Nickname
Reedy2
Coordinates
(38.945, -76.2145)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
200 yards north of Reedy1
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
| 2018 - Jackie | 2016 - CBEC | 2015 - CBEC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/20/16 | 4/19/15 | |
| aOccupied | No | Yes | Yes |
| aActive | |||
| bEgg Laying | |||
| bIncubation Initiation | |||
| cClutch Hatching | |||
| dNestlings | 0 | ||
| eFledglings | |||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |||
| fChicks Last Observed | |||
| xNest Failure | 5/11/16 | 6/1/15 | |
| xReason For Nest Failure | nest destroyed by human | adult abandonment |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2018 2016 2015
Activity reports
2015 Nest Activity Report by CBEC
| Adult arrival | 04/19/2015 | Nestlings | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | 06/01/2015 | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | adult abandonment |
2016 Nest Activity Report by CBEC
| Adult arrival | 03/20/2016 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | 05/11/2016 | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | nest destroyed by human |
2018 Nest Activity Report by Jackie
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
05/12/2018 by Jackie
Appears birds ate nesting in neighboring tree. Will stop 2018 observations of this platform
05/07/2018 by Jackie
No activity. No nest on platform. A crow was observed sitting on the platform eating (possibly fish remains?)
05/02/2018 by Jackie
No nest activity on platform. A tarp has been placed on the boat next to the platform - possibly to deter nest building on the boat and encourage use of platform.
04/25/2018 by Jackie
Hour later, male and female on platform eating fish. No nesting material. Possibly mating.
04/25/2018 by Jackie
No nest built on platform; however, observed FM Osprey perched on platform eating fish. Heard nearby calls from another Osprey.
04/16/2018 by Jackie
4/16/18. No visible signs of osprey on this platform or on surrounding boats, etc. High tide, high winds- storm conditions today at time of observation.
04/04/2018 by Jackie
No bird or nest activity today on platform or on surrounding boats. Platform is leaning and in need of repair.
05/11/2016 by CBEC
I have been observing boat where nest was and nearby platform, but there have been no osprey since nest was removed from boat. I don't think there will be an active nest here.
04/25/2016 by CBEC
Both male and female were at the nest atop the boat when I arrived as show in photo. The property owner arrived about 30 minutes later and removed the nest. There are still some twigs on the platform - see photo - so hopefully they start building again before they start eggs.
04/20/2016 by CBEC
Determined the nest is definitely on the property owner's boat, not the nearby platform. Posted photo.
04/18/2016 by CBEC
Still not sure what's up here. Osprey was on the boat again - staying stationary. There were two other Ospreys overhead, neither from nearby nests as both were occupied by two. Seemed like osprey was treating top of boat like nest but nothing visible. She then started to move, flapped wings a bit perhaps communicating with male above. A turkey vulture also flew overhead with the two osprey. I had appointment and had to leave. So intriguing hated to go. Hope to learn more soon.
04/15/2016 by CBEC
There was no activity at or around nest last couple of days with nest having just a few twigs. Thought may be abandoned but today one osprey flew in with a fish, ate, and flew away. There may be some additional nesting material but not much. Still not sure what's going on with this nest.
04/13/2016 by CBEC
Stopped by to see if nest activity this morning. Osprey- believe the female - is perched on the pole sticking up from property owner's boat. It's been reported this pair tries to nest at that boat. The platform/ nest, about 50 feet away, is empty with some twigs and a small blue bird sitting on it.
04/12/2016 by CBEC
Observed nest this afternoon and still looked barren. No osprey went to nest but female osprey was perched on nearby piling when I arrived and was still there about 30 minutes later when I left.
04/11/2016 by CBEC
Observed nest last few days with no activity and only a few twigs on platform. There were more very high winds during this period. Returned this morning and one osprey sat idle in center, there were no additions to nest. Returned to observe late evening and there was no activity.
04/05/2016 by CBEC
There was no activity while I observed. The nest had only a twig at bottom. I assume this was due to two days of wind nearing 50mph.
06/23/2015 by CBEC
Adults never established a viable nest. Brought a few sticks and visited the site for several weeks but as of mid-May 2015 were rarely there and now all the sticks have blown off as well. No siteings in my last three visits.
05/08/2015 by CBEC
I visited the next 4/28 and again today. On 4/28 both birds were there. Today neither bird were there (I stayed for about 20 minutes).