NEWSApril 23, 2005

Groton -- A family of osprey returned to Groton this season after the long and arduous trek from their wintering grounds, possibly from as far away as South America, only to find that they had been evicted from their annual roost.

Thor Torgersen, who travels Thomas Road daily when commuting from his company headquarters on Fort Hill Road to Pfizer, Inc., has been watching the family of osprey for years. During a photo shoot last year, Torgersen, an artist and wildlife enthusiast, developed a genuine fondness for the birds.

“It just breaks my heart to see the poor things working so hard to set up a new nest only -- to have their attempts swept away almost daily,” Torgersen said.

Osprey are known to be creatures of habit as the birds usually return in pairs to the same roost site and add new material to the old nest year after year. This year however, when the pair returned, there literally was no old nest to tidy up. The roost had been taken down over the winter months.

Torgersen’s office immediately started making calls in an effort to make arrangement to set up a new roost site for the osprey. After explaining Pyramid MDT’s desire to donate materials and labor to erect a new roost to several very helpful city officials, Pyramid was able to make contact with the local Department of Environmental Protection, osprey specialist, Julia Victoria.

Victoria said she was “amazed” by the outpouring of concern from Pyramid MDT and other residents who had called about the osprey.

“We must have gotten at least a half dozen calls about the birds being displaced,” Victoria said.

Because of the efforts of Pyramid MDT and other concerned citizens, Groton Utilities, although not responsible for taking down the previous nest, has erected a new pole for the ospreys. According to a Groton Utilities spokesman, they are making arrangements to erect another pole on adjacent property to ensure that the birds have adequate room.

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Author: Wendy Sautter, April 23, 2005