Nesting Diaries
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
parents both out fishing, could see top of one chick's head, dad flew into nearby tree right as i was leaving
yet another nest that may have lost a 6-week old chick to predation. mom standing on nest perch, one chick wingercizing, do not see the other chick, but hopefully it's just laying down
mom on nest perch, both chicks up and moving, one chick actively wingercizing
dad on guard from nest perch (looks like he hasn't eaten in awhile). mom off somewhere probably finishing a fish or stretching her wings. two chicks laying in nest, content.
mom food calling, two bobbleheads visible, dad does fly-by and keeps going
what do you call a dad mombrella? mom apparently off eating fish somewhere, dad briefly provided mombrella to two visible bobbleheads, then flew into his favorite nearby tree to stand guard. mom didn't return before i left (10 minutes)
mom standing, two chicks moving around nest bowl, dad eating remains of a fish in nearby tree
two chicks visible today, #1 beak bonking #2, mom calling for food, turned around to leave and saw dad behind me on telephone pole eating HUGE fish - plenty to go around, especially if there's a 3rd chick hiding in there
mom laying high in nest, three ospreys flying around above her squabbling
mom preening in nest, no sign of babes yet
dad on platform perch, mom standing in nest, preening; she's wet, like she just took a dip. watched but couldn't see any chicks moving around
mom feeding someone! and herself, too. it's always a treat when the chicks are finally big enough to be seen in this very deep nest - only know we have a hatch because of mom :-)
hurray, haven't seen dad in a long time, here he is this morning, resting on nest pole. mom is laying in nest. this nest bowl is so deep i can't tell if she's sitting higher or not, but i bet you anything she has a chick or two in there. i think i might have just missed a feeding that would have confirmed this
hatch watch week - mom incubating. this nest is so deep i usually don't know there's a chick until it's 2 weeks old!
phew, finally made out mom's head deep in nest bowl
i thought i saw mom's head but not sure, the nest is very deep. big hailstorm last night, worried that it might have destroyed eggs in some of my nests.
mom incubating (can hardly see her the nest bowl is so deep)
mom appears to be incubating
forgot to check this nest today, will check tomorrow a.m.
both in nest, one mating attempt observed, then mom laid down in the nest and dad left.
both mom and pops arrived at the nest today.
fledgling spotted eating a fish on dad's favorite perch across the highway. i'm guessing the chick belongs with this nest.
one fledger in nest food calling
female fledger just couldn't stop yakking about the fish she had in the nest long enough to take a bite! wish i had seen if she caught it or a parent brought it in. no sign of her sibling today.
one chick in nest, food calling. one chick in nearby tree, silent. one adult flew by the nest but didn't stop.
one chick all alone in nest. after about 5 minutes, fledger appears, flies around the nest, and then flies away behind the trees. a couple minutes later, here he comes again, this time he hovers over the water and then kind of, sort of, dives into the lake! worried that he was tired and wouldn't be able to get out, but he did, and took off behind the trees again. i hope he is landing/resting back there where i couldn't see him, because he reappeared a few minutes later, and this time caught a thermal and just climbed and climbed. i got the feeling this wasn't his first flight - i'll be anxious to see him back in the nest during next visit, though.
both chicks standing up in nest, looking good.
mom and one chick standing up in nest, chick preening, mom calling for dad. became worried about not seeing the 2nd chick, but it finally stretched one lazy wing. cold and rainy today
watched mom fly into the nest, both chicks up and alert
dad in nearby tree, no fish. mom in nest, looking right at him and squawking. one chick stood up next to mom briefly, but then laid back down next to the other lump, which was moving around a bit in the bowl
mom and both chicks accounted for this morning
these chicks seem to have it made, both laying down while mom feeds them, lazy butts...
mom feeding two very healthy chicks, dad in nearby tree preening
mom fussing in nest, one very big nestling wingercizing, no sign of other nestling. record-setting heat w/no rain for almost a month has me concerned about the younger siblings in my nests right now...
not even 7:00 am and we already have a mombrella here - chicks are laying low, no sign of dad
mom feeding breakfast, has her back to the road this morning, couldn't count chick heads, just saw more than one moving...
two very active chicks moving around nest this morning, one rearranging sticks; mom standing on side of nest dozing.
saw two chicks today, one definitely more than a week old, the other a bit smaller but still big enough to be seen in that deep nest bowl. dad brought breakfast in so i was able to watch feeding for 10 minutes. never saw a 3rd chick...
mom dozing in nest when i arrived, then here comes dad with a stick, mom gets up and, finally, i observe some tiny movement in the nest bowl!
this nest bowl is so deep, i can barely make out mom's head. dad is standing guard on nest pole, snoozing really. i'm guessing we have at least one chick here by now, but won't be able to confirm that today...
got back from 2-week vacation to find mom blissfully incubating today.
dad on platform perch, mom incubating
female incubating, no sign of male
one osprey flew into pine tree near nest, observed another osprey fishing nearby
nobody home today. nest looks nice and big and ready for eggs.
very entertaining nest this morning! female has returned, was food calling from the nest bowl, so i knew the male must be around somewhere. finally found him on a tree across the highway, feasting on a newly-caught fish. he never did share while i was there, but i'm sure he gave in eventually!
male back on the nest today. unfortunately, lots of power company activity right now directly under nest. watched as dad flew off and away from the commotion. hopefully this nest will not be disturbed!!
empty nest, not on piling, he's gone
empty nest, no chick on piling, this one might have started its migration between the 16th and today. i will check again end of week...
chick on his favorite piling amidst all the seagulls, enjoying a very big fish
chick in the nest calling to an adult osprey flying overhead that never did catch a fish while i was there.
empty nest. just as i was leaving, i noticed a strange looking gull among all the gulls. got some very bad photos but they definitely show it's a fledgling eating a fish - i'm guessing she caught it herself??
chick - fledgling, i should say - standing in nest early this morning, around dawn
finally got to see the kid fly! flew from the nest, did a circle, landed IN the water, got himself out of the water, flew low over the water, landed in the water again, got himself out again, gained enough altitude to make it back to the nest. shortly after, an intruder osprey began harassing him; the fledger fended it off all by himself. no sign of either parent. i wonder if the chick was practicing fishing when he landed in the lake twice?
chick in nest self-feeding, mom standing guard. i'm sure this chick has fledged, just can't seem to catch him when he's away from home!
lots of hopping and wingercizing this morning, mom watching the action
one big fat spoiled nestling attempting to self-feed, looked like he was getting the hang of it...
still only see one big chick in this nest. got here early enough to see him getting fed, too!
can't get here early enough in the morning to catch a feeding. mom was fussing in the nest bowl today, saw one lazy wing stretch from a chick deep in the nest, that's it
saw one big, beautiful, juvenile wing stretched out briefly before disappearing into nest bowl again - mom standing guard
finally saw one nice-sized chick in the nest, at least a month old. mom snoozing on side of nest
realized today how deep this nest is! could barely see mom's head above the edge - great nest, deep and wide and no rubbish like twine to be seen. also no chicks to be seen - definitely need a food drop in order to confirm if there are babies
dad nervously standing guard on side of nest bowl, mom flies in after about 5 minutes and begins preening, dad moves around nest a bit, mom continues preening and drying out, still no sign of a chick in the nest.
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. we are definitely far into hatch watch, but mom wouldn't budge from her incubating position during the 10 minutes i watched, so no chicks observed
female incubating in the rain
mom incubating, dad standing on platform perch, goofy mergansers diving for food underneath the nest
i'm about 80% sure the female was incubating while the male stood guard on the nest perch, but i plan to go by again tomorrow to make sure.
female fussing in the nest, male trying to catch a fish nearby, i think an egg might be coming
nobody home this afternoon
the mate arrived today. i'm hoping this pair relocated from the yacht club nest #1126, which failed two years in a row. it's right across a small channel from the other nest.