Members of the Milford Marine Institute observed a male osprey on the nesting platform at the Gulf Pond State Wildlife Refuge opposite Gulf Beach on March 20. Males always return before females to claim territory and often return to the same nesting site. Females will return a few days later. The Milford Marine Institute chose the Osprey as their logo in 1983 because the osprey best represents the link between the avian and marine world. Ospreys are fish-eating hawks and are commonly referred to as fish hawks. Dozens of ospreys have been raised on the Gulf Pond State Wildlife refuge since the mid 1980s when the Milford Marine Institute in collaboration with the then state Department of Environmental Protection erected nesting platforms and perches. Ospreys, once endangered, are now thriving across the state. Photo by Tim Chaucer.