Nickname
Welch Family Nest/McDowell Drive
Coordinates
(48.0801, -114.113)
Substrate
platform built on top of dead, topped-off tree in property owner's front yard
Description
this nest was unoccupied last season. today, while checking on another nest, i saw an osprey bringing nesting material to the nest. i can see another of my nests from this same spot.
Followers
None
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
| 2016 - spartanmt | 2015 - spartanmt | 2014 - spartanmt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 4/9/16 | 4/12/15 | 4/19/14 |
| aOccupied | No | No | Yes |
| aActive | |||
| bEgg Laying | |||
| bIncubation Initiation | 5/6/16 | 5/11/15 | 5/15/14 |
| cClutch Hatching | 6/17/16 | 6/22/15 | 6/25/14 |
| dNestlings | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| eFledglings | 2 | 3 | |
| eFirst Chick Fledging | 8/12/15 | 8/17/14 | |
| fChicks Last Observed | 8/19/15 | 10/1/14 | |
| xNest Failure | |||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2016 2015 2014
Activity reports
2014 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | 04/19/2014 | Nestlings | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 3 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 08/17/2014 | |
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | 10/01/2014 | |
| Incubation initiation | 05/15/2014 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 06/25/2014 | Reason for nest failure |
2015 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | 04/12/2015 | Nestlings | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | 2 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 08/12/2015 | |
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | 08/19/2015 | |
| Incubation initiation | 05/11/2015 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 06/22/2015 | Reason for nest failure |
2016 Nest Activity Report by spartanmt
| Adult arrival | 04/09/2016 | Nestlings | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 05/06/2016 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 06/17/2016 | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
07/28/2016 by spartanmt
moving out of area next month, will be unable to complete my osprey nest monitoring :-(
07/07/2016 by spartanmt
well, i'll be, three bobbleheads being fed by mom!! it looks like two are full, last one getting plenty to eat, don't notice too big a difference in size; at least, i hope not!
06/30/2016 by spartanmt
mom laying in nest but not in classic incubation position, so who knows what's going on...
06/26/2016 by spartanmt
i'm baffled by this nest. mom laying down in nest, almost looks like she's still incubating, which would not be a good sign for a successful season. will probably talk to paulette/mark next round if i don't see something different
06/17/2016 by spartanmt
mom is sitting higher in the nest this morning, i'm going to say we have a hatch
05/15/2016 by spartanmt
not sure what's going on here. i might have been mistaken about incubation starting 5/6. today, no one was home when i arrived, then mom flew in and began fussing in the nest bowl. never did see her lay back down.
04/20/2016 by spartanmt
finally met the property owners, paulette and mark welch. they advised me that the male arrived on 4/9, and the female arrived a couple days later - so way earlier than i had observed! female spending a lot of time in nest today, it might be getting close to egg laying time for this pair...
09/18/2015 by spartanmt
i have not seen a chick at this nest since 8/19. i don't know what that means...
08/12/2015 by spartanmt
Two chicks in nest when I arrived, one flew away and returned to a branch of nest tree about 2 minutes later, no sign of 3rd chick again today.
08/06/2015 by spartanmt
only 2 chicks seen again today, no parents around. one chick was up and preening, the other was laying down
07/27/2015 by spartanmt
cold and rainy morning, mom standing in nest, could only see one lump laying in nest
07/21/2015 by spartanmt
oh, boy, there are three chicks in this nest. mom was standing on nest perch when i arrived, all 3 chicks laying down but clearly visible. yep, my worry nest this year...
07/16/2015 by spartanmt
mom in nest calling for breakfast, saw both chicks today, one seems quite a bit bigger than the other
07/12/2015 by spartanmt
both parents gone when i arrived, mom flew in with some nesting material shortly thereafter, one chick made itself known, but that was it
07/01/2015 by spartanmt
this is my worry nest this year, can't seem to catch the babies ever getting fed. mom was calling in the nest, then left and came back with a stick. one chick visible.
06/27/2015 by spartanmt
2 bobbleheads! one chick totally dominating the other, lots of beak bonking, mom standing in nest, chick is food begging, hope dad arrives with a big one soon!!! i'm estimating first hatch was within a day or so of 6/21 observations...
06/24/2015 by spartanmt
hmm, can't seem to catch mom doing much but laying in nest...still can't confirm whether there is a chick here
06/21/2015 by spartanmt
still unable to verify a hatch at this nest. when i arrived today, mom was laying in nest and never got up. she did peer down into the nest bowl on a number of occasions, but still no sign of a chick.
06/19/2015 by spartanmt
mom laying in nest, appears to be sitting higher, but no confirmation of chicks yet. located male osprey in tree by river a few yards away, fresh fish in his talons. no food calling from mom, dad taking his time eating, must not be the first fish of the day the way they are both behaving. i think we either have a chick or will in the next 24-48 hours, stay tuned...
06/12/2015 by spartanmt
dad incubating when i arrived, mom flew in a few moments later and took over. dad flew off, a minute later here comes that male osprey w/fish that was flying around the oldenberg and riverbank nests about 10 minutes ago! this nest is right across the channel from those two nests. i'm guessing this is an unattached male looking for a mate!
05/09/2015 by spartanmt
oh, boy, another mystery nest (along with gho nest). both standing in nest when i arrived, appeared female was finishing a fish. all of a sudden, the male got into the nest bowl and did that shimmy action that means he's either making a deep nest cup or trying to get rid of someone else's eggs. female remained standing on side of nest, no squawking. male left nest and came right back in for a copulation date. this male has speckles sprinkled on his breast. afterwards, male left nest and female got into nest bowl and started moving big bunches of nesting material around herself. this nest was one of the two nests dealing with a lot of chaos the past couple weeks; i'm wondering if maybe this male ended up being the winner? anyway, this is one of 3 nests still without confirmation of eggs. i checked last year's data, and they started late then, too (5/15), so maybe everything is going according to plan and i just don't know it...
05/04/2015 by spartanmt
female standing in nest, then turning in circles in nest. she was also nibbling at a fish in the nest bowl.
05/03/2015 by spartanmt
female standing in nest, not a whole lot of sticks in place yet, didn't see male
04/25/2015 by spartanmt
thank goodness we finally have a pair here! male was on nest perch, female was in nest bowl, and sticks have been added!
04/23/2015 by spartanmt
geez, just when i'm about to give up on seeing chicks here this year, i arrive to see 3 ospreys chasing each other right above this nest. i was curious why at least one of them wasn't in the nest protecting it, then the mystery deepened when a 4th osprey joined the brouhaha. at least 2 of the first 3 were males, from what i could tell, but i have no idea about the 4th osprey. i have to believe they were squabbling over who gets the nest, will go back out tomorrow
04/22/2015 by spartanmt
not seeing anyone home yet again today. i may have to edit my activity report to reflect the inactivity here, but i'll give it another week...
04/20/2015 by spartanmt
nobody home again today. can't really tell that any new sticks have been added, either. will check again tomorrow
04/16/2015 by spartanmt
nest empty, but found male holding a half-eaten fish directly across the street
10/06/2014 by spartanmt
one last look around today, no sign of dad or daughter at river or nest. safe travels...
10/03/2014 by spartanmt
no sign of chick or dad, at nest or by river. hopefully they both have full crops and are on their way, especially since waterfowl season opens this weekend.
10/01/2014 by spartanmt
good lord, chick is back in the nest (pics posted). guess that answers the question of whose dad was seen fishing yesterday! i'm a bit concerned for her at this point, as there are no other ospreys around that i can see.
09/29/2014 by spartanmt
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 'across oldenburg' nest, since they are within spitting distance of each other. in any event, no chick today, only one, lone male adult.
09/26/2014 by spartanmt
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.
09/22/2014 by spartanmt
couldn't believe it when i drove up, a chick standing on the nest. lo and behold, it must have sensed my frustration and flew for me! disappeared towards the river, hopefully to catch its own fish
09/11/2014 by spartanmt
2 female chicks in nest, one eating a fish, the other complaining. a few minutes later, here comes dad with a quick food drop, and the other chick got that one, so i left the two of them happily mantling their lunch.
09/07/2014 by spartanmt
darn, can't seem to find this nest empty of all chicks - one standing in the nest again today!
08/24/2014 by spartanmt
all 3 chicks in the nest today, all about the same size, looks like two females and one male
08/17/2014 by spartanmt
two chicks in nest, one chick fledged and was in a tree directly across the street from the nest.
08/02/2014 by spartanmt
arrived at same time dad did w/breakfast. mom fed 2 chicks a few bites, then they appeared disinterested. never saw a 3rd chick? terrible wind storm thursday night, but this nest is in someone's front yard, they would have noticed if a chick was blown out, right? they were all fine and healthy a week ago...
07/26/2014 by spartanmt
omg, there are 3 chicks in this nest! unlike steel bridge, they all appear to be the same size and thriving. 2 chicks getting fed with 1 not paying attention, either because he's the alpha chick already full or the 3rd chick waiting his turn. i sorely wish my steel bridge runt looked as good...
07/13/2014 by spartanmt
mom standing guard over her two - maybe a 3rd? - chicks early this morning; all appears to be well
07/06/2014 by spartanmt
two chicks needing breakfast, mom catching a cat nap before beginning mumbrella duties.
06/28/2014 by spartanmt
i estimated the hatch date based on the size of the chick in the nest today - mom was eating most of the fish, with very tiny bites being fed to a little one/s deep in the nest bowl. only one tip-top of head appeared briefly.
06/21/2014 by spartanmt
after a full week of heavy rain, winds, and just-above freezing temps, i ventured out to check my nests. here the nest was intact, with mom still incubating.
05/18/2014 by spartanmt
it's not a dream - there is a female incubating in this nest! the nest itself could use a lot more sticks; here's hoping the male is out working to make that happen! wish i knew if this was the dockstader island pair that got displaced about a mile up the road....i hope so!
05/15/2014 by spartanmt
am i dreaming? it looks like a female down in the nest incubating! i will go back this weekend, maybe it's the male practicing...
05/10/2014 by spartanmt
one lone osprey on nest. as i was leaving, another osprey flew in with a fish! just as i was beginning to think we had a pair here, the fish-carrying bird, which appeared to be another male, took the fish across the street and proceeded to eat it, all the while the osprey in the nest kept its back to the other osprey and never said a word. so now i'm wondering if bird w/fish wasn't just taunting the bird in/nest? it's a bit too late to start making babies, so i continue to think this lone male is out of luck this year... :*(
04/19/2014 by spartanmt
nest platform on top of a big, dead tree in an upscale bigfork neighborhood - i hope the birds can handle the suburbs!