A pair of ospreys and their family of three or four hatchlings have made a summer home on prime Darien real estate.
They are nesting at the Noroton Yacht Club's main pier, on top of the 150-foot pilings, the Darien Patch reports.
There were efforts to discourage the ospreys from making a home there, but those failed and the birds have taken over. The pier has been closed to foot traffic.
It seems that the pier where people have enjoyed scenic water views offers a good spot for one of the largest birds of prey in North America to get their fix of fish, especially since osprey hatchlings do not leave the nest soon after hatching. Instead, the parents feed them for seven to eight weeks, according to the Peregrine Fund.
The summer squatters are now being monitored live online, the Patch reports.
Darien First Selectman and Noroton Yacht Club member Dave Campbell installed a live webcam, where the community can watch the progress of the osprey family thanks to the Darien Nature Center. You can find instructions on how to use it here.
The North American osprey are expected to make Darien their home until the end of summer. The bird
migrates to South America in the winter months.
As for next year, someone placed pilings down the river, in hopes that the birds will return the pier next year.
