Nesting Diaries
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
one osprey perched on high-rise again today
date of second nest failure i'm going to say was 7/8/16, as 7/7 was the last date i observed any incubation activity. no viable eggs, probably due to stress of original disruption/nest destruction in may
dad perched on high-rise nest pole, mom doesn't appear to be in nest, don't believe there will be any chicks here this season
mom still incubating, it's getting too late for a hatch, will hold out until next week to call it a failed nest. probably the disruption right when they were ready to lay eggs has contributed to the failure here...
still appears to be incubating
mom still incubating, hatch watch next week
mom incubating, seems quite content
mom incubating, dad was standing on platform but then flew off
mom incubating, dad perched side by side with a robin on telephone line directly across the road from nest
mom incubating, dad in that favorite tree on other side of road that was used by previous male, too
mom eating fish in nest bowl, dad watching from platform perch - one of the high posts :-)
mom definitely incubating today and back on 6/1, as well - so i expect we will have chicks here!
darn birds have me confused. this morning, mom was standing in nest, dad flew in with a stick. an hour later, mom was somewhat laying in the nest, but not flat-backed, then she flew off, leaving nest empty. so i'm baffled...
dad perched on one of the nest's support beams, didn't see mom in nest today, i'm thinking she's off stretching her wings/eating nearby
mom looks to be incubating today! the first day cheryl thought she saw incubation was yesterday, so we're using that date.
one in nest, moving sticks around
mom standing in nest, which is looking much bigger
one standing in nest when other one arrives with a stick! this pair was seen mating on 5/13, as well. not sure if it's too late or not, but hoping not! very happy the new platform and location have been accepted.
well, we have an osprey on side of nest today, think it's the female
cheryl reports one osprey checking out the new platform this morning, then flew away, hopefully will be back
erected new platform this morning, about 30 yards south of where property owner destroyed original nest. hopefully the pair will return and accept it. a pair was skydancing above us at one point, hopefully it's them
poor birds, attempting to mate on top of the power pole next to where their nest used to be. still trying to find someone to erect a new nest nearby in time for this season
homeowner took down platform
great news, FWS told homeowner he cannot disturb the nest once the adults occupy it, which is what we had told him, but he refused to believe it, claiming some MT FWP guy said he could cut it down unless it had an egg. FWS is calling the homeowner directly to advise him to wait until nesting season is over. EDIT: FWS took back their statement, said nest could be disturbed as long as no eggs in it, which is what the property owner did.
problem scheduling bucket truck, not sure when this platform is going to be removed
pair on nest today, bucket truck scheduled to remove nest this week, hopefully bringing a new platform
haven't been by, afraid of what i'll see, no word from the kleins that the platform has been removed.
one osprey has returned, but property owner is planning on removing the nest pole in the next day or so - 'too messy' - so unless we can get a new platform erected this week, doubtful we will have an active nest on school addition road
empty nest, adult in nearby tree, couldn't tell if it was mom or not. adult was quiet, no fish in talon; no sign of fledger
chick fledged to nearby power pole (pic posted). couldn't find mom around - won't she be proud when she returns home! asked cheryl to let me know if/when the fledgling returns safely to the nest. UPDATE: cheryl reports fledger is back safely in the nest.
correction - chick has not fledged yet. also, it appears that mom may be raising her baby alone; no sign of dad in the past couple of weeks, and mom has been seen bringing the fish into the nest. cheryl is worried that the chick seems to be laying down more than normal. i did see it stand up and do some wingercizing. i also observed mom in the nest screaming at another osprey at the top of a nearby tree; mom eventually left the nest to perch on a tree closer to the other bird and continue her protests. this doesn't seem to be the behavior of a female towards her mate.
Didn't see chick until mom flew in with a stick, then it raised his head up and greeted her
mom and chick both standing in nest, looks like the chick is moving around the nest bowl ok. mom food calling
well, no sign of chick again today, nor parents. emailing cheryl for update tomorrow
cheryl reports that the chick is up and active, moving around the nest, flapping its wings :-)
chick home alone. cheryl and i discussed the fact that neither of us have seen this chick standing up recently. today it did raise its head and call, could hear a parent in the distance respond. it's very cool (50s) and rainy this morning, so most all of my chicks are laying low today, but this one is a bit concerning.
mom standing in nest, chick appears to be just waking up (6:30 am)
now it looks like dad guarding nest from the same spot in tree across the road. chick laying down in nest bowl but busy preening. i do believe there is only one chick in this nest, not sure if there were ever two; if so, the 2nd one passed away fairly early, but i suspect there has always been just one.
mom guarding nest from tree across the road. saw one chick's head briefly, maybe a second lump moving, as well?
mom calling when i arrived, dad flew in with fresh fish shortly thereafter, mom feeds one chick and herself, never saw the other baby. i'm hoping this is 2nd fish of the day and the other chick has already eaten, which is why i didn't see it....
mom in nest, started calling shortly after i arrived, i could hear dad responding but he never showed up w/fish. observed one chick trying to feed from mom's scolding mouth; did not see the other chick
no matter what time i get here (today it was 6:30 am), there's dad in the tree with a fish, mom laying in the nest not complaining, and no sign of babies. have to take cheryl's word for it that there are two nestlings here since i've never seen them or even a feeding!
email from cheryl, who thinks she's seen two bobbleheads in the nest as of 6/27, so i'm editing nest activity report to reflect her observation!
dad eating a fish in his favorite tree - looks like he's hungry and is going to finish the whole thing. mom laying in nest, sees him, but is not food calling at all. really looks like she's still incubating, will check with cheryl to see if she's seen anything different
mom laying in nest and preening, dad watching me from telephone pole across the driveway. hatch watch week!
mom and dad both in nest when i arrived, dad flew off almost immediately, mom laid down but kept her eyes on me. don't think we have a hatch here yet...
mom still incubating today, no sign of dad again today, but mom doesn't seem particularly worried...
mom incubating, no sign of dad this morning
mom incubating, dad resting in his favorite tree across driveway
one osprey incubating, assuming it's mom, while dad - who has a very speckled breast - stands guard in tree across the driveway
mom has an egg! emailed cheryl, she advised incubation appeared to have started on the 19th, so i'm using that date. interesting nest...
mom fussing in nest bowl today, maybe there's hope. all other nests status quo today.
twine removed from the nest today. too late for pops, but at least mom and her new mate (and maybe a chick?) are safer now.
it looks like we have a match! both were in the nest this morning, according to cheryl, peacefully co-existing. when i checked this afternoon, the female was in the nest but flew away to a nearby telephone pole - joining her mate, who was on the wire right below. flathead electric is supposed to be out next week to clean up the baling twine from this nest.
what a mess. resident female in the nest, along with two other ospreys. none of them were squawking when i approached. then the resident female started complaining, at which time one (definitely male) flew out of the nest, followed by the 2nd, who had a fish, but also many speckles on its chest. so not sure if this 2nd osprey is a male or not. the osprey w/fish tried to return to the nest a moment later, and the resident female refused to let him/her land. both #1 and #2 visitors eventually flew off, our mom waited a few moments, then flew off in the direction of the lake, as well. per cheryl, the osprey w/fish had been at the nest for over an hour when i arrived, and our female was not happy. so - playing hard to get, or is this a bonded pair trying to take over the nest, or what? stay tuned...
watched as the female flew in with a stick for the nest, very sad. have started contacting people who might be able to get somers fd out to remove all the twine hanging from this nest.
first tragedy of the season - male found dangling from baling twine caught up in tree near nest. by the time he was rescued and taken to vet, it was too late. broken pelvis, among other things, and he was euthanized. lord knows how long he was hanging there. this nest has too much frickin' baling twine in it; i'm guessing he got caught up on some while there, then went to get a new stick and got tangled in the tree. so sad. the female left the nest during the rescue attempt and had not returned in the first 5 hours or so after. what will happen here? is there time for a new mate to arrive? i won't call this nest a failure until it's too late for courting/breeding/chicks
female standing in nest, calling for food/mate. messy nest as is usual for this pair :-)
both in nest, looked like a successful copulation while i was there, plus we have some sticks added - yay!
i don't know, this nest doesn't look like it's progressed very much at all this past week. female osprey is standing on the platform, don't see her mate around. plan on taking a walk down that way this afternoon to check on things again
female is back today and both are bringing sticks into the nest, per cheryl
yay, male came back on wednesday! he added a few new sticks, but is mainly scanning the skies
ran into cheryl at the post office, 8/17 was the last time an adult osprey was observed at the nest
one osprey observed on the platform, not sure if this is one of the nesting pair or not, but cheryl did see 3 osprey chasing each other around just shortly beforehand
no birds around this morning
one lone osprey standing guard near the nest
never really saw dad after 6/1, but figured that was because i am unable to visit my nests as frequently as i'd like this season. after weeks of bad weather, the nest was looking pretty sparse, mom appeared to no longer be incubating, i thought it was because she had a chick, but now i'm wondering if it was due to something else. i sure hope she didn't lose her mate, too. in any event, nest is definitely abandoned this morning, no ospreys around, and no movement in the nest.
mom flew in right when i arrived early this morning, definitely not incubating anymore, high in nest, but no sign of a chick yet.
mom in nest, appears to be laying higher but no sign of chick; sent email to property owner to see if they've observed any nestlings yet.
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. mom still incubating here, nest appears fairly intact considering its location...
mom incubating, dad in favorite tree across the road
finally observed incubation today!!!
once again, the female is standing in the nest tonight. it sure looks like she's getting ready to lay an egg...
both z's out fishing, but i can tell the nest has been worked on this past week!
zach arrived home today! cheryl/bob just now told me they have names for their pair - zach and zoey. now we wait for zoey to arrive!
no bird on the nest as of 4/9, but the birds have begun to return as of today, so i'll be checking daily from now on!
cheryl reports low-flyer was last seen friday morning, not since. he was the last one to leave. safe travels, dear ospreys...
one F in nest calling to adult in tree across the road. F's crop was pretty full.
both fledgers in the nest, one eating a fish, glad to see low flyer is still intact!
low flyer still flying low! and still flying along roadway, very nerve-wracking, glad he's not practicing along the highway
only one chick in nest, located the fledger on nearby power pole. stopped to talk to cheryl klein, during our talk, the other chick fledged! #2 chick fledged LOW and flew along the road, very scary, before landing on a power line. #1 fledger returned to nest shortly thereafter, while #2 fledger flew LOW again a bit further away from his first perch and came to rest on the same power line, just a bit further down the road. very exciting to see! just hope #2 learns to fly higher fast!
both chicks in nest preening
both chicks being lazy in the nest
mom in nest w/both chicks, everyone looks happy
both chicks and mom in nest, everyone looks happy with the cooler temps today
both chicks standing in nest w/mom, look almost the same size!
both chicks fussing in the nest, then down for a nap, while mom stood guard.
everyone sleepy today - mom and her 2 chicks all dozing
met the property owners where this platform is located, my arrival date of male was spot on! female arrived on 4/26 (2 days later). today i observed 2!!! chicks being fed to the point of food coma, then mom finished the fish. about 15 minutes later (still talking to homeowners) mom starts squawking, there are 3 osprey flying around her nest, she decides to join in the chase for about 5 minutes before returning to nest. probably some unattached males, maybe females, looking for trouble?
mom down in nest, must have just eaten, she's dozing off
today is definitely the day to verify chicks! saw one bobblehead pop up under mom, it's at least 2 days old.
stopped in the middle of the road because i thought i saw a little head peeking over the rim of the nest! by the time i got to the parking area, mom had laid back down in the nest. i'm pretty sure i saw a chick today!
went out early this a.m., mom is falling asleep on the nest, still haven't seen a chick, but it's due/overdue today
mom incubating, or is she sitting a bit higher in the nest today? i have to get out earlier in the a.m. if i'm going to see any evidence of a hatch!
dad flew into nest for a brief visit with mom, then set off to find a fish.
mom incubating, no sign of dad, good time of day for fishing (early a.m.)
mom incubating; no sign of dad again today, but mom seems relaxed, so i should be, too
ok, climbed to the top of a nearby hill, mom is definitely brooding eggs! i'm just gonna go with my original incubation date and start counting from there...
big wind & hail storm last night, which is the last thing this nest needs right now! drove by it early in the a.m., around 0530, and mom was standing on perch bar, while dad was in nearby tree. forgot my camera; he looked so white against the fir trees today. i am going to edit my incubation date - either they had an egg and lost it, or i've been deluding myself all along.
i'm leaning towards no eggs in this nest right now. i think there's still an intruder (lord knows which is which) hanging around, which would explain all the nest material at the base last night. tonight i only saw the female perched on the bar, no other osprey in sight.
lots of fussing in nest, then i'm almost certain i observed the egg brooding shimmy! am going by there again tonite, will double check!
i honestly don't know what's going on in this nest. tonite when i thought i'd see mom definitely on the egg, instead i see mom and dad both standing in the nest, with a bunch of nest material on the ground that was not there 5 hours ago. picked up two bunches of baling twine from below the nest, and neither of them made a peep at me. rain is expected tomorrow - if there's an egg, then i will definitely see it being protected then!
mom was in nest when i arrived. i decided to get out of car and walk up a nearby hill to get a better view into the nest. when i got my scope on the nest, i could see mom giving me the evil eye. she glared for quite awhile, then left the nest and did circles around me and my dog! this nest is right on a bike/pedestrian path, it has lots of foot traffic almost directly underneath it, and that's ok, but i can't put a scope on her 50 yards away w/o her getting upset. guess it's just something foreign at this point. in any event, i don't think there's an egg yet, but it's gotta be getting close.
watched this pair mate, fly out to fish together on the river, and then both fly back to the nest about 20 minutes later to mate again.
mom standing in nest, probably waiting for a fish delivery
mom perched on telephone near nest, no sign of dad
finally, a sighting of mom in nest and dad perched in one of his favorite trees across the road (at least i'm assuming it's last year's dad and mom - i know now that sometimes it's not)
both male and female in nest; male flew away, female stayed in nest for a few minutes, then flew off with a fish in her talons!
on 4/23, saw what i think is the male, fussing with sticks on the nest! no sign of mate yet. UPDATE: the kleins live next to this nest; they report seeing the male on 4/24, and the female arrived on 4/26.
still no sign of ospreys at this nest, although i did see a couple raptors performing what looked like courtship behavior high in the sky. will check again tomorrow. this was the latest nest last year, too.
ready to say this nest is empty - no sight nor sound today, either. safe travels, my friend!
not ready to say this nest is empty! this nest got a late start, so i'm hoping the chick/s will keep me company at least another week...but no sighting today
empty nest, then chick flew in and landed like an expert. thought i could hear an osprey in the general direction of the river but never saw it. chick in nest wasn't squawking like it was hungry. i've only seen one chick here for the past two weeks, and mom has not been in her favorite perch tree since forever! i'm guessing mom and one chick have migrated at this time...
one chick in nest eating what appeared to be a day-old fish (it looked tough and dry). i could hear osprey calling from the river but couldn't locate to see if it was another fledgling or a parent
empty nest. observed dad flying low over the river (or some other male osprey), but no one else around
both kids in nest - one eating a big fish, the other just yakking away at his sibling. no parent in sight...
a day for my camera, which of course i left at home. both fledglings perched on the telephone wire along school addition road, about 10 feet apart. no parent in sight. beautiful day, beautiful fledglings sticking close to each other...
both chicks laying in nest yesterday, both chicks gone from nest today! could see one in nearby tree :-)))))
both chicks sleepy in nest. big ball of baling twine in there with them, but they both appear to be free of it. mom perched in her usual spot, looking magnificent
tonight both chicks were standing in nest - progress!
2 chicks resting in nest while mom perched across the road and yakked at me some more
two contented chicks laying in nest, mom in favorite perch tree up the hill yakking at me as usual...
two healthy chicks being fed by momma
one chick up and looking around, one chick chilling, mom on guard
two healthy nestlings, both appeared active and happy, with mom standing guard
saw 2nd chick for the first time today. this pair got started late, now i'm worried about two fledglings!
mom and dad both in nest, one bobblehead bouncing around a bit. i will be very surprised if a #2 is in there at this point...
still only see one baby, but did happen to look up and see dad staring down at me from his pine tree perch, with 1/2 fish in his grip
feeding definitely going on this afternoon, so am going to record 6/26/12 as hatch date. that's only 30 days, so probably my incubation date is off???
well fellow nest monitor thinks there was a hatch on 6/26; i went by twice today, and both times mom was still laying in nest bowl. is she on a chick or still on eggs? will look again later tonight. also realized that i've never seen dad at this nest OR mom eating...
still incubating...sigh...
mom still patiently incubating. c'mon babies, it's gonna be migration time before you know it!
mom still incubating in that crazy nest
oh dear, this nest looks like it's falling apart. mom still hanging in there, incubating - where's dad to fix this construction???
i'm no expert, but this nest sure appears sloppily constructed :( mom incubating, fingers crossed for the eggs/chicks
well female is definitely incubating as of memorial day, 5/28/12. hope this pair didn't get started too late!
this nest makes me wish i knew more about osprey. today there is a bird laying in the nest, which appears to be satisfactory for laying eggs at this point. it looked like a female; however, i don't think she was in the correct "flat back, tail up" position to be incubating. we'll see!
this is such an interesting nest to watch. today it appears that the holes in the nest have been filled in. no osprey on nest, but i did observe one soar down from a tree top, do some nice turns in the air, then fly back to the tree, where a 2nd osprey then flew off and did the same thing. then they appeared to be flying as a team. is this courting behavior? i have no idea. my theory is this nest is a new one, young male, maybe his first year trying to attract mate? it's getting kind of late, though...
one lone osprey still hanging around this platform. i don't see any new nest material being added; in fact, it looks like maybe material is being taken from it. stay tuned...
whoops, got my nests mixed up! this nest, school addition, there were no osprey around, didn't look like any new material since last week. the platform seems a bit smaller than the others, maybe the reason it's not being favored by the birds?
spartanmt: ok, one osprey in nest, another circling overhead, the nest has some new material but also has two big holes in it! not sure if this nes will end of being used or abandoned.
spartanmt: sorry for the typos - my first hummingbird of the season just arrived while updating!!!
glassman32: just when we thought this platform would go unused in 2012, a pair has begun building a nest.