Tiffany Farrell
Two adult Osprey in a nest
Keynote speaker Greg Kearns, park naturalist at Patuxent River Park’s Jug Bay Natural Area, will discuss his 38 years of Osprey research in Ospreys of the Patuxent. Known for his dynamic speaking style, Mr. Kearns will discuss local Osprey and their biology, nest platforms and other efforts to increase Osprey numbers, tracking of Osprey migration, and his public banding program.
Greg Kearns teaches about Osprey with a juvenile bird. Photo by Tiffany Farrell
Our second speaker will be Reese F Lukei, Jr., volunteer research associate for the Center for Conservation Biology, College of William and Mary. He has banded over 1,000 Osprey since about 1982. Mr. Lukei will talk about the Ospreys of Hampton Roads, Virginia, including where to look for them, what they eat, and problems they encounter living in our environment. Lukei is also the co-founder of Osprey Watch, and he will share details about this community science project.
During this festival, the SMAS Raptor Conservation Committee will launch Osprey Watch and our partnership with the Center for Conservation Biology. Learn how you can get involved in monitoring Osprey nests in Southern Maryland!
Instead of in-person meetings, SMAS is hosting virtual events using Zoom. We will send invitations via email with a link for joining each online event. If you do not get our Osprey newsletter via email, you need to sign up first. Please scroll to the bottom of this page and submit your email address to subscribe. The Osprey Festival will also be available though FaceBook Live.