Nickname
Yacht Club
Coordinates
(48.0802, -114.222)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
Nest is located on island across from flathead lake yacht club. i didn't think my volunteer observer was going to report, but i was wrong!
Followers
None
What to look for
a
Adult Arrival
Look for 2 adults on the nest. The adult pair will show pair bonding behaviors such as vocalizations, aerial sky dances, and the male feeding the female fish. You may see the pair copulating, which typically begins 14 days before laying eggs.b
Incubation Initiation
Females will lay 1 - 4 eggs at a rate of one egg every 1 - 2 days. After laying, incubation starts. Look for adults taking turns sitting low in the nest incubating eggs. The incubation period can last 35 - 43 days.c
Clutch Hatching
Chicks hatch ~39 days after incubation begins. Look for adults bringing food to the nest and making "head bows" into the center. Chicks typically can't be seen until they are 2 - 3 weeks old, so feeding behavior is the only way to know chicks are there.d
Nestling Count
Around 4 weeks after hatching, look for the heads of chicks to show over the rim of the nest, particularly when adults bring food to the nest. Other times they lie flat and are harder to see. Count the number of chicks in the nest before they learn to flye
Fledgling Count
Chicks begin flying around 7 - 8 weeks old, and are still fed by the adults. Count the number of chicks who have successfully fledged the nest and are observed flying.f
Chick Last Observed
4 - 10 weeks after fledging, chicks begin leaving the nest area to migrate south, once they have learned to fly and feed themselves. Record the date that the last chick left the nest.x
Nest Failure
Look for signs of nest failure like adult abandonment, adults no longer incubating eggs or feeding young.Review All Observations
| 2014 - spartanmt | 2013 - spartanmt | 2012 - spartanmt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 4/14/13 | 4/13/12 | |
| aOccupied | No | No | No |
| aActive | |||
| bEgg Laying | |||
| bIncubation Initiation | 5/3/13 | 5/1/12 | |
| cClutch Hatching | |||
| dNestlings | 0 | ||
| eFledglings | 0 | ||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |||
| fChicks Last Observed | |||
| xNest Failure | 5/31/13 | 6/21/12 | |
| xReason For Nest Failure | adult abandonment | adult abandonment |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2014 2013 2012
Activity reports
2012 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | 04/13/2012 | Nestlings | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | 0 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 05/01/2012 | Nest failure | 06/21/2012 |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | adult abandonment |
2013 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | 04/14/2013 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 05/03/2013 | Nest failure | 05/31/2013 |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | adult abandonment |
2014 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
05/03/2014 by spartanmt
last entry for this nest unless a new pair takes over here. i'm convinced the somers beach pair abandoned this nest for nicer digs across the channel
04/21/2014 by spartanmt
no sign of life at this nest - hopefully this pair is now occupying the somers beach platform
04/19/2014 by spartanmt
hoping this pair has moved to nest #4857 due to this nest being disturbed two years in a row. monitor thinks a bald eagle has a nest nearby, which might account for the failure, although i haven't ruled out human activity
04/11/2014 by spartanmt
not sure if my monitor will be able to watch this nest this year, stay tuned...
06/10/2013 by spartanmt
someone reported to al that a dead osprey was found on the island where nest is located. this is the 2nd year the nest has failed. i don't like the sound of this (see oldenburg nest history). apparently cause of death was not obvious. i'm guessing this osprey belonged to the yacht club nest, which led to this year's abandonment.
06/06/2013 by spartanmt
on 6/5, al observed a pair of osprey building a new nest on a nearby platform! this new platform is closer to the public beach but farther from harassing eagles (which i guess are right across the channel, per AJ). too late for chicks this year, but maybe it's the same pair staking claim to a different site? lord knows the original nest has not worked for at least 2 years!
05/31/2013 by spartanmt
the 2nd nest of the season that i think has failed, but not sure yet. on 5/30, al observed one in the nest (i'm guessing mom) and one eating a fish in a nearby snag. mom solicited food, dad ignored her and kept eating, mom then left the nest and perched above him on the same snag for awhile, then flew across the highway and landed in a tree that she couldn't have seen the nest from. AJ observed the nest empty for almost an hour on 5/30. today i checked again, and there were no osprey around the nest for the 10 minutes i observed. this will be the 2nd year in a row this nest has failed - what is going on?
05/23/2013 by spartanmt
mom in nest, not really standing, not really incubating, kind of just hovering over the nest bowl. got some pix from the highway, tho!
05/15/2013 by spartanmt
found a good monitoring spot at the swimming access - yep, mom's on eggs, and dad was at the tippy top of a snag nearby. didn't have my camera, would have been a great shot
05/14/2013 by spartanmt
need to find a spot to monitor this nest that is not on yacht club property. no update from AJ, but if he saw something amiss, i'm sure he'd tell me.
05/10/2013 by spartanmt
my volunteer nest watcher hasn't reported anything new on this nest, so i'm assuming it's status quo
05/04/2013 by spartanmt
now there are two osprey, and mom appears to be incubating! we obviously missed all the action. will double-check to see if mom is still incubating later this weekend, but noting date now...
05/03/2013 by spartanmt
only one osprey near the nest again today, starting to think this is going to be another bunco year for #1126
04/17/2013 by spartanmt
per aj: pair still hanging around the nest, not doing much in the way of nestorations, mainly just hanging out and waiting for spring (it's 34 degrees right now)
04/15/2013 by spartanmt
both osprey at nest. at one point, a bald eagle wanted to visit and was chased away by male osprey. the goose is gone from this nest, too!
04/10/2013 by spartanmt
per aj - goose in this nest, also, although some squabbling going on, so not sure if there are eggs
06/28/2012 by spartanmt
al's been checking this nest regularly since it first appeared abandoned; no activity
06/22/2012 by spartanmt
on 6/21/12, al observed both parents perched away from nest. they did not return to nest for over an hour of observation. he will go back later today to see if nest is still vacant. he believes the nest has been abandoned. a magpie has been bothering the nest all season, so it's hard to believe m/d osprey would leave the nest for such a long period of time.
06/15/2012 by spartanmt
al took his scope out a couple times this week to look for bobbleheads. while there seems to be a bit more activity from mom in the nest, she also still seems to be incubating.
05/02/2012 by spartanmt
aljohnson: female definitely on the egg! when male returned to nest, female got up from her flat back position, both mom and dad displayed obvious signs of excitement...