Nickname
Bluecoast
Coordinates
(38.5521, -75.0611)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
Platform located along pond edge at back of Bluecoast Restaurant parking lot, Bethany Beach
Followers
None
What to look for
Review All Observations
2023 - baygirl2022 - baygirl2021 - baygirl2020 - baygirl2019 - baygirl2018 - baygirl2017 - baygirl2016 - baygirl
aAdult Arrival3/24/223/25/213/16/203/29/193/23/183/24/173/29/16
aOccupiedYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
aActive
bEgg Laying
bIncubation Initiation4/13/214/8/204/10/194/6/184/14/174/14/16
cClutch Hatching5/24/215/16/205/24/195/17/185/19/175/26/16
dNestlings323333
eFledglings0323333
eFirst Chick Fledging7/19/217/12/207/12/197/13/187/9/177/17/16
fChicks Last Observed8/7/218/19/208/21/197/30/187/29/178/12/16
xNest Failure
xReason For Nest Failure

Select Seasons

Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Activity reports

2016 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/29/2016Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings3
Nest Active First chick fledging07/17/2016
Egg layingChicks last observed08/12/2016
Incubation initiation04/14/2016Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/26/2016Reason for nest failure
2017 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/24/2017Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings3
Nest Active First chick fledging07/09/2017
Egg layingChicks last observed07/29/2017
Incubation initiation04/14/2017Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/19/2017Reason for nest failure
2018 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/23/2018Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings3
Nest Active First chick fledging07/13/2018
Egg layingChicks last observed07/30/2018
Incubation initiation04/06/2018Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/17/2018Reason for nest failure
2019 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/29/2019Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings3
Nest Active First chick fledging07/12/2019
Egg layingChicks last observed08/21/2019
Incubation initiation04/10/2019Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/24/2019Reason for nest failure
2020 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/16/2020Nestlings2
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings2
Nest Active First chick fledging07/12/2020
Egg layingChicks last observed08/19/2020
Incubation initiation04/08/2020Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/16/2020Reason for nest failure
2021 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/25/2021Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings3
Nest Active First chick fledging07/19/2021
Egg layingChicks last observed08/07/2021
Incubation initiation04/13/2021Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/24/2021Reason for nest failure
2022 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrival03/24/2022Nestlings
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure
2023 Nest Activity Report by baygirl
Adult arrivalNestlings
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings0
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure

Photos of this nest

Nesting Diaries

09/20/2023 by baygirl
unusual to see this senior pair not nest this season, they did attempt at some point but I never confirmed feeding

03/24/2022 by baygirl
male on dining perch, female flew to nest, male flew to her and did a brief touch and go, not exactly copulation, just a quick hello

07/19/2021 by baygirl
2 chicks fledged this morning!

05/15/2021 by baygirl
appears one is still incubating

04/08/2021 by baygirl
no incubation

03/25/2021 by baygirl
seems like a few osprey waited through yesterdays full day of heavy rain and fog, held short of the runway until arriving today. 2 ospreys fixing the nest at 5:30 today, 64, S 7 mph, sun and clouds

03/21/2021 by baygirl
6;15 pm, 52, * mph east winds on clear evening, one adult male on nest

03/17/2021 by baygirl
NE 8mph, 45, 100% overcast, 1 adult male on nest

07/28/2020 by baygirl
one fledge on the nest late this afternoon

07/08/2020 by baygirl
2 large chicks on nest with female this evening, the chicks look ready to fledge

07/03/2020 by baygirl
2 large chicks getting shade from female today

06/20/2020 by baygirl
2 chicks visible today, feeding time around 4:45 pm, will continue to check for that possible 3rd chick

06/12/2020 by baygirl
2 chicks visible at feeding time around 4 pm today, may be a third

06/08/2020 by baygirl
2 chicks visible around 3 pm today, female on nest

05/10/2020 by baygirl
possible chick hatching, i thing i saw chick feeding this evening...

05/08/2020 by baygirl
male on the guard perch and female deep in the nest today

06/03/2019 by baygirl
lots of feeding and shading but have not gotten a chick count

05/29/2019 by baygirl
both on nest this evening, one feeding

05/24/2019 by baygirl
both on nest, one feeding

05/12/2019 by baygirl
one deep in nest today, heavy rain and wind, did not see feeding behavior but perhaps soon.. and did not see mate

05/06/2019 by baygirl
incubating

04/01/2019 by baygirl
had our anniversary dinner at Blue Coast -at sunset and watched the pair bringing in sticks and perched on the nest together,- beautiful view of the water and spreys tonight.

03/31/2019 by baygirl
finally..the mate has arrived!!

03/25/2019 by baygirl
one waiting patiently

03/23/2019 by baygirl
still just one at nest

03/16/2019 by baygirl
one osprey on nest off and on since 3-12-19

08/17/2018 by baygirl
have not seen any birds on this nest since 7-30-18. surely they have been there but as i drive by often it seems they are not hanging at the platform anymore. will continue to keep an eye out for at least the adult male.

07/30/2018 by baygirl
12:57 today 2 fledglings (appear to be Female) on the V perches of the platform, 1 fledge that appeared to be male was eating in the nest with the adult male on the new satellite pole to the south of the platform, no adult female seen

07/20/2018 by baygirl
quite a full nest when the entire family is on it! i seem to always miss the flying here as this trio is still hanging on the nest to get fed.

07/05/2018 by baygirl
And finally... i knew there were 3 chicks in this nest and today finally, all 3 lined up getting fed by momma while poppa perched on the V of the platform.

06/25/2018 by baygirl
I keep expecting to see a third chick at this well established pairs nest but have not seen more than 2 nice sized healthy chicks. Today at 4:45 both chicks were very visible as mom flew away and came back with some dried sea lettuce. This adult female has a very light necklace.

06/24/2018 by baygirl
consistently seeing 2 chicks but I reserve the right to discover a third

06/18/2018 by baygirl
female shading with 2 chicks clearly seen today, again possible third chick but that darn plastic in the nest is making it hard to see. about 3 interlopers came by and tried to harass mombrella, she was spunky and not allowing any trouble in the heat.

06/10/2018 by baygirl
one adult in the nest with 2 chicks visible, no feeding, possibly 3rd chick...

06/03/2018 by baygirl
both in the nest with one feeding

05/19/2018 by baygirl
I have been seeing some interesting behavior with this pair. we have had 7 straight days of rain, some very heavy rain at times and so I knew there would soon be chicks hatching and have been checking this pair daily.5-14 the female was very fussy. i saw her finish her fish, then fly down to the water and do the talon dragging along the surface to clean her feet, then she flew back to the nest, cleaned her bill on the perch and her mate got up and she got down into the nest but just stood there for a few minutes before she repositioned herself down into the nest twice. She was more hunched then flat.the next day, 5-15 she was down in the nest, it was rainign, her mate was on the nest rim eating and then he began feeding her as she lay in the nest! she got up and changed her position a few times but he fed her all the fish he had left! I have never seen this. I have seen a male tear bits of fish, give to the female and then she would feed the chicks but never just the male feeding an adult female in the nest. Amazing teamwork in bad weather to, I assume, protect chicks or eggs. the next day, 5-16 it was pouring and she was hunched in the nest and the male was on the platform v perch with his head hanging just letting the water pour off his bill. 5-17 just the female was in the nest fussing under her chest. I am certain by her posture she has chicks. This heavy rain is so concerning.

04/11/2018 by baygirl
one osprey so low in the nest you really have to be patient to see a slight movement of white!

04/10/2018 by baygirl
one low in the nest apparently incubating -6:00 pm. mate not seen

04/07/2018 by baygirl
Pair is incubating, most likely a few days earlier than I am reporting but I confirmed it 4-6-18. The slight lean and height of the nest makes it tough to see the osprey deep in the nest.

04/02/2018 by baygirl
A few days ago the female appeared to be incubating but today she was perched with her mate on the exposed V perches of the platform. It may have been just the readying of the nest bowl and she has not yet laid eggs but I bet it will be soon.

03/24/2018 by baygirl
Both adults on nest yesterday and today. But today the female was on the nest and the male and another osprey were tussling for a few minutes above the nest with one bird flying off over the Salt Pond and the other flying toward the ocean. This nest site has had territorial disputes in past nesting seasons so I hope they can settle down soon. The natl guard is very close by and both snag nests and the snags there are were destroyed by storms over the winter so there are a few stray birds hanging around.

03/19/2018 by baygirl
one osprey on platform V perch around 2 pm today. Appears to be female

09/21/2017 by baygirl
end of season: I have a feeling at least one of the juveniles from this nest lingered into august across the pond at pond acres nests as it got pretty crowded over there early in the fledging period. both adults from this nest disappeared early too.it is at a very busy restaurant parking lot so understandable that the osprey disperse quickly. the leaning platform is on our platform restoration teams list to be restored to its original glory :)

07/29/2017 by baygirl
the 3 young are old enough to perch off the nest but they are still at the nest when I drive by. the platform is leaning badly under the heavy weight of a very dense nest and we are getting high wind, rain and flooding. sure hope the platform holds till end of season.

06/28/2017 by baygirl
finally I can see 3 chicks on this leaning nest, they look very healthy as mom is feeding them

06/18/2017 by baygirl
one adult shading, one chick visible today

06/08/2017 by baygirl
still no chick sighting but much activity at the platform

05/25/2017 by baygirl
I regularly see feeding behavior but because the platform is leaning toward the water I can not yet see chicks

05/19/2017 by baygirl
first day I can confirm feeding behavior, both adults on nest, female feeding deep in the nest.

04/24/2017 by baygirl
incubating, I rarely see the second osprey

04/17/2017 by baygirl
this nest is massive and since it leans away from the parking lot it can be hard to see the osprey incubating.

03/28/2017 by baygirl
Both osprey on nest. The platform is leaning and the nest material is extremely high. The pole was straightened somewhat last year but the nest material is so massive I am concerned the entire platform may come down this season.

03/24/2017 by baygirl
I did see 2 osprey on this nest a few days ago but today I can confirm the bonded pair is now on this nest. Both were on nest and later I saw one on nest as second ate fish in their guard tree south of the platform.

08/12/2016 by baygirl
Last fledge sighting was this day and the fledgling was sitting on the snag next to the nest. After this date I was part of a team re-homing a pair of osprey chicks at nearby Bethany nature center and did not ck this site regularly but in my experiences in general 3-4 weeks has been normal amount of time fledglings are cared for by adults. This family did well this season and I was happy Envirotech workers straightened the platform before nesting season otherwise it too would have came down as Pond Acres (#6352) did in Sept.

07/17/2016 by baygirl
Stopped by the nest today to check the 3 beautiful chicks and all were off the nest. The nest was empty. I drive by this location often and can see the birds easily and on a number of occasions the past few days I saw an adult with some chicks and today driving up I saw what appeared to be the entire family flying circles above the nest. Thrilling to see this. I can assume they all fledged earlier in the week but this is the first day I can confirm!

05/31/2016 by baygirl
The pair is on nest and one is shading. They made it through the horrific 24 hour downpour yesterday. Now its muggy and hot.

05/26/2016 by baygirl
We have chicks! This is now the second pair I have witnessed working together to feed hatchlings. Male osprey was tearing bits of fish and passing to the female and she was in turn feeding the hatchlings. Amazing teamwork.

05/18/2016 by baygirl
One bird incubating, second bird perched on nest.

05/13/2016 by baygirl
One bird incubating. I do not see the second bird.

05/02/2016 by baygirl
This platform was leaning badly and someone fixed it early April. The birds have some disturbance from the high number of visiting and homeless osprey and the pair abandoned the nest in 2015. This year they seem to be more settled. It can be difficult to see the birds incubating because the nest is very deep. With patience one will see the white head pop up above the nest:)