Nickname
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve on Main Trail
Coordinates
(27.733, -82.6566)
Substrate
Dead Tree
Description
This nest was found a little past the Center Loop of the main trail in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (past the pond and armadillo statue on the left and a fire hydrant on the right). Nest is very high up in a dead tree on the left across from lake; can be seen easily from trail.
Followers
None
Monitoring groups
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
| 2017 - CharlotteS | 2017 - MaryK | 2015 - Beth | 2015 - Amy D. | 2014 - jenniferlincoln | 2014 - Bre | 2013 - Beth | 2012 - Beth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 2/4/15 | 1/9/14 | 1/1/12 | |||||
| aOccupied | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| aActive | Yes | |||||||
| bEgg Laying | ||||||||
| bIncubation Initiation | 2/12/15 | 1/22/12 | ||||||
| cClutch Hatching | 3/18/15 | |||||||
| dNestlings | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| eFledglings | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | 5/27/15 | |||||||
| fChicks Last Observed | 6/17/15 | |||||||
| xNest Failure | 1/20/17 | |||||||
| xReason For Nest Failure | other | unknown reason |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
Activity reports
2012 Nest Activity Report by Beth
| Adult arrival | 01/01/2012 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 01/22/2012 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2013 Nest Activity Report by Beth
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | Yes | First chick fledging | |
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | unknown reason |
2014 Nest Activity Report by jenniferlincoln
| Adult arrival | 01/09/2014 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2014 Nest Activity Report by Bre
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2015 Nest Activity Report by Amy D.
| Adult arrival | 02/04/2015 | Nestlings | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 0 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 02/12/2015 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 03/18/2015 | Reason for nest failure |
2015 Nest Activity Report by Beth
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 3 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 05/27/2015 | |
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | 06/17/2015 | |
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2017 Nest Activity Report by CharlotteS
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2017 Nest Activity Report by MaryK
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | 01/20/2017 | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | Taken over by great horned owl |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
05/04/2017 by MaryK
The great horned owl left about two or three weeks ago. The nest may be utilized by ospreys in the future.
02/23/2017 by MaryK
Great horned owl still occupying, local professional photographers say that she has chicks.
02/15/2017 by MaryK
Great horned owl still living in nest. There is a newly constructed osprey nest a bit further down the trail, possibly from the original inhabitants, but no activity was seen. I'll be checking on it this week.
02/08/2017 by MaryK
Nest is still in good condition, but the great horned owl was still present. Specific ospreys not seen or heard in the area.
01/26/2017 by arswan
No birds were seen in the nest, possible pair of nest was seen farther back on the trail at Boyd Hill- this nest has probably failed due to the owl
01/25/2017 by CharlotteS
Great horned owl still in nest, but Male and female osprey still in Boyd Hill area.
01/20/2017 by arswan
A great horned owl was in this nest so it is possible the ospreys are going to move to a different one soon.
12/07/2016 by JoC
Nest still does not appear active. No new material appears to have been added, no ospreys sighted.
05/10/2016 by Albatross Alison
Chicks seen! Female seen sitting in nest with chicks, male not present.
05/03/2016 by Albatross Alison
Female sitting high up in nest displaying feeding behavior. Chicks not seen but present. Male sitting on tree.
04/19/2016 by Albatross Alison
Female sitting high in nest and active. Chicks likely but not seen. Male was sitting in a nearby tree.
04/05/2016 by Albatross Alison
Female sitting higher up in the nest, and active, looking as if she was possibly feeding chicks. Male not present at the time of observation
03/02/2016 by Albatross Alison
Osprey have returned to the nest. The female is sitting lower in the nest, probably incubating eggs. The male is sitting higher up in the tree.
02/23/2016 by Albatross Alison
Controlled burn in area on 2/22/2016 (including area at base of nest). No osprey present in the nest today, but it is likely (and hopefully) just temporary
01/22/2016 by Albatross Alison
Nest rebuilt, extremely well established (first seen 1/16). : Pair of osprey perched near the nest. The male was perched directly above the nest on an outlaying branch and the female was in an adjacent tree eating. The male later flew off, circled, and came back to the perch.
01/15/2016 by Albatross Alison
Nest fallen. Reports of Osprey rebuilding nest in a nearby live tree but I was unable to spot it and saw no osprey in the immediate area.
04/29/2015 by Amy D.
I can see at least one little chick head sticking up but the female had her back to the sun fanning so it is hard to see what else is up there
04/23/2015 by Amy D.
I can hear little peeping sounds from the nest, still can not tell how many are up there but female is perched on the nest
04/15/2015 by Amy D.
Male osprey brought over a fish to the female osprey, they looked to be feeding a chick(s) hard to see how many are up there
04/08/2015 by Amy D.
Female osprey in nest looks to be feeding a chick in the nest but hard to see because the nest is so high up
03/11/2015 by Amy D.
Female osprey sitting in nest and other 2 unidentifiable osprey flying around the nest
02/12/2015 by Amy D.
Female osprey in the nest not sure if she is incubating or not because she was sitting low but not completely down.
01/09/2015 by Selena B
male perched in tree eating, female in nest; she left then returned with a stick. well established nest.
12/06/2014 by Amy D.
No ospreys at nest, but a lot of bald eagle and hawk activity around nest. Ospreys are present through out the park just not near the nest. Wondering if they are going to try and nest somewhere else since the eagles are hanging around the back side of the park where this nest is
11/13/2014 by Amy D.
No ospreys present at nest, heard from rangers at park that bald eagles are hanging around the nest
10/13/2014 by Amy D.
No ospreys at or near the nest, but their were two bald eagles flying around the nest
09/20/2014 by alelliot
None in nest. One female 300 yards north, overlooking lake. Appeared slightly agitated-- watching passerby closely.
09/12/2014 by alelliot
No ospreys.
07/06/2014 by Eli
We saw one female nesting. Another osprey, which we believe to be the male, was flying away as we got to the nest.
03/13/2014 by Bre
Around 2:30 today, there was a male sitting in the nest as we approached it from below. The female partner flew in, switched spots, and the male flew out. They did not sit in the nest together for very long this time, as I think they were trying to be careful and protect what was in the nest. The male flew to another tree nearby and started preening for a bit. The female remained in the nest for awhile and was calling too.
02/21/2014 by Amy D.
There were no ospreys to be found today. The temperature was very hot so I am wondering if that is why they were not at the nest. Maybe the ospreys were out foraging for food.
02/10/2014 by Bre
There was a lot of activity at this nest today around 2:15pm. There was a female perching above the nest/higher in the tree, and she was calling to a male. The male osprey was perched in a tree across the trail on the right side, and flew over to the nest where she was perching. There was a great deal of movement between them, in addition to sounds, before the male flew away again. There were 2 other ospreys flying above/circling the pond near the nest as well. We also heard little chirps following the female's call, but it was hard to fully distinguish if they were coming from the nest she was at because we couldn't see any visible movement in the nest itself.
01/19/2014 by jenniferlincoln
Today around 12:15pm I noticed Wanda (I named the female) perched on a branch next to the nest and Cosmo (male) perched on a tree next to the nest. Wanda called out at Cosmo a few times while I was observing them. I could not discern whether Wanda was taking a break from incubation or she had given up on her eggs.
01/15/2014 by jenniferlincoln
Today we found the female low in the nest, hopefully a sign that she really is incubating. We also watched the male fly down to the nest and snuggle up next to the female. He did not appear to be carrying any food but it was still exciting to see him land in the nest.
01/09/2014 by jenniferlincoln
Today we found this Osprey nest occupied by a male and a female. The male was perched on the branches above the nest and the female sat low in the nest, possibly incubating, but flew away when we approached her.