Nickname
West Beach Lagoon - SP
Coordinates
(32.1215, -80.7959)
Substrate
Live Tree
Description
The nest is located in a tall pine tree behind 21 West Beach Lagoon in Sea Pines Plantation, Hilton Head.
Followers
None
Monitoring groups
What to look for
Review All Observations
2023 - HHI Osprey Watch2022 - HHI Osprey Watch2021 - HHI Osprey Watch2020 - HHI Osprey Watch2019 - HHI Osprey Watch
aAdult Arrival3/12/233/7/223/2/213/7/203/2/19
aOccupiedNoYesYesYesYes
aActive
bEgg Laying3/19/21
bIncubation Initiation4/6/223/19/213/27/204/1/19
cClutch Hatching5/20/225/1/20
dNestlings1031
eFledglings121
eFirst Chick Fledging7/27/226/27/20
fChicks Last Observed7/3/20
xNest Failure4/10/23
xReason For Nest Failureunknown reasonunknown reason

Select Seasons

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

Activity reports

2019 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/02/2019Nestlings1
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings1
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiation04/01/2019Nest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure
2020 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/07/2020Nestlings3
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings2
Nest Active First chick fledging06/27/2020
Egg layingChicks last observed07/03/2020
Incubation initiation03/27/2020Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/01/2020Reason for nest failure
2021 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/02/2021Nestlings0
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg laying03/19/2021Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation03/19/2021Nest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failureunknown reason
2022 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/07/2022Nestlings1
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings1
Nest Active First chick fledging07/27/2022
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiation04/06/2022Nest failure
Clutch hatching05/20/2022Reason for nest failureunknown reason
2023 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/12/2023Nestlings
Nest OccupiedNoFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiationNest failure04/10/2023
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failurepair of eagles (probably young) have taken over the nest

Photos of this nest

Nesting Diaries

01/17/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: My nest is 7428 and it’s currently occupied by a nesting eagle. They took over the nest last year before the ospreys arrived and they’ve not left the nest since. I’m on the lookout for a brand new nest and will let you know when I spot one!

01/17/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports this nest is currently occupied by eagles. He will check back in February and again in March to update the status.

04/10/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m sorry to report that the ospreys have been unable to chase off a pair of eagles who are occupying the nest. I’m not sure where they’ve gone to. I’ll check out the nest next year to see what happens.

03/25/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The ospreys have been unsuccessful in reclaiming their nest from a pair of eagles. Neighbors report the ospreys and eagles got into a few battles for the nest two weeks ago but the eagles prevailed. The ospreys have not been seen near the nest since then. This happened last year and the ospreys eventually took over during this same week. I’ll keep watching.

03/08/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: A pair of eagles, without young, have been occupying the nest for months now. Neighbors report that an osprey got into a tangle with the eagles a few days ago. I believe it to be the female. She was spotted near the nesting tree this morning. No sign of the male osprey yet. This happened last year and eventually the eagles left.

02/21/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The nest still has a pair of eagles hanging around it. It’s a failed nest for them with no signs of eaglets. So far, I’ve not seen any signs of the ospreys arrival just yet. This situation happened last year and eventually the eagles left.

02/10/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports this nest is still in good shape to start the 2023 season.

02/10/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch

02/02/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L observes:The nest is in great shape. A pair of eagles have been upgrading it. They don’t appear to be raising any young in the nest. These could be the eagles from the forest preserve. I’m waiting on the ospreys to show up and to see what happens next. This happened last year but the eagles weren’t so ensconced in the nest as they appear to be this year.

07/27/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The youngster has fledged! Hoping to get a photo of him in flight if he returns to the nest for a visit.

07/26/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: We’re getting close to flight. Yesterday morning I observed the female Osprey had moved off of her normal position on the edge of the nest and was now on tree branch about 10 feet away and calling out to her young (pictured above). The juvenile flapped his/her wings but wouldn’t take flight. I returned several hours later and the female was in the nest and the juvenile had moved out of it and onto a branch. The juvenile looked comfortable. When I returned in the evening both were in the nest and eating. Everything looks to be going great. I’ll keep you posted.

07/18/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m happy to report everything is going great at the nest. The solitary juvenile is standing tall in the nest over the last couple of weeks and flexing his wings from time to time. It shouldn’t be too long before fledging!

07/01/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: Here’s the first picture I’ve taken of the offspring! I don’t believe there are any others up there. The male Osprey brought a fish to the nest. I think the youngster is eating on his own and was seen playing with sticks.

06/30/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I couldn’t understand why the adults were hanging around the nest if nothing was in it. I went back this morning and saw the female standing on the edge of the nest, as usual, and then I finally saw a 2nd head pop up in the nest! This white coloring on its head is dishwater brown.

06/28/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m sorry to report that I believe this nest has failed to materialize any young this year. I have yet to see any offspring or to hear any noise of them coming from the nest. The female is pictured below. She’s frequently hanging out in the nest with the male generally a few branches away. They appear to be doing fine. I’ll keep an eye on them just in case.

06/28/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
NOTE: Based on recent reports and no views or sounds of any young, we believe that something happened and there are no viable young at the nest. David L will keep an eye on it just in case, and we will change the report if anything changes. However, by now, the young should clearly be visible.

06/17/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m pleased to report that all appears well at this nest. I haven’t seen any offspring yet but both parents are going through all the motions at the nest to indicate things are ok. The male now hangs out at the nesting tree, perched above, and with a good view into it. The female is now walking around the edge of the nest and frequently looking down. They’re going through the feeding motions. In the photo, you’ll see where the male now likes to hang out.

05/31/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I have good news to report. It looks like the Ospreys have started feeding their young. I think it began a few weeks ago after reviewing some photos. I did see the male arriving at the nest (female departing) two days ago and appearing to regurgitate his food while bending over. I don’t hear the sounds of the young yet or can see how many. I haven’t seen the female sitting down in the nest in a few weeks either. NOTE: Based on this observation and the last, we are guessing that hatching happened shortly after the May 16th report. We will list May 20th but that is just our best guess. We are listing 1 nestling until we can confirm the number.

05/16/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: As of this morning, I don’t believe the eggs have hatched. I can’t hear anything coming from the nest and male and female continue to mostly sit and wait. They’ve not gone into a feeding mode. The photo below is from today and shows the male bringing in new nesting material. For the last month or so, I’ve been able to consistently spot two tail feathers sticking up above the nest, as seen below.

05/02/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m pleased to report all is going well at this nest. I see mostly tail feathers like this poking up. We have another couple of weeks I think before the eggs should hatch.

04/17/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m happy to report all appears to be going well at the nest. I believe somewhere between 4/4 and 4/8 the female began sitting on her eggs. It’s a deep nest and hard to tell if anyone is there unless they stand up or begin talking. I have a photo of the female eating a fish early in the morning. When she finished, she flew back into the nest and that’s when I noticed the male had been sitting on the eggs. The other photo is of the male sitting on his favorite perch that’s a pine tree close by with a clear visual to the nest. NOTE: Based on this observation, we are indicating 4/6 as start of incubation.

03/28/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I have wonderful news to report. The ospreys have successfully dislodged the eagles. On 3/28/22 I photographed the male copulating with his partner in the nest. He did it all on the fly before returning to have a rest. All appears to be well!

03/24/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports:I’m sorry to report that it appears our nesting pair of ospreys have been driven out by eagles. On 3/7 I photographed a juvenile eagle sitting in the nest and on 3/11 I photographed this adult eagle sitting just above the nest. I’ve not seen either Osprey at the nest since then. I’ll keep watching and hoping.

03/07/2022 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m thrilled to report that both the male and female Osprey are now at the nest. The female first showed up 2/27/22. During the next next week she was visited by a juvenile Eagle who sat in her nest for a bit. It caused a lot of consternation and squawking by the female flying over the nest. That tug of war seems to have been settled with the males presence.

06/21/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’ve seen both male and mostly female hanging out at this nest. Seems they come and go frequently.

06/21/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m reporting sad news. There are no hatchlings this year. I’m not sure they ever did hatch. On 6/1/21 I spotted both parents at the edge of the nest and looking down in to it. I’ve not seen any feeding action since then, nor have I heard anything coming from the nest. On 6/11/21 - I photographed both parents above attempting to build a new nest about 200 yards away. They gave up after awhile and have returned to their original nest. For the last two weeks, they can both be seen at their favorite perches but none are hanging out in the nest. I’ll continue to watch out of curiosity.

06/07/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m happy to report that something different is going on up in the nest. I believe a change occurred around May 30th. Both parents are taking turns with nesting duties and they’re both soft talking in the nest unlike before. I can’t see any young and I don’t hear any when standing under the nest. This photo was taken yesterday showing both parents standing on the edge of the nest and looking down into it. I did see the male deliver a headless fish to the female the other day. She soon departed the nest with it and the male stayed behind. All appears to be going well!

05/21/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m pleased to report all appears to be going well with this nest. Both parents are taking turns with nesting duty. I can’t tell if the eggs have hatched yet. I don’t hear any noises and the parents seem pretty relaxed at the moment. I’m sending you a photo of the male and female.

05/07/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I have observed the male is frequently around and sits on a perch in nearby trees. This morning he brought a fish to the female. The nest continues to appear quiet with the female keeping a low profile. No exciting news to report yet.

04/22/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I rarely see female except for when she pops here head above the nest. I found her mid-day in a nearby tree pruning herself. The male doesn’t hang around much but all appears to be going well.

04/07/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: For days I’ve not been able to see any activity at the nest but have assumed someone is up there. This morning I finally saw the twitching of tail feathers moving around. So all appears well.

03/28/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: Sometime between 3/17 and 3/20 the female went from standing at the edge of the nest to, I think, sitting down on her eggs. A few days later the male brought a fish to the nest and left it. The nest is pretty tall and I’ve not been able to see her in about a week including this morning. All is quite in the nest and I’ve not seen the male in several days. I believe everything is okay and will keep watching. Her tail feathers are pictured above at edge of the nest.

03/15/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: This nest is active and all appears well here. Both the male and female have been at the nest for the last two weeks. I’ve seen the female at the edge of the nest mostly or in the tree. I’ve not seen them adding new nesting material yet. A few days ago I photographed the male bringing a fish to the nest. He gave it to the female who flew off to another tree branch to eat. The last photo shows blood from the fish on his chest.

03/01/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch

03/01/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’ve been watching this nest for the last month and it wasn’t until yesterday, 3/1/21, that I spotted the female perched at it. No sign of the male yet.

02/16/2021 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I saw fresh poop under the Osprey nest, and in the usual place from previous years, on 2/2/21 and 3 more times over the next week. I’ve yet to see any Osprey in the nest or in the immediate area.

07/16/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’ve not seen the juveniles by the nest since July 3. This photo was taken soon after showing one of the juveniles perched alone at Daybreak. I believe the parents have been successful in raising two new Osprey this year!

06/30/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I'm happy to report the two young birds have fledged the nest. I dropped by yesterday to find one of youngsters in nearby tree with the male. He had a fish he was working on. After awhile, the male flew back to the nest with the youngster safely returning. He left the rest of the fish in the nest and flew off. The neighbors say the young are flying around and returning to the nest. It appears to be a successful nesting season for this Osprey family! NOTE: we listed the date of fledging as 6/27. While we can not be positive, we know fledging took place between the 24th and 30th of June, so we went with the mid point. Only two fledged because the 3rd died about June 23rd.

06/24/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I have disappointing news to share. While observing yesterday, a neighbor informed me that an Osprey fell out of it and died the day before. Fortunately, we have two more in the nest and I finally got a photo of them. They are eating fish on their own now. In one photo, one of the youngsters was testing their wings on the edge of the nest. It shouldn’t be long before they’re ready to take flight.

06/13/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L. reports: There’s at least one young bird in the nest and maybe another. I still can’t quite tell. The one that’s there is getting big. You can see the youngster’s head popping above the nest. I spotted the male in his usual perch and a 2nd male on the opposite side, and perched a little higher to see into the nest. The female had just flown off. All appears to be going well at this nest.

06/03/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The chores of parenting are ongoing. The female seems to spend most of the time in the nest. I can see she's feeding but I still don't have a count of how many young they have. The male is pictured sitting on his favorite branch and the female is on top of the nest feeding her young. They're leaving a pretty good mess underneath. All continues to be well at this nest.

05/23/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: This nest is active with both adults shuttling back and forth with feedings and nest building. The first photo is the female and I believe she's feeding but I still can't tell how many young she has. The second photo is of the male returning to the nest with sticks and working on the opposite side of the young in the nest. All looks well!

05/11/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m pleased to report this nest is active with young. I can’t tell how many eggs have hatched. I do see them bringing food to the nest. The female is pictured in the nest and is feeding I believe. The male is on his favorite perch and keeping an eye on things. All appears to be well here. NOTE: Based on this, we have confirmed at least one nestling in the nest.

05/06/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I have exciting news to share. I dropped by last Saturday, the 2nd, and found the female going through the motions of feeding young hatchlings. I can’t see any of the young but neighbors say they can hear them. Over the last 5 days both parents have been bringing in food. I did see the male remove a half eaten fish at one point. This morning they were both in the nest. NOTE: We have indicated May 1 as the date of hatching. That is our best guess. We recorded 1 nestling but will update that when we can tell how many there are.

04/30/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: It’s still quite around the nest. No sounds of hatchlings yet. I dropped by today to find the male eating his breakfast on his favorite tree close nearby. He flew to a branch by the nest afterwards to sit for a spell. It was a cold wet morning. I believe the female was hunkered down. That’s pretty much been the routine for weeks. It appears that all is well

04/19/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I dropped by this nest several times in the past week. Both parents are present and they're acting like they have eggs. One is usually hunkered down and occasionally squawking. The male is still adding nesting material. He's usually on a tree nearby. I've stood under the nest but I don't hear the sounds of young chicks yet. I'm sending a photo of the male with his fish. The female flew down and sat on a branch near by. The male was in no mood to share and flew off.

04/04/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The female has been sitting down low in the nest all week. This morning I found both adults in the nest and looking down at their eggs as if taking inventory. After awhile, the male flew off and the female settled in low again.

03/28/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: All is well in the nest. The female is doing a good job of hunkering down on her eggs. I spotted the male about 50 yards away, up in a tree, and eating a fish. As he left to fly to the nest, it looked like he brought his mate a snack.

03/09/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I'm excited to report the male returned to the nest at least two days ago. I took a photo of him near the nest while the female was standing on top of it. I don't believe they've produced any eggs yet. Time to get busy!

03/05/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’m happy to report the female has returned to her nest. Judging by the two trails of poop below the tree, it appears she’s been back only hours. Soon after this photo was taken, she jumped in her nest. I haven’t spotted the male yet.

02/26/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: Thus far, I’ve not seen either the male or female at their nest. There’s no markings on the ground to suggest they’ve arrived.

02/15/2020 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I’ve been by the nest several times this week and there is no one at the nest but there is a male Osprey who wintered in close proximity to this nest and nest 7515.

08/08/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I dropped by the nest briefly over the last couple of weeks and haven’t seen any activity. There are no fresh droppings under the tree that holds their nest. NOTE: Based on this report, we are assuming that the adults may have also moved on.

07/18/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I believe our young Osprey is a female and she's already taken flight. I dropped by the nest yesterday around midday and nobody was home. I came back at dawn and found her here without her parents. I'm sure they're still close by. All is well!

07/01/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: Good news! Everything appears to be going well at this nest. There is a single juvenile who's quickly growing. The male Osprey is pictured delivering a fish to his offspring.

06/15/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I'm happy to report there is at least one nestling and of decent size. Both adults are present and hanging around the nest and tree. I saw the female eating a small flounder.

06/04/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I been to this nest twice over the last couple of days. I didn’t see or hear any chicks but the female spent time holding her left wing up as if to cause shade. Both adults are present.

05/18/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The female is still sitting on her eggs and occasionally standing up to stretch. The male was perched on a tree close by with a fish

05/05/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: The Ospreys are having a relaxed morning. The male is sitting on a branch to the right and the female is in the nest. All is well!

04/21/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I dropped by Osprey nest 7428 today and observed the nest to be quiet. I presume the female is huddled down and sitting on her eggs. The male Osprey is perched on a branch on bottom left of this photo. There's lots of bird droppings beneath the tree.

04/01/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: This photo as taken March 24th, showing the female hanging outside the nest. I dropped by 3-4 days later and didn't see anyone. I dropped by today and still couldn't see anyone until a strong gust of wind picked up her tail feathers high enough for me to glimpse she's in the nest and hunkered down. Yea!

03/18/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L. reports: I dropped by my nest yesterday and noticed that the female was still standing in the nest and very talkative to her mate on the nearby branch. She flew around to stretch her wings and quickly returned to the nest. I don't think there's any eggs yet.

03/11/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
David L reports: I found the female standing in the nest and the male on a branch close by. The property owner where the nest is located said she knew they had returned when bits of animal parts started landing in her driveway.

03/05/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
observer David L reports: Here's the nest with the female on the branch. Both birds are here but I didn't see the male.

03/02/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
Observer David L. reports: Both Osprey are in the nest! I saw one bringing in nesting material and they appear to be happy.

03/01/2019 by HHI Osprey Watch
observer David L reports: I saw one Osprey sitting on a branch next to the nest this morning.

by HHI Osprey Watch