North Beach community-Near Hatteras Dr. off Fred Hudson Rd.West of canal and on the northernmost shore of Salt Pond. Visible from shoulder of Fred Hudson Rd.
one large chick self feeding on the nest this evening, one fledgling on a nearby tree branch and on another branch of the same tree was an adult feeding a fledgling. did not see second adult.
I just cant seem to hit this nest at the right time. today the female was on the t perch and ! saw a wing flip up but thats all. no mate in sight. it was hot and the birds were not moving!
waiting to see signs of chick feeding. today the female was in the nest, she was a bit fussy and her mate was on the nearby tree branch. we have had 7 days of rain so I can imagine the birds are trying to dry out the nest bowl and eggs, but this pair should be showing signs of chicks very soon.
none at nest then both arrived. male on perch, female started calling for a fish. I would expect signs of nest bowl construction and incubation soon...
ospreys at this site seem to be settled with the new pair at the next door Heron Bay platform. the male is most often in a scrappy pine tree just east of the platform with this female a bit busier than some other females, she comes and goes often thru out the day but the Salt Pond is a very favorite and crowded feeding ground for the local osprey and eagles.
Most days this pair is visible at the nest as I drive down Fred Hudson Road. The male is often in the nearby pine tree and the female of course is at the nest. They seem very settled this season even with the new platform directly next door. I expect incubation soon.
both osprey on the nest yesterday and today. each time I saw the female up on the platform T perch and the male i the favorite nearby tree eating a fish.
end of season: last adult female seen 9-3-17, last adult male seen on snag across the road from nest on 9-17-17. he liked that spot since both juveniles cried a lot at the nest. they hung around a very long time. one may still be there so will update closer to end of this month. these 2 youngsters were very vocal and not fishing very well.
one chick and the adult female on the nest when I arrive to monitor from the walkway. the adult immediately started warning her newly fledged youngster who was perched up on the roof closest to the nest. a few hours later both young were back on the nest.
this pair still seems unsettled. I drive by almost everyday and often just one is at the nest or sitting on the nearby pine tree branch. possibly there may be interloping osprey as the Salt Pond is a popular visiting area for all the osprey and eagles in the inland bay area.
2 ospreys at the nest past 3 days.. I think some of the confusion was due to construction on the condo decks just across from the nesting platform..it may be stressing the birds.
male on guard snag near nest, a female in nest, then male flew to nest with nesting material and seemed to land on female but she flew up and there was a squabble and chirping, then female flew to guard tree. can't tell if they are the pair that belongs to this nest site...just have to watch a bit longer for signs they are bonded pair.
No osprey seen last couple days..perhaps the osprey we saw on this nest is actually a visitor from next nest east, Blue Coast_ as both are on that nest now.
I checked the pond and see a lone and very wet female osprey on top of a snag between both the North beach and Pond Acres nesting platforms. A fog is rolling in and she is preening and facing the North beach nest...I am pretty sure now that this osprey is our North beach female...
5pm I see what appears to be a female osprey flying over the Salt Pond and she heads straight to the new North Beach Platform and lands on the t-perch. A second osprey flies over the pond and then hovers over an immature Bald Eagle that is perched in a snag very near the Pond Acres osprey platform. interesting to see the second osprey hovering directly over the hidden BE and with legs dangling it does a fish dance and similar call as osprey do when they have fish.... but this osprey is definitely harassing the BE.
I get second report from a nearby homeowner that an osprey has been sitting on the new nesting platform. I have been checking the nest daily and have not seen any osprey in the area.
I received a report that there is an osprey on the nest today. Very cold, mid 30's,N winds at 18mph,some sleet. I checked the nest and did not see an osprey.
Today we placed a new DE design osprey platform (red cedar)on a 10 foot pole next to the location where the original platform stood before it cracked in 2 pieces and dumped the chicks into the marsh. The old platform was temporarily fixed but today it was split and falling again so with the homeowners assoc request we put up a new platform and will look forward to watching the birds return to a safe home in 2017.
Here is the story of this season at North Beach nest- On the morning of 7-20-16 (after a night storm) nesting platform was broken and nest and 2 healthy chicks were on the ground. Adult ospreys hovered nearby. With permission from Tri-state Bird Rescue we placed 2 chicks in a carrier and rebuilt the osprey platform. Placed chicks back in rebuilt nest and parents began feeding them in 5 minutes. Chicks did very well and fledged 8-1-16. Last juvenile was seen crying on the nest with one adult male in nearby tree on 9-8-16. The platform will need a total rebuild in the winter before the 2017 nesting season as the old platform top is loose and ready to fall down once again. Permission has been granted from the NB community to place a new osprey platform next to the old location and should be visible from Fred Hudson Road. Very successful and rewarding experience with this rehoming.
the adult female was on the nest calling for fish and the two growing chicks were visible. They are still quite young but getting more curious and actively looking out of the nest.
I originally thought this nest pair failed on 5-22-16. until today I saw no activity in the nest and I drive by this site many times per week. I rarely saw the male on his guard tree either.Then today I saw the female in the nest with 2 growing chicks of about the correct age for hatching on the day I thought the nest failed!!! It IS a very hard nest to observe due to the way it leans and its height. This really made my day!!!!
Well I have been checking this nest and seldom saw any birds on the nest or in the nearby tree they use as a guard and dining perch until today when the male was back in the tree and the female was back deep in the nest! I think they have decided to re-nest! I have read that if they re-nest they usually wait 3 weeks so here we are at 16 days later give or take my accuracy in the original nest abandonment date. This is very late for this pair to have young but I believe they are a mature pair so perhaps barring further human disturbance they can remain with fledglings late enough in the season.....oh boy!
I believe this nest is abandoned. No osprey on the nest or nearby at their usual guarding/perch tree. I have seen no activity for over 1 week. There is a boardwalk behind the condo's that goes past this platform, passing within a few feet of it, and I suspect that people have stressed the pair to the point that they abandoned their eggs. This nest was abandoned in 2015 also. The platform is not only close to the condo's and walkway but is next to yet another community kayak launch for Salt Pond. There are now 2 nest sites near kayak launches at Salt Pond that are abandoned for 2016 osprey nesting season. People seem to have no idea that the osprey need privacy to raise their young. Sad.
I have not been able to confirm an osprey incubating in this nest since 5-22-16. There is a walkway that the community uses to access the kayak launch and this pair is very stressed by foot traffic in that area so I am not sure the nest is still active. Will continue to check daily as I can easily drive there from my home.
I can finally see one bird incubating (its a tough nest to view) and the second bird is eating a fish in the nearby live pine tree near the kayak launch. This pair should have chicks very soon.
This is the North Beach community osprey platform located next to the kayak launch walkway. The birds are occasionally disturbed by the various marauding osprey around the Salt Pond so I am not certain about their incubating. It can also be tough to see if a bird is in the nest but I have on most days confirmed a bird incubating.
2015 season was hard on the pair at this location and I suspect it may be a similar situation this season. The next door Heron Ct snag nest was destroyed during the winter as was one of the National Guard and Bethany Beach Nature Center snag nests. Its a crowded noisy osprey hangout! (Baygirl)
Past Seasons
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