3 Photos
Samuel Tran adding some final touches to the Osprey platform.
The Osprey platform being delivered to Agawam Park Philippe Cheng
The Osprey platform at Agawam Park. Philippe Cheng
For his Eagle Scout project, Samuel Tran of Hampton Bays Troop 483 decided to use his construction skills to help the ecosystem in his community by building a platform for ospreys to nest.
“Ospreys are important creatures in our ecosystem, and I want to give them a place to call home in our community,” Samuel said.
The platform is located at the south side of Lake Agawam in Southampton, on Gin Lane. After thorough research and planning, Samuel first began constructing the osprey platform on July 18, and finished installing it on July 31.
Samuel said he decided to build the platform after reading a lot about ospreys and hearing people in the community talk about the bird species.
“I thought it would make the perfect Eagle Scout project, and I would have fun making it,” he said.
Samuel, who graduated from Riverhead High School this year and will attend Binghamton University this fall, explained that while most birds are able to build a nest themselves, ospreys need a “special” place to reside.
“It should be by a body of water because ospreys are big fishers, which is why it’s next to Agawam Lake,” Samuel explained. “It also needs to be very high and away from predators; I stuck two pieces of wood sticking out of the platform for them to perch on.”
Though Samuel designed and constructed the platform largely on his own, he had some help from more experienced builders who guided him along the way.
“I had quite a bit of help with the construction side of things,” Samuel said. “My family helped me out in building and installing it, local people riding their bikes came and stopped to help out with lifting the logs. I’m happy that people wanted to help me out. It was a very pleasant surprise.”
Samuel described the process of designing and building the osprey platform as rewarding, and he hopes it will serve as a safe home for ospreys for years to come.
“I used to hope that I would be someone who got things done,” Samuel said, reflecting on his experience creating the osprey platform. “Now I can say for sure that I’m a person who gets things done, and I’m so happy that I got to do this for the ecosystem and for the wildlife in my community.”
