![osprey wingspan osprey wingspan](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IaaZ08yUqCM/Ua-r2OyFcWI/AAAAAAAAa6k/sDTZOsRo_5M/s1600/Osprey%252C+Green+Lake+6-3-2013-0147.jpg)
Highly adaptable to their environment, ospreys are known to nest in both natural areas, such as in trees, and man-made ones, such as on light-posts and utility poles. These birds build large nests: at least 3 feet deep and 5 feet wide, although they can reach heights of up to 10 feet. A female’s wingspan can reach 5 feet, while a male’s approaches 4 feet. Like most predators, females are larger than males. They are distinguished by their brown backs, wings, and tails, white undersides, and distinctive brown stripe running across their heads.
![osprey wingspan osprey wingspan](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C-GqJlayyzE/Txvk1oj4SeI/AAAAAAAAA10/qyIrFquJL58/s1600/cv22+%2526+mh53.jpg)
With the aid of a reversible toe and spiky, barbed footpads, ospreys are able to maneuver fish mid-flight into a headfirst position in order to reduce drag. The osprey ( Pandion haliaetus) will plummet from up to 150 feet in the air and execute dramatic feet-first diving attacks on live fish, sometimes completely submerging itself before flying off with its prey trapped in its fierce talons. As a result, the park is host to freshwater and saltwater wetlands, tidal flats, meadows, and forests, making for a diverse ecosystem and supporting abundant bird life, including one of nature’s most skillful hunters, the osprey. Fresh water drains into the Alley from the hills and bubbles up from natural springs, mixing with the salt water from Little Neck Bay. This park is host to the “Alley,” a 150-acre strip of wetlands in the park’s north end.