Nickname
DE Park
Coordinates
(39.7, -75.6742)
Substrate
Utility Pole
Description
Reported nest. Has not been confirmed. Use Entrance closest to Christiana Hospital, pass White Clay Country Club and cross small bridge. First parking lot on the right (usually empty) has three large light posts, middle post contains nest.
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
| 2021 - west51 | 2019 - west51 | 2018 - TisTheSeason | 2018 - west51 | 2017 - Jordan Terrell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/30/18 | ||||
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| aActive | |||||
| bEgg Laying | |||||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/27/19 | ||||
| cClutch Hatching | |||||
| dNestlings | |||||
| eFledglings | 2 | ||||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |||||
| fChicks Last Observed | 7/10/21 | ||||
| xNest Failure | |||||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2021 2019 2018 2017
Activity reports
2017 Nest Activity Report by Jordan Terrell
| 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 |
2018 Nest Activity Report by TisTheSeason
| Adult arrival | 03/30/2018 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2019 Nest Activity Report by west51
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/27/2019 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2018 Nest Activity Report by west51
| 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 |
2021 Nest Activity Report by west51
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 2 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | 07/10/2021 | |
| Incubation initiation | Nest failure | ||
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
07/31/2021 by west51
Partly cloudy. 80 deg. No wind or rain. Observed 2 fledglings and 1 adult standing around the nest. Adult was eating. 5:00 - 5:30pm All are almost similar in size. One fledgling arrived while I was there w/o a fish.
07/11/2021 by west51
Cloudy, 80's, no rain. Observed 1 adult and 2 fledglings. View from 200+ ft. away. Nest on a light pole. One fledgling exercising wings. Observed for 1 hr.
05/29/2021 by west51
Overcast, 52 deg., occasional rain. Both adults at the nest. One adult eating. When finished the other adult flew away. Occasional traffic in the parking lot below.
05/15/2021 by west51
Two adults observed. One sitting in the nest. Nest is on a tall light pole so cannot se into the nest,
04/24/2021 by west51
Female flew to nest and sat inside. Appears to be no fledglings yet as reported in my last report. Returned the next day and observed the female sitting in the nest. Weather: 60 deg. overcast, 10 mph wind
04/10/2021 by west51
First observation of nest. One adult standing in nest, appeared to be feeding the young. Cannot see into the nest. Male arrived with a fish. Female moved to the edge of nest.
08/18/2019 by west51
No adults observed. Two fledglings at the nest. Both flew away and didn't return while I was there.
08/04/2019 by west51
No birds at the nest. One fledgling on another light pole in the parking lot. The other fledgling flying around the area.
07/21/2019 by west51
8:05-8:40am. 2 fledglings at the nest. No adults observed. One fledgling flying and landing in a tree. Very active. The other fledgling staying at the nest.
07/10/2019 by west51
8:35-9:10 5% overcast with high visibility. 2 fledglings active at the nest exercising their wings. 1 more active than the other. No adults at the nest. 1 adult flying high above the nest and landing in a nearby tree looking at the fledglings. The active fledgling is able to lift itself off the platform a few feet and comes back down to the platform. Not flying off the platform yet. Seeing the mother in the tree was an incentive. The other fledgling stayed in the nest.
06/24/2019 by west51
7:55-8:30am 5% overcast with high visibility. Two adults and two chicks observed. One chick more active than the other. on 6/23/2019 there was a car show in the parking lot right below the nest with alot of noise and activity. Birds were not flushed.
06/09/2019 by west51
7:45-8:30am Temp. 75 deg. 5% overcast with high visibility. Two adults observed with one feeding the chicks and the other bringing food and feeding chicks.
05/27/2019 by west51
9:15-10:00am. Two adults observed. 1 feeding and 2nd watching. 2nd chased a passing crow away and returned. After the feeding concluded the 2nd adult discarded the fish carcass to outside the nest and flew away.
05/20/2019 by west51
Observed 8:45-9:30. High visibility with 0% overcast. 80 degrees. Two adults observed. One tending nest and the other bringing food. Second adult watched while the first fed the chick(s). Second also fed chick(s) briefly.
05/15/2019 by west51
8:15-9am 0% overcast w/high visibility. Observed 2 adults (1 on the nest and the other bringing food. Did not observe any chicks.
05/09/2019 by west51
Initial observation on 4/27/2019. Nest was occupied. One adult sitting in the nest. One adult outside the nest. Utility pole #D2. Could not see inside of the nest. Observed for 30 min. 0% overcast w/ high visibility.
03/30/2018 by TisTheSeason
I was aware of this nest late in the season in 2017. On March 30, 2018, I observed two ospreys perched in the same light pole. Over the winter, the sticks had been removed from the pole, but during my observation I noted that some sticks had been placed in the light pole structure.
03/25/2018 by TisTheSeason
I observed breeding behavior of one osprey in a light pole located adjacent to where the nest pole is located. There were a few sticks in this adjacent pole and the osprey was perched on the pole and vocalizing. Also observed this individual foraging over the large pond in DE Park. (See 3/30/18 post for next observation which indicates that the bird switched back to the original nest pole).