Nickname
Ethel & Oscar
Coordinates
(44.6669, -63.5276)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
The Osprey is the Provincial Bird of Nova Scotia. Since 2007 Nova Scotia Power Corp. and the Museum of Natural History have partnered to bring this nest online via a webcam.
Nest Cam
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
| 2014 - OspreyEyes | 2012 - OspreyEyes | |
|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 4/30/14 | |
| aOccupied | Yes | No |
| aActive | ||
| bEgg Laying | 5/7/14 | |
| bIncubation Initiation | 5/7/14 | |
| cClutch Hatching | 6/15/14 | |
| dNestlings | 3 | |
| eFledglings | ||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | 8/6/14 | |
| fChicks Last Observed | ||
| xNest Failure | ||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2014 2012
Activity reports
2012 Nest Activity Report by OspreyEyes
| 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 |
2014 Nest Activity Report by OspreyEyes
| Adult arrival | 04/30/2014 | Nestlings | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 08/06/2014 | |
| Egg laying | 05/07/2014 | Chicks last observed | |
| Incubation initiation | 05/07/2014 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 06/15/2014 | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
08/06/2014 by OspreyEyes
Fledge Day!!! C1 (53 days old) and C2 (52 days old) - aka Harmony and Lee - both fledged :)
06/24/2014 by OspreyEyes
The 3 chicks - 9, 8 & 6 days old respectively - are thriving. Ethel and Oscar doing a great job and plenty of fish is being brought to the nest. No aggressive behaviour has been observed :)
06/18/2014 by OspreyEyes
The 3rd of 3 chicks hatched earlier this morning... day 36 :) Pic "borrowed" from deewerms of the HWF forum.
06/16/2014 by OspreyEyes
2nd chick hatched through the night on day 37. Yesterday's heavy rain and wind compromised the cam image ... hopefully it will clear up as loads of sunshine forecasted :)
06/15/2014 by OspreyEyes
We have our first chick! This is day 39 but not sure if it hatched late last evening or earlier in the morning.
05/16/2014 by OspreyEyes
A 3rd egg was first observed in the nest on May 15th by a member of the Hancock Wildlife Forum. Unfortunately between Sunday night, May 11th and Wed. afternoon, May 14th, the cam was down. It is, therefore, assumed that the 3rd egg was laid on May 13th.
05/02/2014 by OspreyEyes
Tuned in and found the pair at the nest. The cam came online April 30th ... please note new link to the webcam: http://www.novascotia.ca/museum/osprey/
03/22/2014 by OspreyEyes
In 2012 the original female failed to return from migration and the new male from last season, who arrived mid-April, was ousted by what I believe to be a young, inexperienced male. Throughout the summer he courted at least two females and continued to establish his territory. No breeding took place.
2013 saw this new male return and breed with one of the females from the previous year. One egg was laid on May 16th and hatched 41 days later on June 26th. Unfortunately three days later the chick was lost under mysterious circumstances … at the time there was observed aggressive defence behaviour by the female, possibly due to intruder activity. Cam went offline July 31st.
NOTE: The link to the webcam is broken. Inquiries will be made with the Museum of Natural History. They reconfigured the website so hopefully together with N.S. Power they will again bring the cam online for this season and provide a new link. Keep it here! :)
03/04/2012 by OspreyEyes
Nesting History
2007: Cam went live June 6th. In July the two 5-week old osprey chicks were killed by a Great Horned Owl. The cam was shut down for the season.
2008: Cam went live June 20th. One chick, named Bella, successfully fledged.
2009: Cam went live May 26th. Three eggs laid. Two chicks, un-named, successfully fledged.
2010: Cam went live May 4th. First clutch of 3 eggs failed. Second clutch of 2 eggs was laid and one chick, Skylar, successfully fledged.
2011: Cam went live May 9th. New adult male. Three eggs laid. One of the 2 chicks (Hunter) died shortly after fledging as a result of being electrocuted; other chick, Fisher, migrated September 17th.