Educational Media Reviews Online

With the help of the Georgian Bay Osprey Society and the Canadian Wildlife Service, the ospreys in the Great Lakes region of Ontario, Canada, are making a huge comeback. Why should we be concerned with the plight of this large predator? Similar to humans, ospreys are at the top of the food chain, and serve as living proof that we too are at the mercy of our environment.

In the 1970’s the chemical DDT was sprayed in the Great Lakes region, contaminating the lakes, fish, and anything that relied on those resources for survival. The remnants of the chemical worked its way up the food chain to the osprey. The chemical caused the shells of the ospreys’ eggs to weaken and crack. Ospreys seldom fledge more than two young per year; this fact along with the toxic effects of the chemical caused their near extinction. Other contributors to their endangerment included the destruction of their natural habitats. The video footage taken of ospreys nesting on the tops of power poles portrays a startling image.

This documentary realistically depicts the essence of the osprey in its natural habitat. The footage of their orange and black glowing eyes, sharp beaks and claws, black and white glossy feathers, along with their young, create the image of a fierce yet vulnerable predator. The DVD consists entirely of live footage, following scientists in their efforts to rescue and protect the ospreys in their natural habitat. It serves as an educational piece on the life of the osprey, but also as a warning from environmentalists, that ospreys serve as an early indicator of the contaminants that may soon infect humans.