Nesting Diaries
both on nest today, did not see single osprey prior to this however the male does occasionally perch in the wood lot across the channel
adult male on nest perch at sunset this evening
the birds seemed to disperse quickly from this nest site, hoping they were safe from GHOW, known in that wooded area in years past
1st chick fledged lst evening and got into trouble on a nearby metal roof, slid down but flew back up and remains there through today, ope it will fly back home this evening, adults trying to coax it but its in at another pairs territory so they are tussling when adults fly near to coax
2 growing chicks at nest, adults spending less time on nest this season possibly due to increase in jet ski, kayak and boat traffic
have not confirmed chick feeding, inc date may be off
not seeing signs of hatchling feeding but it has to be imminent
checking often and incubation continues even with a weekend of jet ski action
finally can confirm 2 on nest this evening at 6 pm, strong winds today with periods of rain, sometimes very heavy
one osprey on nest off and on all day, 64, S 7 mph, sun and clouds
the male on this nest was chased off by the nearby sandy cove male today, amazing because its not his territory, pretty bossy early arrival mentality
adult male on corner board, may be a visitor from up the creek, didnt stay long
adult male on dining perch at waters edge this afternoon
one juvenile remained at nest, not sure it was from this nest, it appeared to have injury to left wing, primary feathers falling out, it begged at nest for over a week, stole fish from nearby nest 180, i did not see the adults from this nest feed it or visit the nest, they stayed in trees. it disappeared after this day
second chick took about a week to fledge and seems to be spending quite a bit of time laying in the nest so I hope it is healthy and just behind developing
past 2 evenings at sunset there has been one fledgling deep in the nest in exact same position, i will try to check it earlier tmr hopefully its healthy and just needing rest
one fledgling and adult female on nest this morning, fledgling has already learned how to swoop low over the water and then float up onto the nearby dining/guard perch at the waters edge, a great place to observe fish swimming by
both chicks look good and mom is hanging in on a platform that gets sprayed and surrounded by jetskiis and boats all day long
2 chicks at feeding around 4 pm today, one is definitely smaller but not a runt and both adults on nest at feeding which seems to be their pattern
one flat and deep in the nest today
lots of digging deep in the nest, should be egg laying soon
first day to see 3 chicks with female at nest!
2 growing chicks very visible by boat
took some time to see one deep in nest in heavy rain and wind, did not see mate
one incubating with second on the bay beach directly across from the platform, this male likes to sit on the beach more than a post.
incubation confirmed but date could be off,
yesterday one was very deep in the nest most of the day but at 4:30 pm today i saw one flying around, then land on nest rim with mate eating a fish across the water on the favored sign post... will wait to confirm incubation
both at nest most of the time with one spending some time at waters edge as in years past, female was digging deep in nest today
lots of digging deep in the nest today
both on nest, nest building
5 pm, adult male on the nest platform perch looking over toward the other remaining males in the area
just as in years past, the adult male perches on the platform t perch at sunset, but the t is broken so we will try to fix it in the off season. he was not able to perch with his mate this year since that t perch broke. they have always sat together at sunset.
one juvenile on nest as we passed in boat just before sunset
adult male bringing nest material and fixing the nest
just before sunset today one juvenile was on the nest alone eating a fish
this family is hard to spot already. they have moved into the trees near BBnorth new snag and I have not seen them on the platform in few days.
checked this nest multiple times today as i did errands.both were on the dangling t perch early in the day and then later the perch finally broke and just the base is standing, then both were on the nest, another visit one was on the nest and one visit empty nest. saw an adult just once.i bet they started flying past few days with such high winds. today was SSW 18 mph, excellent flying weather. we will try to fix the perch in the off season.
checked the nest twice today and can not confirm flying but i did see one chick on the tall platform t perch, next to an adult, and one chick standing on the nest. usually if they start using the tall perch they are either just ready to fledge or already flying. will try to confirm fledgling tmr. i hope they are flying because the t perch top is very loose and it could fall off with the weight of both birds on it causing a flighless chick to fall into the water, but these babies are at flying age, they are huge and very dark feathered now, just the buffy edging gives them away.
chicks are getting large and very active, they should fledge soon, one was self feeding today with second chick and adult female on the nest
both chicks vis today with both adults
2 chicks vis in the nest today, usually just one is up tho so often hard to see the second
2 chicks vis in the nest today, usually just one is up tho so often hard to see the second
just like in seasons past, we went by the nest at sunset and both adults were side by side on the platform t perch. they love to sit together and gaze across the creek. earlier we saw both chicks fed by momma.
adult female feeding 2 chicks with adult male on the loose platform t perch
one chick visible at evening feeding time with both adults on the nest
seeing both on nest with female feeding and tolerating some harassment from their closest neighbors as well as increasing jetski and boat traffic
there has been quite a bit of fighting with the BBN pair coming to the platform and landing on the female. I do think this pair had chicks for at least a few days but again as in many other cases I just could not confirm feeding behavior and so i wait and do not guess.
one deep in the nest today as i passed in the boat, the nest is not very thick.
there should be signs of chicks but not that I have seen.. one deep incubating, one guarding from the treeline across the water.
incubating with male on t perch or sitting in marsh most of the time
continuing to incubate and chase interlopers away
more than likely this pair has been on eggs a few days but I confirmed it this morning. exciting chase after a young eagle trying to steal another ospreys fish got the incubating bird on this nest involved in the battle. then it went back to the eggs and gently rocked down into the nest.
no incubation that I see, but they are very busy at the nest
2nd day of south winds and the mouth of White creek was very noisy with osprey pairs seemingly reuniting on the 3 platforms closest to Indian River. This pair was building up the nest and chasing after the Bethany Forest Bald Eagles that flew overhead on their way to their aerie.
1 osprey fussing around in the nest again today.
1 osprey on the channel marker platform around 4:30 pm today. It appears to be a female.
End of season: at a certain point late in the season I began to see the adult male back on the platform perch at sunset. It was sad not to see his mate with him as I have always seen in years past. I simply don't know what happened at this nest this season. there was no clear indication of when the ospreys were actually incubating. either there was some territorial disturbance or continued predation from owls or eagles.. or the rain...or??? no way to tell but sure hope they do have a good season for 2018. adult female was last seen 8-17-17 and adult male 9-6-17.
The pair attempted at least one re-nest this season and finally on July 7th they abandonded the nest. I see an osprey on the perch once in awhile but not generally at sunset which was always this pairs habit. They have moved over into the nearby pine grove.
still apparently incubating, rarely see the male but once in awhile he is on the perch, I believe he is in the trees across the creek but since a new pair built a nest in a low tree very close it is hard to tell what osprey is in view over there.
female continues to be off and on the nest. when she is on the nest she rocks down deep as if to still be incubating even though she leaves the nest for long periods of time. at sunset both adults were on the platform T perch as they so often were in 2016
This is the mystery nest of the season. I believe the nest failed shortly after hatchling date of 5/15/17. Then I am just guessing here but I believe the pair re-nested and failed again but the female just continues to sit deep in the nest as if she is incubating, she has done this since MAY! For awhile I saw a mate but none recently so she may have tried to re-nest without her mate. She is often off the nest and not seen but then at sunset she returns and gets deep in the nest. It is possible her mate is attempting to tend to 2 nest sites as there are 2 new nest sites closeby. I am seeing the same behavior at another nearby nest WPT 179 (#6181) except I do see a male at that nest occasionally. Why these osprey do not know their eggs are not viable is a mystery to me.
took boat past this platform at least 4 times past few days as I have to pass on my way out the channel and have yet to see any meaningful activity or chicks...something may be off on my data dates. the female is always in the nest and just appears to be incubating although with so much rain and cold temps she may simply be protecting her chicks
seeing activity at the nest but with past few days of rain I have not been able to kayak out closer to take a better look. busy weekend is upon us and this pair gets a lot of jet ski and boating disturbance, lets hope they can handle it and keep the chicks fed.
chick feeding continues. we are having heavy rain for 3 days, hoping chicks can be kept dry
male spending longer periods of time on nest
I observed both adults in the nest and feeding chick (s) behavior today.
incubating continues and the male spends most free time in the pines directly across the channel from the nest platform now that his fave pole has been stolen by the new pair on WPT 180.
this pair was off and on the eggs but past few days seem serious about incubating. there is an occasional interloper harassing the nesting pairs but not enough to get the females off their eggs for more than a second or 2 now.
darn,second nesting pair off their eggs...I am humbled by this species. what do I know? I have watched osprey for 5 years, a lot of osprey for 5 years, and I am usually accurate on incubating. but this is the second nest that was apparently on eggs for a few days and now the osprey are coming and going and no longer deep in the nest. in fact I saw copulating on the t perch today around 5:30. and I also saw at least 3 osprey flying around the platform and then heading over to the pine groves near where snag nests used to be. there may well be too many floating osprey causing trouble and stopping incubating. it surely does happen. i will just wait and correct the dates once things progress, assuming there is a re-nesting in a few weeks.
incubation has started. the osprey was flat in the nest today and I checked a couple different times. sometimes they trick me because when it is so windy as it has been they get low in the nest but it is not the same posture, in the wind you can still see a rounded back, incubating birds are very flat!
first day I see 2 osprey on the nest and confirmed 2 osprey at nearby sandy cove nest so I can be certain this is a pair. past few days I did see just one bird on this nest.
Today was the last day I saw the adult male. Along with 7 other adult males in the colony of White Creek- they remain long after the females have migrated and few fledglings remain, they seem to revel in their independence and perhaps they remain awhile longer to guard their territory before the winter migration. They seem to enjoy the sunset when they arrive back at their nest perches or guard trees and sit in silhouette against the setting sun as I kayak by and fill with the beauty of their presence. This feeling is what brings me back to monitoring each season even after I say I can not do it anymore. Its a drug, nature, ospreys, freedom from "things". I have enjoyed this nesting family. They did ok even with all the boat and kayak traffic, and especially in the midst of the jet ski thunder. Godspeed to them, I hope I see them in 2017.
No birds near this nest site but I have seen a fledgling and adult in the trees across the creek. and I am certain the youngsters regularly visit the marsh nesting platform just next door to their own platform over the water. it makes sense that they prefer the safety of a nest away from the boat traffic. Once they are flying they are free of harassment, at least the human kind.
Today there are no fledglings at the nest once again but suddenly there are 3 chicks on #6181 just next door. that nest should have just 2 chicks:)
Empty nest today with just both adults along the waters edge perched on their favorite sign posts.
One adult and one chick on the nest at sunset. I can not confirm both chicks have fledged but I am pretty sure they have, just have not seen both off the nest at the same time. I take my boat out most evenings and pass this nest and this is the first evening that both chicks are not on the nest together.
I believe just one chick has fledged and has not been flying much if at all since first flight. This is not unusual to see a fledgling decide to stay on the safety of the nest awhile longer after that first tentative flight. Both adults are usually either on the perch or nearby. Adult female is still feeding the chicks.
One adult sitting up on T nest perch. I saw one chick head! Second adult sitting over at marsh 2x4 with his wings stretched out to dry like a cormorant would do.
One adult in nest shading.
One in the nest appears to be shading/protecting chicks
It has been quiet at the nest and I haven't been watching during any feeding activity. I hope I didn't jump the gun on listing chick feeding a few days ago but I will keep an eye out and adjust the data if necessary. it HAS been raining and overcast so perhaps the birds are just staying low to protect the eggs and chicks
Lots of action on the nest today. Both adults on the nest and I believe I see chick feeding activity. It surely is time but here comes the rain. Hope the adults can protect the chicks through the next 2 days of storms.
Pair continues to incubate. This nest site is on my twice daily walk route so I watch it a lot!
I rarely see the second bird but incubation continues.
Pair most likely started incubation prior to 04/10/16 but with the height of the nest material and high winds it was hard to confirm until the 10th. This nest I rarely see the second bird as it guards from a tree line across the wide creek.
This pair has been spending time very deep in the nest but with the extreme high winds across the water I can not be sure they are incubating.
The first bird to arrive on this nest was also the first bird to arrive on White's Creek. It was a record date- 02/16/2016! This bird waited over 5 weeks for it's mate to arrive. That's commitment!