Virginia’s Ospreys face an uncertain future

Ospreys are large, exclusively fish-eating raptors that have graced Virginia’s shores for millennia.

They are superstars for their ability to plunge into the depths at speeds approaching 80 mph to safely and speedily emerge having plucked one very specific species of fish – the menhaden – to either serve their own sustenance or that of a nest of hungry chicks. At least that’s what the scenario should be.

Instead, something terrible is happening to Virginia’s iconic Ospreys.

After having recovered from near extinction caused by DDT in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Ospreys rebounded spectacularly to the delight of bird lovers everywhere. Indeed by the late 1980’s, the Chesapeake Bay reclaimed its spot as host of the world’s largest concentration of breeding Osprey pairs. But even as soon as the late 1990’s another very localized population decline was first noted, with that decline accelerating precipitously to the point when, just this past summer of 2025, the Osprey population on Virginia’s Eastern Shore had reached “complete collapse.”

The problem is not predation, as the Osprey is itself an apex predator. Nor is the problem a global one, as worldwide populations continue to thrive, including elsewhere all along the Atlantic Coast.

To explore this distressing situation and to point the way to its possible remedies, Wild Virginia is honored to present Dr. Bryan Watts – another superstar in his own right – who will be speaking to us about Virginia’s Ospreys. As you will quickly realize, Dr. Watts is singular for the expanse of his scientific knowledge and experience, which includes years of direct study of the increasingly dire state of Virginia’s Ospreys. The evening promises to be rich in accessible content, firsthand accounting, and vivid revelation. Please join us.

Dr. Bryan D. Watts is the Mitchell A. Byrd Professor of Conservation Biology and Director of The Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary. The author of more than 600 publications on avian ecology and conservation, Watts has studied birds since early childhood. He has conducted more than 1,000 research projects focused on solving conservation problems throughout the Western Hemisphere but primarily within the mid-Atlantic region of North America. He has worked with osprey in the Chesapeake Bay for more than 30 years. His research attempts to explore general ecological principles that have broad application.

Photos from Dr. Bryan D. Watts