Our Osprey Garden
Greetings Osprey friends!
OSPREY SIGHTING! On Sunday, February 26, one of our residents spotted an osprey sitting on a nest on Monroe Bay. This is very early for us but we will take it! I can say with all confidence, when we are outside our eyes are looking to the skies searching for another! There is lots of excitement as we near the return of many very soon. We wish them safe travels as they are well on their way back to Virginia.
I have heard from our South and Central American Friends Luis and Jorge. Luis has shared some pictures of ospreys in Venezuela and Jorge has reported counting a dozen ospreys traveling north through Costa Rica in the past five days as he was participating in Hawk Count!
These ospreys well be West Coast birds migrating to the Pacific North West. The pictures with this newsletter are provided by Luis! We are so fortunate to be able to share information with each other across continents! I look forward to hearing more from them in the coming days and weeks. Likewise, I will share our ospreys with them.
The platform nest that is in the water behind the dog park has now been wrapped with aluminum to prevent raccoons and other predators from getting in the nest (we hope). A huge shout out to my husband, Barry, for doing that. I also understand that another nest was wrapped the same way for the same reason by the homeowner. Thank you!
Colonial Beach is so fortunate to have so many caring people, working hard to protect our favorite raptor, The Osprey!!
Now we wait!
Festival News
Early Bird TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW ONLINE!!
Single- $10.00
Full Nest- $15 (family ticket)
Children 12 and under are FREE and must be accompanied by an adult.
Ticket prices increase by $5.00 on day of festival so get them now!
***Note that all events on Town Hill are FREE!***
Tickets are Required for presentations at the Fisheries Building
And for trolley and golf cart nest tours
The Festival Committee has been working hard to bring you an informative and fun festival. There will be exhibits for young and old alike. This year we have really focused on our youth with wonderful exhibitors that will include activities that are fun and educational. We urge families to visit our “Nestlings Corner”. There you will find owl pellets to dissect, birdhouses to paint, Fish Printing (a Japanese Art Form), the illustrator of the child’s book, Belle’s Journey, Playcemaker which will offer activities that teach our children about nature, face painting, an oyster exhibit demonstrating oyster filtration, a scavenger hunt and a Virginia Opossum that you can meet up close and personal!
The Keynote speaker at the Fisheries Building is Dr. Bryan Watts, Director at the Center for Conservation Biology-College of William and Mary. He has over 30 years of experience working with ospreys and other wildlife, we welcome him to Colonial Beach and to our Festival. We also have many other fabulous expert speakers that will be speaking throughout the day. There are a number of artisan vendors, exhibitors from our parks, Dahlgren, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Potomac Riverkeepers Network and many more. We also have live raptors! Have you ever met a Barred Owl? This is your chance! There will also be food vendors, serving coffee, sweets, breakfast and lunch!
On Friday night, join us for the Colonial Beach 2nd Friday Art Walk. Local artists will have their art on display and for sale featuring birds and other wildlife. Of Course Saturday is Festival day and Saturday night Colonial Beach Brewing will host The Grand Ol’ Ospry with live music. Other venues in town will also be serving up delicious food and live music as well.
On Sunday, the festival is offering bird walks made possible by the Northern Neck Audubon Society and the Northern Neck Master Naturalists. These walks will take place at George Washington Birthplace Monument Park and at Westmoreland State Park. Our partner, Colonial Beach Parks and Recreation, will be holding its kite flying event, “Soar like an Osprey”!
For further details please visit us at: virginiaospreyfestival.org.
We are so excited and looking forward to this festival!
For all of the latest news please visit, virginiaospreyfestival.org
We have festival hats for sale at Colonial Buzz Espresso Bar and we have festival stickers! Shirts are now on sale as well.
· Remember 50% of festival profits go into an osprey/wildlife fund. Thank you for your support!
· SAVE THE DATE APRIL 15, 2023
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