Nickname
Freeman Ave
Coordinates
(36.7869, -76.2858)
Substrate
Cell Tower
Description
Nest located on cell tower at the intersection of I-464 & Freeman Ave (exit 3)
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
| 2023 - LauraLOVESbirds | 2022 - LauraLOVESbirds | 2020 - LauraLOVESbirds | 2019 - LauraLOVESbirds | 2019 - Dave Gibson | 2018 - LauraLOVESbirds | 2018 - Dave Gibson | 2013 - ShutterbugBob | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/23/23 | 7/30/22 | 3/16/20 | 3/22/19 | ||||
| aOccupied | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| aActive | ||||||||
| bEgg Laying | ||||||||
| bIncubation Initiation | ||||||||
| cClutch Hatching | ||||||||
| dNestlings | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| eFledglings | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | ||||||||
| fChicks Last Observed | ||||||||
| xNest Failure | 8/22/22 | |||||||
| xReason For Nest Failure | adult abandonment |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2013
Activity reports
2013 Nest Activity Report by ShutterbugBob
| 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 |
2018 Nest Activity Report by LauraLOVESbirds
| 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 |
2018 Nest Activity Report by Dave Gibson
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 2 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2019 Nest Activity Report by LauraLOVESbirds
| Adult arrival | 03/22/2019 | 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 |
2019 Nest Activity Report by Dave Gibson
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 1 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2020 Nest Activity Report by LauraLOVESbirds
| Adult arrival | 03/16/2020 | 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 |
2022 Nest Activity Report by LauraLOVESbirds
| Adult arrival | 07/30/2022 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | 08/22/2022 | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | adult abandonment |
2023 Nest Activity Report by LauraLOVESbirds
| Adult arrival | 03/23/2023 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | 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
08/18/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
8:40 AM - Osprey on the lower of the cell tower's two platforms. Same platform where nest is. 79°F and sunny.
08/08/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:15 PM - Osprey on the lower of the cell tower's two platforms. Same platform where nest is. 88 degrees F and sunny.
07/28/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:40 PM - have not found a location with an angle/view of inside the nest. An adult Osprey flew in from the northeast and landed beside the nest shortly after I arrived. 93 degrees F and sunny. I uploaded two photos. This morning, it looked like adult osprey was tending to center of nest. (Chicks?)
07/28/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
8.06 AM - Adult osprey in the nest. Looking into the center of the nest. I think there might be a chick!
07/23/2023 by Dave Gibson
Observed in the a.m. both from the I-464 off ramp nearby and from Freeman Ave. There were 2 adults near the nest in the tower. I didn't see any chicks.
05/03/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
7:26 AM: Osprey on cell tower. Very tall nest on lower platform of cell tower. Multiple long, strings or ribbons of some sort streaming in the wind. Fancy!
03/27/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:12 PM - Osprey carrying something and flying near cell tower. 74°F and mostly sunny
03/27/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
7:20 AM - Osprey flying towards cell tower, and carrying something. 57°F and cloudy. 6:58 AM sunrise
03/25/2023 by Dave Gibson
While driving, observed an Osprey delivering nesting material to the tower. The material was almost as big as the bird.
03/08/2023 by LauraLOVESbirds
12:48 PM: checked nest. No Ospreys, even though other nearby cell tower nests have Ospreys.
08/22/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
I drive by this nest twice daily on weekdays. Although the nesting material is quite high, it is loosely 'constructed,' and I have not seen Ospreys here since. What I saw might have been young Ospreys building and end of season practice nest.
07/30/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
8:08 AM: Surprised to see Osprey carrying long branch (!) at this time of year. Carried it to a cell tower used for nesting in past years. This year however the cell tower was occupied by humans and cables in May/during the ospreys spring nesting season. Will the ospreys nest, breed and rear young this late in the season?
http://www.osprey-watch.org/nests/3850
07/30/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
8:55 AM: Photoed two adult Ospreys at nest on bottom platform of cell tower, and one Osprey flying by. One or more Ospreys vocalized. About a half hour earlier, I stopped in shock to see an Osprey carrying a branch to this nest!
Surprised to see nest building **starting** so late in the season; but this cell tower was unavailable to the Ospreys earlier this year. I recall seeing humans and cables occupying the cell tower for weeks in May (at the beginning of Osprey nesting season).
06/05/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
6:35 AM - cables are finally gone. Too late in the Osprey breeding season. :(
05/27/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
5:10 PM - Cables still strung up from the ground up to the top of the cell tower. No Ospreys. 77°F
05/25/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
AM - Cables still strung up from the ground up to the top of the cell tower. No Ospreys.
05/16/2022 by LauraLOVESbirds
5PM-Ospreys have nested on cell tower in prior years. No Ospreys and no evidence of nest building this year - likely due to equipment and cables suspended from top of cell tower. Man is working on bottom of two platforms right now and two cables are run from platform to ground. Equipment and cables were run last month too. 80°F and mostly sunny
04/18/2020 by LauraLOVESbirds
6:18 AM Adult atop cell tower. 64°F and about 10 minutes before sunrise
04/17/2020 by LauraLOVESbirds
7:35 AM Osprey perched atop cell tower (where nest has been in past years)
03/16/2020 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:43 PM - Two ospreys flying in opposite directions at I-464 and below last year's nest location atop cell tower.
03/10/2020 by LauraLOVESbirds
A few days ago, I noticed a crane up against this nest's cell tower. <I thought, They had all year, why wait within days of the Ospreys' return to work on this tower?" I thought about calling; but bird protection laws were changed this year.> ...The next day, the crane was gone; but there were wires from the ground to the top of the tower. Then I saw a worker at the nest, and another day, I saw a worker climbing up the tower.
08/11/2019 by Dave Gibson
As I drove by on my way to Money Point, I could clearly see a large nestling flopping around in the nest and exercising its wings.
07/07/2019 by Dave Gibson
Observed briefly this a.m. Saw 1 adult Osprey in the nest and 1 chick. The adult later left.
06/02/2019 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:57 PM Adult Osprey in nest. Unable to see chicks yet; but see green plastic netting spread out above nest. - Deliberate by Osprey, to protect chicks from predation?
03/23/2019 by LauraLOVESbirds
5:28 PM Two Ospreys flying together over I-464, near this nest on the top of the cell tower.
08/11/2018 by Dave Gibson
One juvenile on corner of tower. Much vocalizing. No sign of a second, though second may have been there somewhere. I assume both juveniles have fledged.
07/22/2018 by Dave Gibson
Stopped by briefly. This is a hard nest to see as it's right in the middle at the top. I don't think there's any question that there are 2 nestlings in the nest. I could easily hear them as an adult approached and then landed on the tower.
06/02/2018 by Dave Gibson
I was on my way home from Money Point this am when I saw an Osprey (male?) delivering a stick to the nest. Didn't realize there was a nest there! I could see the nest, which looked small. Will return later to observe/photograph.
06/02/2018 by Dave Gibson
In afternoon, observed Osprey on the nest. The nest isn't large and is somewhat hard to see. The Osprey's head is just visible. Have posted 2 photos. They are the first 2 in the series.
04/11/2018 by LauraLOVESbirds
4:24p: Adult at nest. Nest height is modest (short). Uploaded photos. 58°F and cloudy
03/29/2013 by ShutterbugBob
My first observation on an osprey at this location. Saw one adult and a partially completed nest today, March 29, 2013