Nickname
Red Cliff Village
Coordinates
(40.547, -75.0792)
Substrate
Electric Pylon
Description
Right along Rt 32 - pair moved across from pylon on NJ side - that nest is no longer there on the NJ equivalent of this tower.
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 - CyclistBarb | 2022 - CyclistBarb | 2021 - CyclistBarb | 2020 - CyclistBarb | 2019 - DB | 2019 - CyclistBarb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | ||||||
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| aActive | ||||||
| bEgg Laying | ||||||
| bIncubation Initiation | 5/11/22 | |||||
| cClutch Hatching | ||||||
| dNestlings | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| eFledglings | 2 | |||||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | ||||||
| fChicks Last Observed | ||||||
| xNest Failure | ||||||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2022 2021 2020 2019
Activity reports
2019 Nest Activity Report by DB
| 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 |
2019 Nest Activity Report by CyclistBarb
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 CyclistBarb
| 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 CyclistBarb
| 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 |
2022 Nest Activity Report by CyclistBarb
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 2 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 05/11/2022 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
Nest Activity Report by CyclistBarb
| Adult arrival | 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 |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
07/17/2023 by CyclistBarb
3:11 p.m. By the time I parked at Red Cliff Village, it was hot and sunny and the 2 big, mature chicks were huddled under the female's shade trying to stay cool. It won't be long until they fledge.
07/25/2022 by CyclistBarb
8:15 a.m. The two chicks were on the nest with the female. It does not appear that either has fledged yet but this should occur soon since most of the other osprey chicks in this region have fledged.
07/22/2022 by CyclistBarb
7:30 a.m. From the driveway of Red Cliff Village I could see the female and two big chicks sitting up tall in the nest. This is the first time I could really get good photos of the chicks. The light was perfect and they are now large enough to show up above the nest rails on this tall tower. It is difficult to find a place to stop along route 32 from where to watch, so when they are small, one is too close for viewing from Red Cliff Village. These two appear to be ready to fledge at any time.
06/29/2022 by CyclistBarb
10:10 a.m. I saw both adults on the nest, and from the view to the north, I saw the female high on the edge of the nest and thought I saw the head of one chick.
06/21/2022 by CyclistBarb
9:30 a.m. The female was sitting up on the edge of the nest. I did not stay long enough to determine if chicks were present.
06/06/2022 by CyclistBarb
11:20 a.m. One adult was standing on the nest. I saw a head but could not tell if it was the other adult or a chick. Setting up my scope and watching from the driveway of the Red Cliff Village, I could then see the tail and better saw the head of the adult which appeared to be incubating while its mate stood.
05/11/2022 by CyclistBarb
8:30 a.m. After seeing chicks here the first year and then nesting but no sign of chicks in the next couple years, I haven't paid as much attention since this is a PA not a NJ nest. However, when I arrived today there was an adult perched on top and a lot of nesting material piled up. This adult soon flew off and flew back in with sticks and from a different view I saw that his mate was probably incubating as she was sitting low on the nest. I will have to keep an eye on this pair to see if they have chicks. This pair probably was the same pair that was nesting across the river on the NJ side, but haven't been there for at least 5 years.
07/30/2021 by CyclistBarb
2:30 p.m. After seeing little activity and no chicks here last year, and given that I have to go out of my way to observe this nest, I hadn't checked it much. Parking is a problem here also. A nearby resident who was cutting trees at our house mentioned that the adults were back. On this day, I didn't see any adults or chicks, but there is, in fact, a lot more nesting material here. I might try to come once more early morning to see if there is activity.
07/24/2020 by CyclistBarb
11:45 a.m. I drove by the tower en route to The Narrows nest and I saw an adult perched on the corner of the tower! It also looks like a LOT more nesting material has been deposited at/in the tower, but has also fallen through rather than sitting on top like last year's nest. It is too far into the season for any egg laying, and I haven't seen two adults here this year. I wonder if something happened to the mate and this poor osprey is bringing sticks in a vane attempt to fulfill the call of nature.
06/18/2020 by CyclistBarb
No change in this nest. The nest itself is still falling down through the tower and there is no sign of any reconstruction. The last two times I drove by (and did not report), I saw no adults any where in the area.
05/09/2020 by CyclistBarb
7:40 a.m. As I approach on PA route 32 I can see an adult perched on the top of the tower. The first time I observed (4/12/20), I thought I saw a bird flying off but couldn't confirm that it was an osprey. This morning there is no traffic and I am able to stop in the roadway and take photos. There is no shoulder so if there is traffic, you have to park at Red Cliff Village and observe on foot. No work appears to have taken place on the nest. I wonder if the mate has gone missing, and this bird is waiting in vain for it to show up.
04/22/2020 by CyclistBarb
Nothing appears to have changed at this nest; no sign of any nest-building. The eagles' nest across the river, which was not active last season, has a nesting pair and chicks this season. Perhaps that has influenced the osprey pair?
04/12/2020 by CyclistBarb
Last season's nesting material had collapsed down a level. The top level nesting sticks were quite sparse. I did not observe any osprey at or near this nest and no sign of any nest building.
08/08/2019 by CyclistBarb
12:03 p.m. Two chicks were perched on the edge of the nest. The light was not so good. It is difficult to park along route 32 near the nest. There is a lane leading to a mobile home park just to the south that has room to pull off and park. I found a place to pull in, got out of the car, and got several photos from different angles. I did not see an adult, just the two siblings. They were calling and moving around. One moved out of the nest and perched on an adjacent wire. The other stayed down in the nest and was less visible, but can be seen in the photos if you look carefully.
07/29/2019 by CyclistBarb
I monitor a NJ osprey nest from the PA side and see this PA nest driving north on route 32 en route to my observation post. This nest is right across the river from a NJ bald eagle nest which was on a NJ tower of the same power lines, but the pair has moved to a sycamore slightly upstream. This year, the eagles did not incubate but were in the territory.
I saw one bird on this osprey nest while driving north at 3:48 p.m. It appears to be an adult (1st photo). It is possible that a chick is mostly hidden behind the adult in the 1st photo. I did not stay long enough to know for sure. Parking is difficult.
At 5:43 p.m. there were three on the nest (2nd photo). They appeared to be feeding. It appears to be an adult (which was offering food) standing between its two nestlings. They were not vocalizing. I did not observe either chick fly off the nest, but it is probable that these two are close to fledging. Three have fledged from the nearby NJ nest #7407.