Nickname
Pretty Lake Platform 4
Coordinates
(36.9298, -76.212)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
Where the western end of Pretty Lake narrows, this platform is on the eastern end of a small island just off of 6th Bay Street.
Followers
None
What to look for
Review All Observations
2019 - dabbler222018 - dabbler222017 - dabbler222016 - dabbler222015 - dabbler22
aAdult Arrival
aOccupiedYesYesNoYesYes
aActive
bEgg Laying5/5/185/7/16
bIncubation Initiation5/5/185/7/16
cClutch Hatching
dNestlings222
eFledglings22
eFirst Chick Fledging8/4/18
fChicks Last Observed
xNest Failure5/27/176/19/16
xReason For Nest Failureunknown reasonunknown reason

Select Seasons

Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Activity reports

2015 Nest Activity Report by dabbler22
Adult arrivalNestlings2
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings2
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure
2016 Nest Activity Report by dabbler22
Adult arrivalNestlings
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg laying05/07/2016Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation05/07/2016Nest failure06/19/2016
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failureunknown reason
2017 Nest Activity Report by dabbler22
Adult arrivalNestlings
Nest OccupiedNoFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure05/27/2017
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failureunknown reason
2018 Nest Activity Report by dabbler22
Adult arrivalNestlings2
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings2
Nest Active First chick fledging08/04/2018
Egg laying05/05/2018Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation05/05/2018Nest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure
2019 Nest Activity Report by dabbler22
Adult arrivalNestlings2
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure

Photos of this nest

Nesting Diaries

06/02/2019 by dabbler22
Two chicks still seem to be thriving in the nest -- and getting bigger!

05/27/2019 by dabbler22
We saw two chicks raise their heads in this nest today when the male brought in some soft nesting material.

05/04/2019 by dabbler22
Female was sitting deep in nest. Male on a nearby pine tree eating fish.

04/21/2019 by dabbler22
Kayaked past this nest on 4/21. Female was clearly deep in nest incubating egg(s). Male was seen flying nearby.

08/04/2018 by dabbler22
Amazing experience at this nest today, as we watched one of the chicks take what was either its first flight or one of his first flights. Mama was nearby on a channel marker, encouraging him along. He flapped and flapped his wings on the edge of the platform, and after several minutes, finally took off, flying low above the water. He tried to land once, but missed, then circled back around and landed again. He was crying softly during his flights. He took off again and landed on a nearby pine tree branch, squawking loudly. No sight of other chick. Presumably has already fledged.

07/15/2018 by dabbler22
I'm pleased to update that this nest actually has TWO chicks! Both were observed this evening in the nest with mama, and papa was in a nearby pine tree eating a fish. Mama was calling out to him, with chicks trying to find their voices.

06/24/2018 by dabbler22
I could see one small chick underneath the "mom-brella" today. Mother was very defensive when I came by in my kayak, but did not leave the platform. Male was not seen this time.

06/03/2018 by dabbler22
We think this nest might have chicks. No heads of chicks observed, but parents were very protective, and female was in "mombrella" posture. Will continue to monitor.

05/26/2018 by dabbler22
This female appears to still be incubating eggs. We saw the male hopping between channel markers with a very large fish.

05/13/2018 by dabbler22
Still incubating. Still sparsely "furnished" nest. One osprey was sitting deep in the nest, the other was at a nearby dock.

05/05/2018 by dabbler22
I kayaked by this nest today, and am happy to report the female was sitting on eggs. The male was on a nearby channel marker eating fish. The nest looks pretty scrappy and sparsely lined with material, but good to see these two have settled in.

04/15/2018 by dabbler22
A male and female were both hanging out in the nest this morning. About 40 minutes later, it was unoccupied, but we saw the male dancing and calling higher above the platform. There seemed to be very little nesting material.

06/26/2017 by dabbler22
Definitely no activity in this nest. I did see an osprey flying nearby, but clearly abandoned.

05/27/2017 by dabbler22
New material was in this nest, so it seemingly was occupied this year. We saw a male osprey flying/hunting in the close vicinity of the nest. However, clearly not occupied any more and no nestlings.

06/19/2016 by dabbler22
I'm afraid to report that this nest has likely been abandoned. We kayaked past it last night, and there was not an osprey to be seen. There were no additional nesting materials. We'll check it out again, but it's not looking promising.

05/31/2016 by dabbler22
Perhaps this nest has not been abandoned! When kayaking past it last night, there was a male and female sitting on the nest. However, nesting material still seems very sparse, and they didn't seem very "defensive" of the platform when we kayaked past it a couple of times. Hard to say if they might have eggs/chicks or not.

05/12/2016 by dabbler22
I'm sad to report that I think this nest may be abandoned. I paddled past it today and there was not an osprey in sight. It's a quite tall platform, and I remember last year that I didn't realize there were two chicks in this nest until they were fairly large, so I thought perhaps one of the parents was simply sitting very deep in the nest. However, I paddled past the platform two separate times within about 30 minutes and didn't hear any fussy squawks I would usually get from a parent when paddling so close to their nest.

05/07/2016 by dabbler22
Both a male and female were observed in this nest, with one sitting deeply in it. Likely the incubation started earlier than my documentation of it here. Definitely a little more nesting material than the last time I visited.

04/19/2016 by dabbler22
I observed a male eating a fish on a nearby channel marker. When I came closer on my kayak, he circled around a few times, landed on the nest, and then sat low in it. No female was observed. Photo of him flying into the nest attached.

07/05/2015 by dabbler22
These two chicks are almost adult size. I think they might be flying, as the first time I kayaked past their platform this morning I only saw one, but there's a chance the other might have been hunkered down in the nest.

06/21/2015 by dabbler22
I'm happy to report that there are indeed TWO chicks still in this nest. I guess the other one was hunkered down and sleeping last time I visited. They are both quite big -- in fact, I thought I originally saw two adults and a chick when I arrived at the platform tonight, but it was the adult female with her two youngsters.

06/12/2015 by dabbler22
From what I can tell, it appears there is only one osprey chick now in this nest. He is much bigger than the last time I came by.

05/31/2015 by dabbler22
Two osprey chicks were observed at the nest for the first time today. They are pretty big -- they already have stripes on their faces. I saw them for the first time as Dad brought in a fish for dinner at sunset.

05/23/2015 by dabbler22
Female osprey was observed sitting in the nest, and male osprey was sitting on dock platform very close by (exactly where we had seen him before). It's not clear if they have chicks yet.

05/03/2015 by dabbler22
This nest is occupied. We watched the male eat a big fish from a nearby platform -- he didn't seem bothered at all that we kayaked just a couple of meters from him.