posting videos of the nest on YouTube since 2015," he said.

Mr. Winsor also shared a timeline he created of osprey activity in Allin's Cove:

• 2007 — Pair visited west platform late in late July

• 2008 — Pair visited platform late in the season.

• 2010 — Nest constructed on west platform but I did not observe mating or offspring

• 2011 — Pair produced three offspring on the west platform. Two juveniles fledged but the third was trapped in the nest by fishing line.

• 2012 — Pair produced two juveniles, both of which fledged.

• 2013 — Pair produced four young, I believe all fledged but one died, probably after running into a telephone pole on Pleasant Street in dense fog.

• 2014 — Pair produced four young, all fledged.

• 2015 — Pair produced three young, all fledged, however, the platform was destroyed during a severe thunderstorm and one juvenile and one adult were not seen again.

• 2016 — The platform was repaired and reoccupied by a pair of adults who produced four young, all of which fledged.

• 2017 — The pair has produced two offspring. 

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