Nesting Diaries
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
ted, organic farmer, reported he saw three at nest yesterday, so i'm guessing that was mom, dad, and baby. this morning, i saw dad on his fencepost and chick in nest, so i'm relieved.
another nest to worry about. haven't seen dad on his fencepost in 10 days, and haven't seen mom home with the chick in two days. i'm worried something has happened to dad and mom is being forced to fish for the two of them, leaving the chick home alone. this has been a bad season for the valley nests, it seems...
mom and one chick observed today. another of my nests that appears to have lost a 6-week old or older chick to predation
mom, dad, and one big chick visible today - never saw the 2nd chick
the whole family is at nest this morning - mom, dad, and two chicks (one looking much older than the other).
big mound of chicks, it almost looks like three, but i'm hoping it's just the two of them getting huge
mombrella, chicks laying down, not visible
mombrella w/two chicks...praying that there isn't a third one too small to see
mombrella time, both chicks showed themselves briefly
saw two bobbleheads today!
mom feeding, can't see chicks, of course
mom feeding, still can't count bobbleheads, dad on favorite fence post, then flew away
mom calling to dad, who is on his favorite fence post w/a fish. chicks still not big enough to see/count
definitely a chick in there - dad flew in w/fish, watched mom feed one, maybe two? chicks. dad and mom both facing me in nest, can see that each has a faintly speckled chest -almost identical! makes me fairly sure this is same two ospreys i've been watching since the first year...
hatch watch week - mom fussing with nest material, then incubating; dad w/fish on fence post. maybe a chick? but not certain
mom incubating, dad on fencepost
mom incubating, dad flew in w/stick
mom incubating, dad on favorite fencepost
mom incubating, dad on post
mom incubating, dad eating fish on favorite fence post
mom standing in nest, dad perched on favorite fence post
both in nest. one of them brought in a big yellow bag, like the kind you see at a construction site. it appears to be buried under some sticks at this point, not sure it will cause any trouble. much of it is hanging over the side; hopefully, the thunderstorms we're supposed to get this weekend will get it out of there.
watched dad eat the head off a fish and take the rest to mom in the nest, got nice photo of dad
haydi reports that both mom and pops are on the nest right now.
one chick in nest food calling
both fledgers food calling from the nest
empty at first, then parent flew in, followed by one of the chicks, food begging. parent retreated to fence post. on return trip, saw both chicks in nest
Female chick in nest, self-feeding. On return trip, both chicks gone from nest. No sign of parents
one fledger with mom on neighboring fenceposts. while i watched, the chick in the nest also took flight, circled around field, and back to nest. the other chick stayed on fencepost
only saw one chick in nest, mom resting on fence post. i'm 'sure' the other chick was just sleeping...i hope...
craig hohenberger observed 2 chicks and both parents at the nest yesterday
mom standing guard over two lumps. cold and rainy morning
both chicks preening while mom stares at me
mom and both chicks standing in nest, periodically mom called for fish
one chick self-feeding, the other trying to move in, mom on fence post
mom standing in nest, could glimpse the back of one chick but they were pretty much sleeping the entire time i observed
went out last night to take care of the dead chick. it was in the driveway about 10 yards from the nest. it looked like it had been healthy, no sign of apparent injury, other than i think its neck was broken. this morning when i did my rounds, i found the chick in the same place i had put it last night, in the tall, soft grass near the nest. i also observed mom and 2 chicks still left in the nest! i'm wondering if this one didn't get pushed out, probably accidentally, as the nest isn't that big and the remaining chicks are. so very sad. mom chirped at me softly when i moved her baby into the grass.
pete woll called, found one chick dead under the nest this afternoon, it wasn't there yesterday when he mowed the lawn :-(
mom standing on side of nest, two very healthy looking kids trying to scoot under her - and it's only 8:00 am!
mom and dad both in nest, mom feeding chicks, no beak bonking here
this nest had a professional photographer taking photos of dad eating fish on his favorite fencepost, mom bringing in new soft nesting material, and he did manage to see one chick (i advised him there were two).
mom laying in nest, dad eating a very big, very fresh fish on his favorite fencepost, mom not food calling at all, so i'm guessing this isn't the first fish of the day. no sign of chicks today, probably satiated
one HUGE chick and one smaller chick being fed by mom while dad fusses with nest sticks. the big chick is at least a week old, probably older, twice the size of his sibling. kept looking for a third little head but none seen.
one confirmed bobblehead - finally!
dad eating fish on post, mom sitting in nest, not calling for food, which makes me think she has already eaten and probably fed a chick or two, as well. could not confirm a hatch today, but it's definitely due.
mom was incubating, then dad brought fish, both standing in nest eating it.
mom incubating, dad on a different fence post today, parallel to highway
female incubating, then standing in nest as intruders flew around above her, although none landed on her nest, so i'm guessing one of them was her mate.
female incubating, male flew into nest at one point, as well
female in nest, male on favorite fence post. when i went past again an hour later, female was eating fish on fence post, male not around
both in nest, happy couple
very fun nest today. both there when i arrived, then both left, then male caught a very big fish, and i got a video of him flying around and calling to his mate, who soon joined him in the air. he finally took the fish to his favorite fence post, while she flew to the nest and begged, begged, begged. it was a big fish, i'm sure he eventually took some to her!
mom and pops both on nest this morning! watched as dad collected nest material from adjacent stubble field and display it for mom before dropping it into nest bowl.
empty; very empty. took a long walk on this conservation easement, no sign of adult or fledgling anywhere. i think they have all headed south now...
nobody around but a very big red-tailed hawk that landed on dad's post while i was there.
chick on the nest today, no sign of dad
no chick in nest but saw one on telephone pole directly across the highway. no way to know if this is the marilyn fledgling, but i'm guessing it is.
dad on favorite fence post when i went by today. an hour later on my return trip, he was still on the same post, preening. have no idea if he caught and ate a fish in between. no sign of mom or fledglings
empty nest, nobody around. talked to joanie about the dead osprey; she told me she saw the motorist pick up the dead chick and put it under the nest about two weeks ago. so i don't know if the two fledglings i saw in this nest after that date are the siblings and the dead bird was from another nest (sowerwine platform is very close by; it's not one i'm monitoring because it's on inaccessible private property), or if the 2nd fledgling on this nest is a visitor from another nest that might be missing parents, or what. but i definitely saw two first-year birds on this nest after the reported date of the accident.
ok, one fledgling is dead. not sure of the day, but joan/wally report a motorist hit the bird on the highway, did pull over to check on it, it was dead. i found its desiccated body under the nest; definitely one of the chicks. dad arrived with a nice fresh fish and sat on his favorite fencepost for awhile waiting for his baby, but no chick arrived, nor mom. sad, sad osprey season in montana this year :-(
both fledglings on the nest last night, looking content
nest empty on my first drive by this morning, then one chick had returned by the time i drove by it again 2 hours later. dad sitting on nearby fence post, no sign of mom or the other fledgling
both chicks standing in nest w/mom, all appear healthy and happy
both chicks alone in nest; i'm guessing mom and dad both out getting breakfast for these fast-growing nestlings
mom and her two healthy chicks enjoying a cool morning, no squawking, lots of preening
saw two chicks in the nest w/mom standing guard. one chick was actively wingercizing
mom on nest, no sign of nestling until i almost got ready to leave, then a head pops up, then i think i see another head, but i must be dreaming (it is 6:00 am)
mom, dad, chick, and CHICK. yep, there are two in this nest after all, almost identical in size. very hot day, dad must have just dropped off fish because one chick has a full crop and the other is grabbing bites when mom isn't feeding herself. c'mon, cool night time temps!
one very healthy chick getting fed :-)
oh my goodness, one HUGE chick finally shows himself in the nest, with mom and dad both standing guard. he appears to be at least two weeks old, maybe older. no sign of a 2nd chick. in fact, no nest has signs of a 2nd chick so far anywhere that i've observed.
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. this nest is in the worst shape of any, with mom sitting in the middle of it, high, but no sign of a chick. dad was on platform perch resting when he should probably have been gathering some nest material. we are close to overdue for a hatch in this nest.
mom incubating, dad on post
mom incubating, dad on post
mom incubating, dad on his favorite fencepost
definitely on egg/s today! male standing guard on his favorite fence post, just like last year and the year before.
female laying down in nest but not in that incubating posture we're looking for - any day now, i think!
not the best photo, had to take it through the car window due to wind and rain, but here's my first returnee of the season!
no osprey in the valley on wednesday that i could find; today, BOTH male and female are on the nest!!
marilyn did not see the chick anytime in september. end of august is the earliest migration date i've observed - but he was my early fledger, so i'm going to believe that's what happened...
i will check w/marilyn later this week to see if she saw her fledger anytime after 8/26, which is the last time i observed him in the nest.
fledgling in nest this morning, most of the nest still intact after huge wind storm last night.
fledger in nest, looking around for breakfast delivery
empty nest today, saw an osprey in a tree by the river, too far away to tell if it's a juvenile or an adult
BIG sigh of relief today - fledgling back in the nest! no parent around that i could see. 20 minutes later, fledgling had also vacated the area, hopefully off to find a fish of its own.
geez, now i'm really getting worried. again, no sign of fledgling. dad was in nest by himself this morning.
took a quick look at this nest today, fledgling not in it, mom is in exact same spot by river as she was yesterday. i scoped again to make sure this was the adult, and it is. have to believe the kid is somewhere in those trees!
chick was on nest w/mom this morning, on drive back past two hours later, chick is now a fledgling! nest empty, could see mom in the top of the tree next to the river, no sign of fledger, but i'm guessing he's in that stand of trees somewhere! property owner's name is marilyn; she gave me permission to traipse around looking for chick, but i couldn't locate him.
mom watching her chick self-feed
mom and chick almost the same size now!
mom in nest with her golden-headed chick
i'm resigned to the fact that there is only one chick this season, and he's getting big! posted pic...
still only see one chick at this nest, the angle is just so hard, but maybe there really is only one to be seen! mom was standing guard across the driveway at the top of a small tree.
gosh, still see only one chick, and it's a big one! mom a bit agitated at me today, even though i was stopped across the highway. she left the nest and did a few circles around the area, so i packed my bags and scooted out of there
mumbrella again today, chicks hiding
mumbrella time, heat wave today through wednesday, chick or chicks hunkered down once again
finally saw a CHICK! just one, though. mom and dad both in nest when i arrived, dad flew off to get breakfast soon afterwards, that's when i saw the head pop up (and a rather big one, too)
grrrrrr, once again mom refuses to show off her chicks. maybe there aren't any and i'm wrong for thinking mom was brooding on the 16th. i hope to see a couple BIG chicks next time i stop by...
another stubborn mother refusing to show her chicks. today i went down the property owner's driveway to get a better angle, still couldn't see anything but mom glaring at me. left a note for homeowner to call me if they have any osprey info to share.
both parents standing on platform, not a care in the world, i'm guessing i just missed a healthy meal for all (have yet to see a chick in person, though!)
both in nest, mom eating voraciously, with dad watching. it's apparent i arrived too late to see a chick feeding again! after about 10 minutes of watching mom scarf the fish (and no sign of a chick), dad took the remains of the meal and flew off to his favorite fence post to eat
both parents in nest again, then on way back, mom was down, but in a brooding, not incubating position, i'm also certain. i will drive by again later today 'cuz this nest is driving me crazy; i want to confirm by seeing a feeding!
mom and dad both in nest, dad appeared to be shading mom, then he flew off. mom was standing in nest on my way home, i stopped but couldn't tell if there was a chick. we're overdue, i see! will check again tomorrow
another no drama nest - yay! mom incubating, dad on/at his post
thank goodness all appears right at this nest - mom incubating, dad hopefully out fishing (windy, overcast, cool day)
mom in nest, didn't see dad on his favorite fence post, probably out getting dinner
both in nest, appear to be sharing a fish
mom in nest, dad on fence post, wish i lived on this property - they have another active osprey nest at the other end of their driveway!
wicked wind & hail storm last night, some nest material on the ground under the platform, but mom appears content and dad is on his post.
mom incubating, dad fluffing on his favorite fence post
one incubating, one eating a fish on favorite fence post :-)
mom incubating, dad sitting on his favorite fence post down below. a warm, sunny day to be napping on eggs...
now mom is definitely incubating. dad flew in while i was watching mom, perched behind her in nest, all is calm...
one standing in nest; think i got ahead of myself w/incubation date - will revise when i know for sure
not sure the incubation has really started - it did seem early! no birds in nest on first drive-by, on way home, one laying in nest, but not flat-backed. going to have to edit nest activity report
appeared that the female was incubating today. male flew in 'empty-handed' a few minutes later. both still in nest when i left; an hour later, only one in nest, and it was standing, not incubating, so i'm not sure what's what. but i'm thinking there is an egg; will check closer tomorrow.
both m/d on the nest today!
2 days later than last year, but with the wintry weather in colorado, i'm just excited to see him back! this is the nest where the male has a necklace, too, so i'm not sure if this is mom or dad, but one of them looks quite comfortable in the nest today!
entered last observed date as 9/8, which is the last time i saw an osprey around this nest. i have no idea if if was a parent or chick. but no ospreys have been seen at this nest since that time, so i think they might all be far and away...
vacancy sign up at this nest. when oh when did everyone leave???
gosh, nobody home here, either...
saw an osprey flying high in the sky, but no one around the nest
no one in sight. i wonder if these will be the first of my birds to leave the valley...
no osprey anywhere to be seen. however, one hour later during return trip, there was a fledgling perched on the bar, probably waiting for dinner to be served...
no osprey to be seen - but there was a beautiful pair of sandhill cranes in the stubble field across the highway!!
empty nest! no sign of fledglings or parents - they're all off fishing!!
one chick standing in nest, with parent perched on fence post very close by. no sign of other parent or fledgling.
chick standing in nest when i arrived, shortly thereafter the other chick flew in along w/dad. chick landed in nest beautifully while dad perched on power pole near field.
both chicks in nest when i arrived, both scolding me. watched for about 10 minutes, then started packing up, at which time one of the chicks flew away - he flew like he'd been doing it for years!! the fledgling flew a circle and then landed on the fence post that dad was sitting on in pic #2, where he stayed for about five minutes before flying in a circle and making a perfect landing on the nest "perch bar". chick #2 and i watched in amazement...
two chicks hunkered down, no parents on nest but one flying around
two healthy chicks - one actively wingercizing and hopping!!
saw both healthy nestlings today - neither appeared to be in any distress
2 healthy chicks (even though i only manage to capture one at a time in my photos)
got the scope on the nest and found one big beautiful chick with big beautiful orange eyes staring back at me - it looked like he swallowed a tennis ball! watched for about 10 minutes, never saw #2 chick. packed it up and started to drive away when i saw #2 stand up. #2 quite a bit smaller than #1 but still looks healthy!
mom laying in nest, still have 1/2 of nest material hanging over the side, and no nestlings peeking out today
just saw my 2nd bobblehead; he's significantly smaller than #1. observed mom eating the tail of a fish, neither chick begging for food. an intruder landed in the nest, which i thought was dad, since mom didn't really put up a stink. but a few seconds later, here comes another osprey circling and screaming and finally escorting the intruder out of the nest. why wasn't mom more upset at this stranger in her house? also, the vicious hail/wind storm that went through the valley on 6/25 tore up this nest quite a bit - about 50% of it is hanging over the side.
finally saw one nestling, and he's much bigger than a 3-day old! looks like i had lots of hatches around 6/15 that i didn't record until 6/21! and dad definitely has a necklace, too...
this is the other nest bothered by crop dusters yesterday. female standing in nest, male not around. when i checked a few hours later, both were standing in nest and fussing. i will have to go out again today or tomorrow, but i think they have a hatch.
interesting observations today. i thought it was dad incubating when i first arrived (all white chest). his brown seems faded out compared to mom. then the speckled breasted mom flew into the nest, squawking, and i saw an eagle flying nearby. the eagle moved on and mom left again. then she came back with a huge crib rail which she proceeds to place. dad continues to incubate. question - are some mom's white breasted and some dad's speckled? it sure seemed like role reversal day if not! and the bird i always assumed was dad never stopped incubating; he even closed his eyes like he was sleepy many times for the 1/2 hour i watched. i think still on eggs!
ps: i also noticed a clear liquid dripping from dad's nose, and he had white spots on his beak. he looks like he might be "older"?
every one of my osprey dads was away from the nest and/or favorite lookout spot - rain finally stopped, it's time to catch fish!! oh, mom down low in nest
got a good shot of dad standing guard, with mom in nest. still not liking all that baling twine.
mom incubating, finally remembered to take a pic of this nest
female in nest, no sign of dad, must be out fishing
exact same scene as last time - female on eggs, male on nearby fence post
female appears flat-backed in the nest, not sure when egg arrived :(
oh, and male on fencepost in nearby field
spartanmt: lots of fun watching this nest today. male brought in a couple big sticks, bopped mom on the head both times, she finally got disgusted and went to perch on a fence post while he continued working. this nest is on same side of highway 82 as #1013, about 1/2 mile separating them.