Nickname
KJGG Airport
Coordinates
(37.2406, -76.7178)
Substrate
Rotating Beacon Tower
Description
Top of rotating beacon tower for Williamsburg Jamestown airport
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
| 2023 - CarolVMN | 2022 - CarolVMN | 2021 - CarolVMN | 2020 - CarolVMN | 2019 - CarolVMN | 2018 - CarolVMN | 2017 - CarolVMN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 2/23/23 | 3/1/22 | 3/8/21 | 3/11/20 | 3/13/19 | 3/16/18 | |
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| aActive | |||||||
| bEgg Laying | 4/5/17 | ||||||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/8/18 | 4/5/17 | |||||
| cClutch Hatching | 5/15/18 | 5/14/17 | |||||
| dNestlings | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| eFledglings | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | 7/10/17 | ||||||
| fChicks Last Observed | 8/23/17 | ||||||
| xNest Failure | |||||||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Activity reports
2017 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 3 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | 07/10/2017 | |
| Egg laying | 04/05/2017 | Chicks last observed | 08/23/2017 |
| Incubation initiation | 04/05/2017 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/14/2017 | Reason for nest failure |
2018 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 03/16/2018 | Nestlings | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/08/2018 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/15/2018 | Reason for nest failure |
2019 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 03/13/2019 | 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 |
2020 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 03/11/2020 | Nestlings | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 2 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2022 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 03/01/2022 | Nestlings | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2021 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 03/08/2021 | Nestlings | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 1 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2023 Nest Activity Report by CarolVMN
| Adult arrival | 02/23/2023 | Nestlings | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | 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
06/26/2023 by CarolVMN
Appears to be one nestling this year. Today Mom and Dad were putting on an air show for us and the youngster seemed to be watching and doing a little practicing!
03/03/2021 by CarolVMN
One osprey sitting on the tower today. The nest is gone, so they have some rebuilding to do
06/28/2020 by CarolVMN
We were finally able to see a second nestling...for a while it looked like there may be only one. The older one is testing out his wings but has not yet fledged. Getting close!
03/02/2020 by CarolVMN
One osprey observed in the area, flying with a fish. He did not land on the nest platform at that time
06/17/2018 by CarolVMN
There are definitely 2 nestlings so far! Beginning to lift their wings and move around a bit more making them easier to observe
06/09/2018 by CarolVMN
Clearly some activity in the nest, Mom either in or standing just outside, Dad standing guard at times as well. When Mom is outside the nest, movement can be seen in the nest but still difficult to tell how many chicks there may be.
03/31/2018 by CarolVMN
Both male and female at the nest, they have made good progress on rebuilding. Some breeding activity observed.
03/18/2018 by CarolVMN
Date of arrival is estimated. First observed on March 17th and they had already started to rebuild the nest that had been removed over the summer for tower equipment maintenance. Rebuilding has not gotten very far yet. There were 3 birds active in the area in the morning. Two were perching on the tower in the evening.
07/13/2017 by CarolVMN
Today the largest of the young osprey had a nice flight, about a minute long. Another of the young was in the nest flapping its wings as if trying to build up the courage to leave the nest!
06/30/2017 by CarolVMN
Now can see 3 chicks, one is noticeably larger and more active than the others and possibly soon to fledge. Has been observed standing on the edge of the nest eating with adult and standing on one of the tower posts.
06/10/2017 by CarolVMN
We definitely have 2 chicks! Starting to spend more time looking over the side of the nest and spreading their wings.
05/14/2017 by CarolVMN
Definitely feeding activity going on. Male bringing several fish over the course of a couple hours, female feeding while he stands watch.
04/23/2017 by CarolVMN
Female in the nest. Male in the vicinity. Returned with one fish during observation period
04/16/2017 by CarolVMN
5 pm, female sitting on the tower just outside the nest, the male was inside the nest.
5:20 pm, the male leaves the nest, the female takes his place in the nest
5:45 she turns the eggs
6:20 pm Male returns with a fish and drops it in the nest, leaves again
7 pm, He returns with another fish
04/09/2017 by CarolVMN
Female was low in the nest most of the time of observation (1.5 hours) and did appear to turn the eggs once. Male was flying in the vicinity and at one point returned with a very large fish, but perched on a nearby pine tree to eat it. Female called to him during this time and even flew out very briefly and then back to the nest.
04/05/2017 by CarolVMN
Female appeared to be outside the nest on the tower when I arrived, male inside. She entered the nest and appeared to possibly be turning eggs and the male flew off.
04/02/2017 by CarolVMN
2 adult osprey observed at the nest. Both left at different times and returned with fish. Another osprey observed in the area as well.