Nickname
Dolphin Head #17
Coordinates
(32.2635, -80.7192)
Substrate
Dead Tree
Description
Dolphin Head Golf Course between holes 16 and 17 just behind the Men’s 17th tee box.
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 - CarolC | 2020 - CarolC | 2019 - CarolC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/24/20 | ||
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| aActive | |||
| bEgg Laying | |||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/15/21 | 4/16/20 | |
| cClutch Hatching | 5/23/20 | ||
| dNestlings | 1 | 1 | |
| eFledglings | 1 | 1 | |
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |||
| fChicks Last Observed | |||
| xNest Failure | 5/1/21 | ||
| xReason For Nest Failure | other | other |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2021 2020 2019
Activity reports
2019 Nest Activity Report by CarolC
| Adult arrival | 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 | This nest was NOT a failure as we thought at one time. There was one chick and it did fledge. |
2020 Nest Activity Report by CarolC
| Adult arrival | 03/24/2020 | Nestlings | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | 1 |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/16/2020 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/23/2020 | Reason for nest failure |
2021 Nest Activity Report by CarolC
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/15/2021 | Nest failure | 05/01/2021 |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | Dead tree fell |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
05/02/2021 by CarolC
Pat R reports: The bad news is that the tree on DHGC hole 17 which contained the nest #7566 has fallen. The tree was dead and is shattered into many pieces as is the nest. (Don’t really know at this time what happened to it). The adult ospreys are circling around, making lots of noises and landing in surrounding trees. The gals with whom I play golf were all devastated and we played a bad hole. So sad.
NOTE: The tree came down within a day of the last nest report. Very sudden!
04/30/2021 by CarolC
Pat R reports: An adult sitting there deep in the nest with only the top of its white head showing. Since this nest is on a golf course, the monitor can only observe while golfing. However, other friends who golf are helping report on this nest. Teamwork!
NOTE: Based on this report and the March update, we will assume that incubation is underway. We cannot pinpoint the start, but will guess mid April
03/11/2021 by CarolC
Pat R. Reports: Saw an adult osprey sitting on nest #7566 on DHGC hole 17 today, March 11th around 12:30
03/08/2021 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Nest 7566 on DHGC 17th hole has crows around it but so far haven’t seen ospreys around it although they have been seen in the area.
08/22/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Although this youngster has fledged, it is still hanging around and the parents bring him fish. (Maybe in COVID quarantine!)
08/01/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: The youngster is still hanging around to be fed. Saw two there today, 8/1/20, then one flew off and later saw chick having a good meal, so it must have been a parent that flew off and left food, or another parent that arrived with fresh food. This chick will probably never leave since it has it so good. We’ll see what this impeding storm does to the nest.
07/11/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: While I was playing golf I saw a good sized osprey walking around the nest and one sitting at the top of a branch on the tree.
No interaction while I was watching. NOTE: Based on the last observations and timing, we are assuming that one is a juvenile who is about ready to fledge.
06/20/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports:I saw one good sized one moving around in nest #7566 on the 17th hole. That one on hole 17 was squawking on Thursday. Didn’t see any one coming to feed them in my short times of observation since I was playing golf. NOTE: We assume the nest has 1 nestling that hatched around the third week of May. This is our best guess based on observations.
05/23/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: DHGC 17th tee had a head sticking up from the middle of the nest.
04/17/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: I saw one osprey perched at the top of a bare branch which I assumed was an adult. I did see another head bobbing around in the nest which looked like it was busy doing something. I could hear some osprey sounds but couldn’t tell if they were coming from that nest. Some of my friend “spotters” have seen two flying around the nest at times. I can’t tell yet about babies.
04/16/2020 by CarolC
While golfing, Carol B observed what looked like Mom in the nest and another osprey on a branch. This is a late nest to get active but this may indicate incubation is underway. We are recording it as having started, but will change it as needed.
03/24/2020 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Nest #7566 on the 17th hole of Dolphin Head Golf Course had two ospreys pecking away at something in the nest which my husband reported to me since I did not play today. Interesting that my nests started so late again, but around the same time.
02/05/2020 by CarolC
Pat R. reports: Nest # 7566 behind hole 17 on Dolphin Head Golf Course was checked Feb. 5 around 9:30 as I passed it playing golf. The nest still looks in pretty good shape but saw no activity at that time.
08/02/2019 by CarolC
Note: While at one point we thought the nest had no young, later it became apparent that there was on chick who successfully fledged.
08/01/2019 by CarolC
Pat R reports:
Yesterday morning I observed a young one in Nest 7566 on the 17th hole with one other which could have been an adult (could see the white breast) on a protruding limb that was making osprey sounds. Today I saw nothing
07/26/2019 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Yesterday I monitored Nest #7566 on the 17th hole of Dolphin Head Golf Course. An osprey that looked pretty grown was sitting on a branch above the nest making screeching noises like asking someone to come feed it. Last week I could hear the calls from surrounding trees but couldn’t see anything so I think the young ones are still hanging around although I never saw any actually in the nest, only adults messing around up there like they were tending to something
07/20/2019 by CarolC
Pat R reports: I have checked the nest yesterday and today and saw no activity at or near either nest. I think whatever was in the nest (lots of past activity with the adult birds, but no baby sightings) has moved on out.
06/28/2019 by CarolC
Pat R. reports: nest 7566 behind Dolphin Head 17th hole on Thursday, 6-27 and saw one adult osprey sitting on the nest occasionally fiddling around in the nest, and one adult on a branch above it all.
06/20/2019 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Observed Nest 7566 at hole 17 on Dolphin Head Golf Course for about 20 minutes on June 20th around 8:00.
Saw just one adult sitting on the the nest for around 10 minutes, then another flew into the nest for just seconds. Couldn’t see what they were doing. Then the “fly-in” adult moved to a higher perch and just sat there. The adult on the nest just sat as before sometimes preening itself.
05/30/2019 by CarolC
Note: This is a newly reported nest on May 30, 2019. Since it was found so late, we have no information on adult arrival and similar preliminary data.
05/30/2019 by CarolC
Pat R reports: Friends spotted this nest and it has been added to the monitoring list. I saw an adult standing quite regally on the nest. Took a photo, but saw no chicks. Friends tell me that they have seen another adult appear at times.