Nesting Diaries
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
mom in nest w/chick, then dad flew in w/fish, then he left again w/fish, then he came back and mom and chick played tug-of-war with the fish and dad left
mom and one chick in nest. it appears we've lost another one to owls in the area. so many of my nests have failed/lost chicks this year
mombrella, has her back to me, couldn't see any chicks
mombrella time, one chick popped up briefly
caught the tail end of a feeding - observed mom trying to give chick some fish, he's too full to accept it, so mom finishes off the fish herself. this is what i like to see :-)
mombrella with two active chicks
saw mom taking a quick bath in river, then fly back to nest! two bobbleheads greeted her...
mom standing in nest, fussing, then lays back down; cool and windy morning
mom laying in nest this morning
mom doing her mumbrella thing, chicks still too small to see/count
dad flew in w/fish, both parents feeding at same time, means there are at least two chicks!
mom laying in nest, dad resting on nest perch
dad feeding mom, who then is feeding someone deep in the nest bowl, out of sight :-)
mom incubating, dad delivers fish
mom appears to be incubating
both mom and pops on nest today
one osprey on nest platform
one of 4 nests with a chick still present. today only one fledger on the platform.
2 chicks food calling from platform
both chicks still hanging at nest
one chick on nest platform food calling, one chick on branch right below nest, not food calling
two chicks on nest, one eating, the other watching and complaining. have yet to see this platform totally devoid of chicks, although it's not possible they haven't all fledged...
two chicks on bare nest platform bars, food calling. can't seem to catch this platform with all three chicks or empty of all chicks, either way.
only one chick on bare nest platform today!
2 chicks on bare nest platform, food calling
huge wind storm has completely destroyed this nest - all 3 chicks perched on the totally bare platform boards. one chick self-feeding while other 2 watch. sure glad these guys are close to fledging!
doug maccarter checked this nest yesterday, observed 2 chicks
3 chicks moving around nest, home alone, raining and cool this morning.
mom standing in nest, all chicks laying down, only saw one head this morning
all three chicks standing up in nest, home alone, looking pretty good.
mom left and came back with nesting material. all 3 chicks moving around nest. mom started food calling and 1 chick tried to get food from her open mouth
mom standing in nest, all the chicks resting this morning, did manage to see 2 distinct heads at one point
yep, finally able to confirm 3 chicks in this nest. mom left briefly and returned with nesting material, got to see all 3 nestlings sitting up and looking around.
caught the tail end of fish breakfast - mom feeding one chick and herself when i arrived, suspect the other chick is already full and taking a nap.
dad resting in nest tree (unusual) while mom is feeding breakfast - only saw one head eating, this is around 7:45 am
mom and dad both standing in nest this morning, no sign of chicks, most likely well-fed and napping already.
mom and dad in nest, dad is feeding a chick while another one moves around the nest bowl before laying down. at least two nestlings in this nest, still watching for a third. very sweet sight on father's day...
mom is feeding but her body is blocking a view of the chick/s. dad is still at nest, fussing with sticks. finally dad leaves and mom finishes off the fish - the chicks are not in sight, most likely in food coma...
mom laying in nest, dad standing right where he is perfectly blocking my view into the nest.
99% sure i saw movement in front of mom, who is definitely sitting up higher in the nest.
got back from 2-week vacation to find mom blissfully incubating today.
mom incubating, dad also in nest
female incubating, male paid a short visit then left again
female incubating, male flew in with fish, female not interested, male flies out with fish. lucky lady to be so well taken care of!
female laying in nest. watched as male delivered her a fish!
female incubating, no sign of male
male on nest perch, female is laying in nest, can't really say she was in an incubating position, although maybe.
both observed working on nest today - totally ignoring the 4-osprey battle going on a few hundred yards to their north (mcdowell drive nest)
the mate has arrived, both on nest platform
one osprey in nest today, appears to be the male
empty nest. located one of the dads fishing from his favorite perch over the river; never have figured out if he belongs with this nest or the 'mcdowell drive' nest, since they are within spitting distance of each other. in any event, no chick today, only one, lone male adult.
chick still on nest. observed a male adult fishing in the nearby river - not sure if it's this girl's dad or the other chick's dad.
watched chick fly from river to nest
interesting activity this morning. the nest was empty, then an osprey flew over me, chasing a crow! the osprey then returned to this nest, got my scope on it, it was one of the fledglings giving chase! a minute later, here comes dad with a very big fish. exchange made, dad flew off, fledgling happy with breakfast.
watched two osprey chasing each other around the river, then one of them flew into this nest squawking, while the other flew away. i'm guessing the one that didn't return to the nest had a fish...
one chick standing on platform, food begging
empty nest, then one chick flew in and landed nicely
empty nest - yoo hoo! (pix)
only one chick on nest platform this morning, so i'm assuming we have two confirmed fledges now, although won't be happy until i see all three back in nest.
all three chicks in nest, all have necklaces, i'm thinking we have three females here. one finally flew off while i was there - finally!!
all 3 standing on nest platform, waiting for fish drop, i'm sure. still haven't observed a fledge, although i'm sure one has occurred by now!
all 3 chicks standing in what's left of their nest, basically a bare platform. strong winds went through on 8/14, i'm guessing that's when they lost their nest material. one chick eating, one doing some serious wingercizing, one just standing there, probably waiting for a chance to steal a bite...
all three chicks accounted for, one got up briefly to preen, otherwise they are all sleepyheads, no parents around
another 3-chick nest where i could only find 2 today, plus mom.
mom standing on side of nest, only sign of a chick was one lazy wing stretch.
mom feeding one chick while the other TWO are laying in the nest, apparently satiated. my 2nd 3-chick nest to worry about this season
good time to arrive at this nest - first dad flies in with a fish, mom is right behind him with a stick, watched both big chicks getting breakfast, life is good
and now i see two heads in the nest bowl. appear to be about 3 weeks old. mom and dad both in nest when i arrived, then dad flew off.
mom and dad both on nest. mom is feeding a little one deep in the nest bowl, only saw the very top of its head.
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. mom incubating still, no sign of dad, nest appears intact
finally, definite incubation going on here
mom sitting in nest but does not appear to be incubating yet; male not around, unless he's the one taunting the mcdowell drive male nearby?
one standing in nest; i expect to see incubation beginning here sometime next week.
both birds are there this morning! and the male was chasing/being chased by a rather broad-winged falcon or hawk - quite a sight! the hawk finally took off down the river...
no bird on the nest as of 4/9, but the birds have begun to return as of today, so i'll be checking daily from now on!
yes, the nest is definitely empty. no osprey sightings anywhere in the valley today; the pretty male seen on 10/4 was a bonus.
chick not at nest during afternoon check on 10/3, she's not at the nest this afternoon, either. she did have that faraway look in her eyes yesterday morning, i sense she is gone. will check again tomorrow, but it is just too quiet on the river...
it might be quiet on the river, but i'm posting a pic of an adult male osprey eating on a pole near the somers wpa entrance. he apparently doesn't have a chick to feed and is thoroughly enjoying his fish. i'm guessing this is the last osprey i see in 2013 :-(
female chick standing on nest platform, not food begging, just relaxing. no sign of dad
chick on platform casually eating a fish - she must be full with 1/2 a fish to go! so happy to see her eating; i'm guessing dad is still here taking care of her.
female fledger still on nest platform, food begging today. observed a male adult across river on pole on oldenburg road near the oldenburg nest. when i first arrived, he was just standing there w/a partially eaten fish, looking around; only a few bites of the fish gone. it looked to me like he was searching for a chick to feed. i watched for 10 minutes, he never took another bite. i wonder if this is oldenburg nest's dad or this nest's dad, just taking a break from his nagging daughter? chick did appear to have a fairly full crop. also saw another osprey fishing over the river at the same time i observed the fledger in her nest and the adult male on the pole - couldn't tell if it was a juvenile or an adult. just glad this chick isn't alone yet!
what a relief to see female chick in the nest (beautiful necklace, one of the biggest i've seen), and DAD was next to her, with a fish! chick squawked and squawked, even did a bit of mantling, but never made an attempt to grab the fish from parent. then i saw her poop, so maybe she just finished her own fish. watched as dad started eating the fish himself, chick didn't seem bothered by it, her crop was full. fyi: this is NOT the same chick i've been observing on the pole at the end of oldenburg road - this one has beautiful necklace, the pole chick did not have many speckles. now i'm wondering who this pole-sitter chick belongs to - maybe fennon way? no chick on the pole today when i observed female w/dad at their nest.
still here this morning, on his favorite pole perch at the end of oldenburg road. this is one of only 2 chicks left at this time. i'm praying that parents are still around, but it's getting late...
still here, on nest platform this morning
one chick on nest platform
one on telephone pole again this morning - he flew off when he saw me, across the river again, but this time he didn't go to nest, just landed in nearby tree. i'm guessing it's a chick from this nest. he is one of only two chicks i saw in my rounds today - everyone is gone!
one in nest food begging, could see adult in nearby tree, ignoring the pleas
finally caught all the chicks away from the nest! and one F was in the same spot on the same pole across the river from the nest - who knows, it could even be an F from the oldenburg nest!
still can't catch all 3 gone at once - today, a female chick standing on nest platform, and i believe it's her sibling once again on the pole across the river (pic)
so funny, not a stick left on this platform! two fledglings hopping around from one side to the other, calling for food
severe wind storm last night completely wiped out this nest - all that's left is the platform. one chick perched on platform when i arrived, then saw his sibling fly from his perch across the river into the nest. the pole perch this fledgling was using is the same one used by the oldenberg fledgers!
was hoping to see empty nest, instead 2 chicks hanging at home
picked the wrong time to check on fledglings here - fish just delivered, all 3 chicks in nest, 2 squawking at the 1 who got the fish.
on first drive by this nest, all 3 chicks in nest, frustrating, made me think i was never going to catch a fledge. on way home i decided to swing by again - jackpot! 2 chicks in nest, and the fledgling (a girl w/pronounced necklace) was on a limb in the pine tree right next to the nest tree! watched her for about 15 minutes, she didn't seem overly frightened, even preened a bit, so i'm thinking this was probably not her first flight!
all 3 chicks in nest, no food begging going on, adult osprey flew near the nest, they all started squawking, but adult didn't land in nest, just continued to fly circles nearby. one female chick displayed a very full crop, so i'm guessing breakfast was over and mom or dad was attempting to get them fledged!
3 chicks home alone, biggest & smallest sharing a fish (a few bites for the little guy, anyway). 2 chicks have very distinct necklaces already.
nest pretty crowded this morning. mom standing on side, one chick standing next to her and then wingercizing, the other two chicks laying down
3 chicks home alone, mom out helping dad fish, i'm sure!
mom feeding, all 3 chicks still present and appear healthy
still 3 chicks, 1 quite a bit smaller than the other 2, but they're all there!
mom in nest, saw two big humps trying to stay cool under her, never really made out the 3rd chick today
both parents in nest, saw two chicks beak bonking pretty ferociously, dad left the nest, mom seemed concerned over the fighting, moved to side of nest nearer the squabble, that's when i saw a 3rd head, tinier than the other two, staying clear of the battle. first nest of the season that i've confirmed 3 chicks...
just caught tail end of meal. mom on nest preening, dad eating, then dad feeding one of the chicks, then dad feeding mom! only saw one definite bobblehead.
well i spent 5 minutes watching mom preening; she had obviously just returned to the nest from a nice bath in the river. i didn't see any movement in the nest while mom was fixing her feathers.
mom in nest, dad perched on closest limb, do i see a bobblehead? pretty sure i saw the top of a little head, but only briefly!
mom incubating, dad was there but then flew off after intruder, with mom chirping encouragement
dad on perch bar but flew away when he saw me; mom still incubating
mom fussing in nest bowl, then back down to incubation posture
big hail & wind storm last night, found a different monitoring spot across the river that should be good for the season. observed one incubating, then the other flew into the nest.
watched as mom tucked her talons and fussed in the nest and then went into brooding position - incubation date is correct, after all. :-)
wow, the water came up so fast on this end of the lake, there is zero beach access to view this nest today! i will have to find another spot across the river if i'm going to be able to keep monitoring it.
ha ha, my first use of the edit function! got this mixed up with oldenburg nest. in this nest, i observed mom standing in nest for over 10 minutes, with dad on perch bar. kept waiting for some form of incubation or brood shimmy, but didn't see any. the water's rising on the river, it's a little harder to get to my lookout spot each day, so will go look again this evening.
entered incubation date by mistake, unless i see it tonite!
looks like mom standing in the nest again today. sure have a lot of moms waiting for mother's day to lay an egg!
watched female bring soft nesting material into nest this morning; dad hasn't moved from his favorite table!
mom standing in nest, seems to be fussing, i think this is dad eating a fish on the power pole, but didn't have time to see if he took the rest across the river to his mate.
decided to monitor this nest since it's so close to Oldenburg Rd nest, and i think i'll have a clear view all summer. both adults seen working on nest today.