Nickname
Cape Henlopen State Park
Coordinates
(38.7805, -75.1037)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
New in 2023, platform installed behind park office
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
| 2022 - baygirl | 2021 - baygirl | 2020 - Amabelle | 2013 - LibbyM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/14/22 | |||
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| aActive | ||||
| bEgg Laying | 4/8/22 | 5/8/20 | ||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/8/22 | 5/8/20 | ||
| cClutch Hatching | 5/16/22 | 5/29/20 | ||
| dNestlings | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| eFledglings | 3 | |||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | 7/25/13 | |||
| fChicks Last Observed | 9/9/13 | |||
| xNest Failure | 6/9/21 | |||
| xReason For Nest Failure | other |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2022 2021 2020 2013
Activity reports
2013 Nest Activity Report by LibbyM
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | 3 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 07/25/2013 | |
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | 09/09/2013 | |
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2020 Nest Activity Report by Amabelle
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | 05/08/2020 | Chicks last observed | |
| Incubation initiation | 05/08/2020 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/29/2020 | Reason for nest failure |
2021 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | 06/09/2021 | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | 3 chicks died from possible exposure |
2022 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
| Adult arrival | 03/14/2022 | Nestlings | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | 04/08/2022 | Chicks last observed | |
| Incubation initiation | 04/08/2022 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/16/2022 | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
09/07/2023 by baygirl
occasional osprey visitors but mostly black vultures this first year, hope for an in view dining perch for the male, starter nest and signage around the lawn to keep people and dogs away for 2024
04/20/2023 by baygirl
A female has stopped by on occasion and a male,not necessarily together, today at 10:16am a male dropped the first small stick with pine cone, but he didnt stay long
04/12/2023 by baygirl
a female O at platform just before 7 am, male arrived just after, showed some flirting behavior then took off quickly. Female remained about an hour. She had larger necklace and mottled head. Neither bird is banded. 69 degrees, sunny, breezy,13mph west winds gusting
06/07/2022 by baygirl
male brought fish to nest on 6-6-22, morning. not seen since, 3 chicks have not eaten today, female has flown off nest for very short times but has not gone fishing.. she must go tmr to save even one of her 3 beautiful chicks.adult male is reported to be around 18 yrs of age?..
06/07/2022 by baygirl
male has not been seen for 48 hrs... im seeing chick on chick aggression now and the 3 chicks were doing so good..
05/23/2022 by baygirl
68, hazy sun, 10 mph N winds, all 3 growing nestlings being fed, look healthy this morning
05/19/2022 by baygirl
3rd hatchling visible at day break today. 1:00 pm, 77 degrees, sunshine, 12 mph NW winds, gorgeous day and 3 nestlings being fed well
05/17/2022 by baygirl
second hatchling visible around 12:30 pm today, nice to see them hatching close together
05/12/2022 by baygirl
female remaining on eggs during this protracted weather pattern of cold temps in low 50's, heavy rains, fog, high winds since Nor' easter arrived Saturday 5-7-22. Male on nest with female this morning. I am assuming he is able to deliver enough fish to keep this nesting going while other nesting pairs in the area are abandoning eggs or loosing natural nests to the high winds, another tough May for local osprey.
04/13/2022 by baygirl
male incubating on the early night shift this evening, has been snoozing on nest past few hours
04/13/2022 by baygirl
3rd egg laid...? I think today but not sure due to the high level of grassy "fluff" in the nest
04/10/2022 by baygirl
2nd egg laid sometime during the night, prior to midnight 4-11-22..unless it was laid a day earlier and I didnt see it...best view is on the night nest cam
04/10/2022 by baygirl
the nest bowl is so deep I can not see if there is more than one egg, incubation continues though
04/09/2022 by baygirl
just the one egg as of 8 am this morning, periods of rain yesterday and thru the night, temps in the high 40s over night, 49degree, clouds some drizzle, 8mphW
04/08/2022 by baygirl
female was hunched on nest during last night storm but flew off around 9 pm then returned and spent the night on the nest, appears to have laid first egg around 2:30 this morning visible on nest cam.
04/07/2022 by baygirl
56 degrees, clouds, rain, wind 14 mph SE, no egg laying as of 1 pm today. nest bowl looks ready!
03/14/2022 by baygirl
arrival date for BOTH ospreys is a guestimate as I only tuned into the cam today and both at nest site, may be earlier arrival date.
06/09/2021 by baygirl
just before sunrise this morning the single chick appeared to struggle for a few minutes and then passed away. reason unknown as it was not cold and the chick appeared normal up to that time. Could this be exposure following a driving rain late last evening, perhaps some sort of toxin? we can't know for sure. Very sad.
05/30/2021 by baygirl
3 chicks doing well until yesterdays heavy rain, the runt died, today more rain, #2 died, temps in low 50s