Coordinates
(36.7824, -76.0908)
What to look for
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.
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.
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.
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 fly
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.
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.
Nest Failure
Look for signs of nest failure like adult abandonment, adults no longer incubating eggs or feeding young.
Previous Next Review All Observations
| 2017 - seldomthere | 2015 - Reese | 2014 - Reese | 2013 - Reese |
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aAdult Arrival | | 3/27/15 | | |
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aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
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aActive | | | | |
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bEgg Laying | | | | |
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bIncubation Initiation | | | 5/1/14 | 4/18/13 |
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cClutch Hatching | | | 5/19/14 | |
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dNestlings | 2 | | 2 | |
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eFledglings | | | 2 | |
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eFirst Chick Fledging | | | 7/11/14 | |
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fChicks Last Observed | 5/29/17 | | | |
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xNest Failure | | | | |
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xReason For Nest Failure | | | | |
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Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2017 2015 2014 2013
Activity reports
2013 Nest Activity Report by
ReeseAdult arrival | | Nestlings | |
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Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
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Nest Active | | First chick fledging | |
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Egg laying | | Chicks last observed | |
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Incubation initiation | 04/18/2013 | Nest failure | |
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Clutch hatching | | Reason for nest failure | |
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2014 Nest Activity Report by
ReeseAdult arrival | | Nestlings | 2 |
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Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 2 |
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Nest Active | | First chick fledging | 07/11/2014 |
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Egg laying | | Chicks last observed | |
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Incubation initiation | 05/01/2014 | Nest failure | |
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Clutch hatching | 05/19/2014 | Reason for nest failure | |
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2015 Nest Activity Report by
ReeseAdult arrival | 03/27/2015 | Nestlings | |
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Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
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Nest Active | | First chick fledging | |
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Egg laying | | Chicks last observed | |
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Incubation initiation | | Nest failure | |
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Clutch hatching | | Reason for nest failure | |
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2017 Nest Activity Report by
seldomthereAdult arrival | | Nestlings | 2 |
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Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
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Nest Active | | First chick fledging | |
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Egg laying | | Chicks last observed | 05/29/2017 |
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Incubation initiation | | Nest failure | |
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Clutch hatching | | Reason for nest failure | |
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Nesting Diaries
Was there when one of the chicks fledged today. It was flapping and jumping in the air. It missed the nest when coming down and fell about 40 feet before getting air under its wings. It made one short circuit around the nest the gained elevation and crash landed on the nest. It liked the experience so much it flew again taking a wider circle around the nest then crash landed again. It then layed flat in the nest. Enough of that for now. See photos.
Two chicks about 2 to 3 weeks old. This is the design that cell tower Osprey nests should be built. Safe for the Osprey and accessible if repairs or maintenance needs to be done on the cell tower equipment.
Male bring grass to cell tower nest - photo
Female in nest incubating. Male on cell tower eating a fish.