Nesting Diaries
joannie reports chicks up and flying
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
joanie reports that wally saw the first chick fly today. i think it's too early, not possible for fledge yet. it may be that j/w are seeing mom or dad and mistaking the parent for the chick
joanie reports that they now see three chicks in the nest again, plus mom and dad both bringing fish. hope this is correct!
stopped by j/w's, only two chicks visible in nest, one wingercizing. joanie reports they haven't seen 3rd chick since 7/13
no new reports from joan/wally, so i'm assuming all is well at their nest
joanie reported that there are three chicks in this nest, all getting fed, all flapping their wings!!
mombrella hiding the chicks today
mombrella, two bobbleheads visible, dad arrives shortly after and rests on nest perch
joanie advises dad finding lots of fish and also standing guard at night, still only can confirm two bobbleheads
dad delivers fish and flies away; mom begins feeding, her back is to me, can't count chicks
mom feeding while dad perches on platform pole
per joanie, at least two chicks observed in nest for the past few days; updated activity report
mom sitting much higher in nest bowl this morning, dad in nearby tree, i'm almost positive there's at least one nestling under her this morning, emailed joanie...
hatch watch week...mom incubating
mom incubating, then standing/fussing w/nest bowl
mom incubating, dad chasing an intruder
mom incubating, dad on nest perch
mom laying in nest, not quite sure if she's incubating, or laying an egg, or maybe just tired
one standing in nest bowl
per joanie, pair arrived on 4/14, have been fighting the goose on their nest for the past two days, goslings finally hatched and gone, joanie waiting for mom and pops osprey to come back and start their annual housecleaning.
empty when i went by the first time, both chicks on nest when i went by an hour later.
mom is successfully fishing and feeding her chicks, per joanie. both chicks have been seen returning to nest to eat
No chicks home this morning, 2nd chick has fledged
One chick laying in nest. On trip back, saw another bird on the nest perch, but don't know if it was our fledgling or our momma
joanie emailed, said one chick fledged today, the other is wingercizing a lot.
both chicks in nest, female chick self-feeding, male chick wingercizing
heartbreak here. j/w report that a fisherman told them a couple weeks back that he threw a lure into the water nearby, got a fish, down came an osprey to snatch the fish, got tangled in the line, and the fisherman never saw the osprey resurface. this was same time j/w noticed the male missing from their nest. mom has been fishing for her chicks all alone for the past two weeks. plus, j/w have only seen 2 chicks recently. i observed for about 5 minutes today; mom was standing in the nest with 2 chicks. it's clear we've lost the provider and probably one baby at this point, fingers crossed that mom can raise her remaining babies through fledging.
mom standing in nest, one chick up and preening, observed a 2nd lump sleeping in the nest, did not see the 3rd chick this morning. very cool and rainy day
mom standing in nest, could only see one massive lump of osprey-chick, no distinct heads.
mom feeding one chick, a 2nd chick is watching and waiting, and i think i may have seen the 3rd chick behind mom but can't confirm.
mom standing on nest perch, 3 chick heads moving around in nest bowl
mom standing in nest, one chick raised its head briefly before laying back down
observed all three nestlings moving around nest, mom standing guard
and today i definitely saw three bobbleheads getting fed!
j/w reported on 6/25 that they've only seen one chick, but today i definitely saw two bobbleheads getting fed!
mom feeding but i don't know how many. j/w without internet service earlier this week, hoping for an update from them real soon!
email into j/w to see if they've been able to count more than one bobblehead yet. dad on nest pole, mom standing in nest, no movement in bowl, i'm guessing they just got breakfast
mom in nest, dad standing on nest pole, must have just missed feeding, hopefully joan/wally have internet connection back today, will email them to see if they can confirm number of chicks yet...
joan/wally observed mom feeding first feeding a chick on saturday, 6/13. today both mom and dad were present - dad on nest pole w/half-eaten fish, mom laying in nest, didn't get to see any chicks, though
got back from 2-week vacation to find mom blissfully incubating today.
female incubating, male in nest briefly, then flew off
female in nest squawking, male on nest mantling. this nest is in the area with lots of intruders this year, can't confirm the male on the nest w/mom was her mate.
mom standing in nest, dad later arrived to stand guard on nest perch.
well the geese are gone, the pair is both at the nest and, lo and behold, there is still a pair across the slough in what i thought was this pair's 'frustration nest'. birds love to make a fool of me. looks like i might be adding another nest this season, waiting for j/w to confirm my observations. changing my pair arrival date to the day j/w saw an osprey pair harassing the goose.
per joanie: goose family left nest on 4/26, almost left one behind, dad went back and waited for it to jump while the other five goslings made it safely to water with mom. mom and pops osprey took over nest immediately! edited pair arrival date to reflect day they actually reclaimed the nest.
still have geese. j/w report the ospreys were harassing mama goose yesterday, so they are starting to getting impatient at this point! j/w think a hatch should come this week (fingers crossed)
still waiting for mama goose to vacate, then see if the pair across the slough from the j/w property will return to this platform nest.
i believe the fennon way pair arrived on 4/14 and is currently bringing sticks to a frustration nest across the pond from their platform. this pair has patiently waited out the goose family the past three years, and the pair across the pond arrived at the fennon way locale at the usual time, so i'm pretty sure this is them hanging out nearby (and yes, bringing sticks to a nest that's been unused for years) interesting to see what happens here, j/w said it should be another week before goslings arrive...
goose mom still on eggs here. joan & wally will let me know when they see their osprey pair back in the yard.
wally's log shows the last observation of the chick was 9/10; that makes a bit more sense...
empty nest again today. i can't believe they would have left on the 7th, that seems a bit early, will check w/joan and wally
didn't see anybody around the nest today
posted a pic of the two fledglings 'fishing' together today
one fledgling perched in tree overhanging river; the other fledgling was in nest but took off into a tree when i approached (pic)
one fledgling in nest, unable to locate the other
one chick in nest, one in nearby tree, the one in the nest flew off shortly after i arrived - nice flight!
joanie reports both chicks are flying around now. one has successfully returned to the nest, they are still waiting on the other one.
mom in nest w/her two kids. j/w report lots of hopping and wingercizing this past week - they are almost there!
mom standing on side of nest, one chick up and preening, the other chick laying in nest bowl. another email into joan and wally to make sure they've observed both babies moving around the nest ok...
one chick preening, one chick laying down, mom was at nest but took off after an intruder. as i was leaving, dad flew in with a fish drop and immediately left to go get another (saw him fly back across the highway to the river from which he'd just come)
quick check, running out of time today, observed mom standing guard but no bobbleheads visible.
bit of concern at this nest today. mom was doing her mombrella thing, observed one chick in front of her. the chick appears to be laying a bit awkwardly and did not shift position during the 15 minutes i watched. he also didn't close his eyes, so i know he wasn't dozing. did not see the other chick at all. joan/wally will monitor today to see if i'm overreacting.
both chicks up and about and trying to stay under the mombrella. dad has provided plenty of fish today, according to wally. whew...
later this evening got a report for wally that both chicks had moved across the nest to the mombrella and been fed. so the chick is at least still mobile, will continue to keep a special eye on him...
neither parent home when i drove up, counted two heads in a quick scope
two chicks observed in the nest this week. i have yet to find a nest with three healthy babies this season...
dad perched on platform, mom flew in after a few minutes, saw one bobblehead briefly, but no feeding at this time.
joanie reports they have at least one chick as of a few days ago :-)
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. mom incubating, saw dad in his tree, am going to email joan and wally to see if they've seen any sign of a hatch yet?
mom incubating, dad in his favorite tree
mom incubating, dad in favorite fishing tree by the river
female already on the egg! male flew in with a fish, female grabbed it and left, male fussed in the nest and then began incubating.
osprey pair arrived on the nest today! joanie thinks it's a different pair; i'm thinking they don't hook up that quickly without a nest, we'll see if they are comfortable around wally, which will answer the question
just got a report from joanie: the goose left on 5/2, with only one gosling, but the osprey pair has not moved in as of today. joanie thinks the nest is going to be without a family for the first time in 10 years. it's just an ideal location, too. this makes me sad; i hope she's wrong...
raining very hard today when i visited this nest. either the goose mama has left w/her brood or she's still there but hunkered down so low i can't see her. no sign of either osprey nearby
goose mama still incubating; it's got to be close to hatch time! no sign of the osprey pair nearby today
both mom and pops sitting high in nearby tree; looks like they decided to be patient - mama goose still in their nest!
last year the ospreys waited patiently for the goose to leave. this year, joan/wally report that there was a big attempt at eviction first thing this morning, but the goose and her mate won round #1.
this nest has a goose mama in it; joan/wally are keeping tabs on the activity (last year, mom and pops osprey were content to wait for the goslings to jump)
#3 chick has migrated, last seen on sunday, 9/22. that means i have only 2 fledgers left behind as of today.
still here, on nest platform this morning
fledger in nest, food begging, then flew to nearby tree. 1 of 3 fledgers still in the area.
empty nest, email in to joan/wally to see if they saw a chick after 9/9. update: joanie says they still have one baby, 'and i mean BABY', crying and crying for someone to feed her, which apparently mom is still doing as of today. joanie thinks it's one of her siblings feeding her, but i don't think that's possible - is it? on 9/9, it was an adult who brought her a fish, i'm going to assume it's the same adult feeding her still....
saw F in nest, then F left nest, then lots of loud calling, and here comes mom ? into the nest with a fish, followed immediately by F, who grabbed the fish and went to his favorite snag to eat. mom was off again immediately, heading towards the lake.
two fledgers in nest on first pass, none in nest 1/2 hour later
all fledglings gone from nest on first drive-by; on way back, one chick back on nest.
empty nest, mom busy showing her kids how to fish
empty nest this morning, everyone out for a fishing lesson!
3rd chick fledged today! it appears mom has raised her brood alone for the past month at least - what a great lady!
only one chick left in the nest this morning! an hour later on my way back, there were two chicks in the nest, with one mantling a fish :=)
joanie reports first fledge - only 2 chicks in the nest most of the day but #1 fledger returned in time for feeding (by mom again, it seems).
3 chicks in nest, mom perched in dad's tree by the river. intruder osprey entered the area, chicks raised alarm, mom flew in and chased it off. i was so hoping the other osprey was dad, but it wasn't. it's looking more and more like mom is raising their babies alone right now, even guarding the nest from dad's usual lookout spot. joan advised that they have looked for dad in the evening with no luck. no fledging observed yet, maybe their development is a bit delayed due to the lack of fish? although they all look healthy to me.
3 chicks in nest home alone. am really hoping someone sees dad soon.
2 chicks standing, 1 laying down, mom standing guard on the nest
mom busy feeding her 3 chicks, they all look good! wally and joanie observed lots of wingercizing from one chick in particular - it's getting to be that time!
all 3 chicks showed their cute faces again today, while proud mom perched on the side of nest
three big healthy chicks in nest all alone, mom and dad must both be out fishing!
mom feeding, could not see chicks, as her back was to me. email into joan/wally to make sure we still have 3.
3 chicks!!! wally advised that dad has been bringing in big fish from the lake, rather than fishing the slough this year. ecologists from university of montana are currently studying the vegetation and pike population of this part of flathead river; guess the osprey know something. #3 chick is quite a bit smaller than #1 chick, but at this point there is plenty of fish being delivered.
mumbrella time, couldn't see chicks today
both parents in nest when i drove by the first time; later, mom was up and shading her chicks (still can only verify 2)
saw both chicks today! when i arrived, mom was in nest, a minute later, dad flew in, so mom flew off; another minute later, mom flew in with a piece of lumber for the nest and dad took off again. chicks alert the entire time.
well i saw one little head today, but not the other. mom standing on edge of nest, dad out fishing. looking at my entries, i see i forgot to log that joanie reported seeing two heads in the nest last week, will update nest.
both parents at the nest, rain is starting to come down hard, will have to look for chicks tomorrow
mom still not letting anyone see her babies, although feeding behavior definitely observed again today...
watched as dad took off after a crow that was bothering the nest, mom up and down on the nest while he was gone but can't see the chick (or two) yet
saw one on pole, the other leave the nest - i'm guessing that was mom off to stretch her wings while dad babysits...
feeding behavior is underway - we have a chick!
another no drama nest so far this year - mom incubating, dad on perch bar
exact same scenario as 5/31!
mom incubating, dad in favorite tree by river
mom incubating, dad out of sight for a change
mom incubating, dad in favorite fishing tree (which i need to get a picture of)
big wind & hail storm last night, but this nest looks fine. it's so nice to know that joan/wally are monitoring this nest daily. mom was happily incubating; dad was in favorite riverside tree.
mom incubating, i could see dad in his favorite tree by the river
mom incubating, dad fishing from his favorite lookout branch over the river
i think mom is on an egg, have an email into joan/wally to see what they say about it.
mom on perch bar, dad in his favorite lookout tree by the river.
mom in nest, but not incubating
should be an egg any day now, but it hasn't happened yet.
female standing in nest, looking for dinner
mom in nest, not incubating, just food begging
mom and dad in nest when i arrived. shortly after, dad flew away, and just a few minutes later, he's back at the nest w/a fish! i thought for sure he was going to give it to mom, but when she moved over to get it, he flew to his favorite snag and started eating. don't know if he ended up sharing some of it with his mate or not.
the geese never returned to defend the nest, and joanie says there are no sign of any eggs around the base of the platform. just like my WPA nest, it appears this goose didn't have any eggs. m/d osprey are busy with nestorations today.
per joannie, they both arrived today - and they are currently ON the nest, while the geese are across the river. were there no eggs to protect, or is there still a fight for the nest coming?
fennon way osprey nest is host to the canada geese again this year, but mom/dad osprey have learned to wait patiently each year.
joan/wally confirm that the last time they saw the chick was 9/15, WITH DAD!! neither have been seen since. safe travels, fennon way family!!!
no sighting of fennon way chick since 9/15. i will change last observed date if joan/wally catch sight of the little rascal after today, but i fear not...
LAST DATE ADULT SEEN AT NEST: 9/10/12
chick is fishing on its own now, per wally! not sure if they've seen parent around since 9/10; still waiting for an answer on that...
fledgling in favorite perch tree when i arrived; about 10 minutes later, here comes DAD with a fish, chick meets him at the nest. i'm pretty sure it was dad, not mom - white breast, no speckles, skinny legs. so either both parents are still here or wally mistakenly thinks only mamas feed the chicks...
fledgling was in nest but flew to his favorite tree perch when he saw me. wally saw mom bring her chick a fish yesterday, but dad hasn't been around in about 4-5 days. wally thinks dad has migrated.
no one home!! this is starting to get sad - the end of the season is upon me :-(
empty nest again. will be emailing joan/wally for an update! did find out that the barn across the highway from this nest is home to a gho nest this season; i'm betting that's where the other fennon way chick ended up. i don't like gho's
empty nest again today. i'm sure fledgling is getting plenty of parental instruction these days!
empty nest. observed what appeared to be a newbie flying very well over joan/wally's house and then to river's edge. no sign of any other osprey (but i'm sure m/d are very nearby)
mom and timid fledgling in nest tonight - that's ok, there's plenty of time to learn the fishing ropes!
wally is positive chick didn't fledge until last night, even though it seems WAY overdue (poor kid, i shouldn't be so hard on her). maybe if this is chick #2 that survived, that would explain the 10 weeks it took from hatch to fledge. pics are of fledger frozen in fear on tree limb, with mom yelling encouragement from the pine tree (or yelling at me to leave them alone)
chick in nest, mom on perch bar - this one's got to have fledged by now, right??? another email into joan/wally for a date hopefully!
joan/wally finally confirmed there is only one chick left in the nest, which i saw actively wingercizing. i think we lost the other chick around 7/21/12
joanie reports only seeing one chick lately but thinks the other is just shy. i hope so, they should be too big to hide at this point :0(
getting close to fledge time, have email into joan/wally for an update (didn't have time to stop myself today)
observed one nestling standing up in nest with mom; never saw #2
both nestlings showed themselves today - looking good!!
ok, starting to worry that we've lost #2. only one big baby popping up again today, have an email into joan/wally to see if they can reassure me that there are still 2 babies
only saw one big beautiful orange-eyed chick today. sure hope the smaller one was just sleeping - we do finally have sunshine!
finally got to see babies! unfortunately, one appears to be 3 times the size of the other. i know 5 days older can mean twice as big - just hoping there isn't a 3rd chick, as well.
mom is still hiding her babies! these are the oldest nestlings i have, and i have yet to see them. joan & wally haven't observed the little guys yet, either...i did see dad bring a fish to the nest, mom didn't even get up, he took it to his favorite perch and ate it himself. i take this as a sign of plenty good fish in the river!
dad still bringing fish in twice a day, mom still feeding but refusing to show us her chicks! no idea how many there are in that deep nest bowl.
fun day! watched dad bring in a huge fish, eat part of it, then bring rest into nest, where mom was waiting quite patiently. mom then took the rest of the fish and flew out of the nest to eat it in her favorite pine tree, while dad stood guard over what we know are chicks!! i did not see the tiny heads, but j/w have observed feeding behavior for past week. maybe next week they'll pop up!
update on diary: joan & wally report the first hatch was 6/4; i just forgot to ask! also seems we have 2 chicks in the nest now; i'll be stopping out this weekend to hopefully get a picture!
day #42 for first egg and still no hatch! dunrovin is on day #49 i think - montana osprey are hatching late it seems!
day 38! expecting to hear we have a hatch any day now - might have to go look for myself this weekend!
have an email into joan and wally - hatch watch should be starting!!
more peace and quiet today - mom incubating, dad out fishing
after the excitement a few days ago, nothing but peace and quiet today - female in nest, male must be out fishing...
joan and wally tell the story of the fennon way osprey nest:
The nest in our driveway has been watched at least 20 years or more. Wow what a long time. From one chick to three chicks born each year. We have had to feed the third to help him or her get strong enough to get out of here for the winter.
Usually m/d will follow Wally as he is working & then m/d knows if there’s no fish in the slough, he or she will get one caught by Mr. Wally.
We have had some go to heaven - because of crashing. Some (learning how
to fly) will land on the roof. Wally will put on big gloves & help them
get back on track to flying again.
The best story is two years ago: the osprey were late coming to Somers, and the
geese had taken over the nest. When the osprey saw that, they had a great big fight - no one hurt, so we assumed they saw the eggs. The osprey couple just sat in the goose nest (on the water) and waited until mom and the five goslings left, and then they cleaned house & had their own three babies in the nest. The last one finally left in late October.
Last year, the same thing happened, and the osprey just waited in the goose nest on the water, and the minute the mom and babies were gone, up she went, cleaned house, and had her own three; the youngest left late in October again.
This year, the geese tried but no eggs. Wally could see the nest through the boards & no eggs were up there. When the osprey got back, they went right to work adding moss & lots of limbs & rebuilt the nest.
Right now, they are sitting tight - of course, we don't know how many eggs she has. So far not many fish in the slough, so dad has to go to the river or the
lake to keep her fed. He is a good dad & husband - he sits all night on the pole watching her.
interesting activity this afternoon - two osprey flying above the nest and calling; one osprey in a tree nearby. wally is pretty sure the one in the tree was dad, but where's mom? chasing off the intruder? about an hour later, i observed one osprey back on platform but not sure which one. i'm sure if something happened to mom, j/w will let me know.
joan and wally observed the beginning of incubation behavior on 4/30/12, so guess the first egg was laid 4/29/12?
spartanmt: one osprey in nest, which appears to be ready for eggs! will check in w/wally and joan to see if i missed any interesting activity
oops, hit enter before i said anything! observed pair on nest; joan and wally will hopefully have more to say about this pair soon!
female on platform, looks like a few branches have been added since friday!
4/13/12: male and female both on platform. i'm hoping this is the same pair seen an hour ago at the lower valley platform, which held a nest full of baling twine. lots of osprey flying around today, so this might be a different pair!