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The Summer House

You know it’s spring when migrating osprey return to Cape Cod from Central and South America. Ospreys are large, black-and-white birds of prey that, unlike other raptors, feed almost entirely on fish. North American osprey populations became endangered in the 1950s due to chemical pollutants such as DDT. In 2004, WHOI and Woods Hole Sea Grant erected a nest platform, and osprey have occupied it most years since. The public can learn about osprey behavior and ecology on Cape Cod through the WHOI “Osprey Cam,” which lets viewers watch the birds feed, lay eggs, and raise chicks.(Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)