Nickname
Moss Creek Water Tower
Coordinates
(32.2534, -80.8185)
Substrate
Utility Pole
Description
The nest is located at the top of a water tower by 131 Timberlane in Moss Creek, a residential community just off Hilton Head Island.
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
| 2020 - CarolC | |
|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | |
| aOccupied | Yes |
| aActive | |
| bEgg Laying | |
| bIncubation Initiation | 5/17/20 |
| cClutch Hatching | |
| dNestlings | |
| eFledglings | |
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |
| fChicks Last Observed | |
| xNest Failure | |
| xReason For Nest Failure | unknown reason |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2022 2021 2020
Activity reports
2020 Nest Activity Report by CarolC
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 05/17/2020 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure | unknown reason |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
02/10/2023 by CarolC
Marge I reports that the nest is no longer there at the start of the 2023 season.
03/29/2022 by CarolC
Marge I reports: no nests or birds
NOTE: Based on the no nest or birds reports, we are marking this nest inactive for the season.
04/27/2021 by CarolC
Jessica and Matt report: We have been checking the platform regularly. Unfortunately have not seen any activity as of today.
NOTE: Based on several months of no activity, we will declare the nest site inactive for this season.
07/24/2020 by CarolC
Based on reports, it appears that the nest did not succeed this year. If there were eggs, they do not appear to have hatched. The nest seems to have partially blown away.
07/13/2020 by CarolC
Marge I reports: No Osprey. 07/6 and 07/13 Only birds on top of the tower were crows
06/29/2020 by CarolC
Marge I reports: 7742 on 06/24 no birds seen or heard. Same on 06/29. I was very close today during a golf lesson. I asked the pro who is there every other day to keep an eye out. He cannot recall seeing or hearing birds.
05/20/2020 by CarolC
Marge I reports: could barely see anything but definitely one bird deep in nest. based on this observation of one deep in the nest, we are estimating that incubation has begun. Our date is a pure guess.
04/29/2020 by CarolC
Marge I reports:
Nothing at first. Then one Osprey flew in and sat down pretty far
04/18/2020 by CarolC
Marge and Dave I report: Nest present. No birds seen or heard but on 04/15. Saw one fly out
03/19/2020 by CarolC
Marge I. reports: I found this nest on 3/19/20. It is an active Osprey Nest on the water tower that was not there last year. The tower was recently repainted. Marge and a friend saw two fly off out of the nest and a third one was in the nest. NOTE: Because we just found this nest, we can not say when the pair first arrived. We will monitor this nest to see if we can determine why there are three ospreys, since it is early for any osprey to have hatched and be flying already.