Virginia Gazette News |

James City teen rescues osprey knocked from nest by boaters

JAMES CITY — A worker at Jamestown Beach Event Park paddled about a mile to save a young osprey on Tuesday after its nesting platform was disturbed by boaters who were jumping off it into the James River.

Conner Martin, 19, a park attendant from James City County, said things were slow while he was working the concession stand Tuesday evening. Then a park ranger came over and asked how comfortable he was in a kayak.

When he answered that he was comfortable, the ranger told Martin some people had knocked a bird from its nest, which was on a man-made wooden platform around 10-15 feet above the water. Workers at the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry had called to say it was drifting close to the ferry.

“She just had me go out on a kayak, and I just went the whole length of the ferry bridge and I found (it) at the end,” Martin said, explaining that ferry workers gave him a round floatation device to use to help the bird.

“The guy went on the overhead speakers of the ferry boat and started giving me instructions. He told me to try to just get it in the ring and tow it back. So, I tried that for a few minutes, and at this point, everybody in line at the ferry is out of their cars and the pressure is on.”

But when the flotation ring didn’t work, and with the tide coming in, the voice over the loudspeaker suggested that Martin use his shirt to scoop the osprey into his kayak.

It worked, and everyone on the ferry cheered.

Martin said the bird seemed uninjured and was swimming well when he found it. Ultimately, the James City County Fire Department took the bird on a boat back to a nest.

“It was waterlogged, so it would have drowned had he not gone out there,” said Jennifer Garcia, the park ranger with the James City County Police Department who initially informed Martin of the situation.

Garcia had gotten the call that boaters were jumping off the platform that held the osprey nest, and as she was responding, a fellow officer noticed the bird in the water.

After Martin brought the bird ashore, Garcia got in touch with a wildlife rehabber, who told her to hold onto the osprey for a few minutes to warm it up and then try to put it back into its nest. That’s when the fire department arrived with its fire boat.

Because ospreys are federally protected, the boaters could face repercussions. However, they haven’t been identified.

Anyone with information — including photos or videos — is asked to contact the James City County Police Department by emailing jennifer.garcia@jamescitycountyva.gov. Garcia said there were four people on two boats — a larger one with a canopy pulling a smaller jon boat or dinghy.

”We urge those responsible to come forward,” a news release from the police department said.

Although the excursion left him exhausted, Martin — a Warhill High School graduate going into his second year at Penn State — said it was an important paddle nonetheless.

“I felt like a hero really,” he said. “With everyone watching me, and I was the only one that could do anything. … It felt like a really big moment. I was a little scared, but it just felt important.”

Sam Schaffer, samuel.schaffer@virginiamedia.com