By Adamarie Tait
Correspondent
Susan Matson, an English professor at Middlesex County College, shared a Facebook post on April 15 about an osprey that had been spotted between both of TCNJ’s lakes.
“He seems to be calling for a mate, but little Ewing really isn’t the best location for a Date-With-A-Raptor,” Matson wrote in the post.
Matson is considered a top 10 bird watcher in Mercer County, according to E-Bird. This site was created by Cornell Lab and allows bird watchers such as Matson to post findings to identify bird species and find their common habitat.
According to Matson’s findings on E-Bird, ospreys are considered rare here in Ewing. Matson shares that they are more common around Middlesex County, Monmouth County and Ocean County. However, according to Chris Soucy, the executive director of The Raptor Trust, ospreys’ presence may have something to do with the College's proximity to the Delaware River.
Matson and Soucy both explained in separate interviews that ospreys seek deep water canals because they mostly hunt fish, hence why they are more frequent in shore counties. Soucy also shared an interesting fact: ospreys had been considered an endangered species all over the state, but recently, that has been removed.
Matson often frequents the College in support of her bird-watching hobby. She said the bird had been on sight at the College for two and a half weeks before she finally posted to Facebook. Matson first saw the osprey on Lake Boulevard, looking over Lake Ceva.
In an interview, Matson was asked how she is able to differentiate the calls. “He was making a very loud peeping sound that’s usually the calling for a mate,” Matson explained.
Matson also said she thinks the osprey may have made its way to the College due to “migration season.” However, during her most recent trip to the College, the osprey was not there. Matson explained that ospreys typically leave for a long period of time and come back.
“I am interested to see if it stays,” Matson said.
Ospreys were not the only interesting wildlife found here at the College. Matson also shared that she was on the wooden bridge between Lake Ceva and Lake Sylva when she saw a red-shouldered hawk.
After posting her findings to E-Bird, Matson discovered that the hawk was also considered infrequent in the Ewing area.
Aside from these unique birds, Matson shared that she commonly finds Canadian geese, Eastern pheasants, and cardinals around the lakes at the College.
