Maryland Osprey & Nature Festival, April 2
Bring the whole family to the inaugural Osprey & Nature Festival on Saturday, April 2, from 11 am to 4 pm!
Join us in Calvert County at the Drum Point Club, where the trees and the shoreline meet. Take a story walk, make an owl mask, see a live raptor up close, move through the nature activity stations and Rotunda Lectures with wildlife experts from all over the state.
If you’re a lover of birds and nature, or just want to learn more about wildlife, come out and enjoy a day of fun. You can also shop our amazing vendors for photography, souvenirs, jewelry, auction items, and much more.
ALL Parking at Patuxent High School with courtesy shuttle transportation. Parking will not be allowed at the Drum Point Club
Admission fees: $10 per family, $5 per individual
Proceeds from the 2022 festival go to the Owl Moon Raptor Center, a facility that rehabilitates injured raptors with the goal of releasing them into the wild. Thanks to the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership for being the fiscal host for the 2022 Maryland Osprey and Nature Festival.
For More Information please email Sal Icaza at Marylandospreyfestival@gmail.com or go to the event website at https://marylandospreyfestival.org/.
The Chesapeake Bay supports the largest Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) breeding population in the world. While the widespread use of toxic pesticides pushed populations of the fish-eating raptor to an estimated low of 1,450 breeding pairs in the early 1970s, a 1972 ban on the pesticide DDT helped populations recover. By the mid-1990s, an estimated 3,500 breeding pairs were found on the Bay and its tidal tributaries. Estimates from the Center for Conservation Biology place the Bay’s current Osprey population at 8,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs, with the world population estimated at fewer than 100,000 birds.
The amazing rebound of Ospreys has exceeded the availability of natural nesting sites. Human-made nesting structures are rarely unoccupied, and Ospreys are now nesting on cell towers and lighting structures. This can create conflicts with human values and needs.
This Festival was created to celebrate our charismatic Ospreys and educate the public, agencies, and owners of structures to foster an attitude of coexistence and conservation awareness in Calvert County and throughout the Chesapeake Bay.