Nickname
Across from Shell Point
Coordinates
(41.7359, -70.6607)
Substrate
Osprey Nest Platform
Description
Stand at the tip of Shell Point and look across the water
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 - Roadrunner | 2021 - ospreychick | 2020 - Roadrunner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 3/22/23 | 3/23/21 | |
| aOccupied | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| aActive | |||
| bEgg Laying | |||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/28/21 | 4/19/20 | |
| cClutch Hatching | |||
| dNestlings | |||
| eFledglings | |||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | |||
| fChicks Last Observed | |||
| xNest Failure | |||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Select Seasons
Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2022 2021 2020
Activity reports
2020 Nest Activity Report by Roadrunner
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/19/2020 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
2021 Nest Activity Report by ospreychick
| Adult arrival | 03/23/2021 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/28/2021 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | Reason for nest failure |
Nest Activity Report by Roadrunner
| Adult arrival | 03/22/2023 | 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 |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
04/18/2023 by Roadrunner
Glad to report new pole erected to replace one that went down over the winter. The pair did not take to the new platform. They started nesting on a pole with a transformer. Eversource and Harbormaster moved nesting material to new platform and capped pole. Happy to report the pair have taken to the new platform and are building the nest up every day !
03/22/2023 by Roadrunner
Well I’m happy to report new nesting pole put up to replace the old one that fell this past winter and this afternoon there was an Osprey on the perch !
03/11/2023 by Roadrunner
Sad to report this past winter the nest pole snapped and as of 3/11/2023 the pole and platform are down. There are some forces at work to try and replace the pole and platform before they return.
04/28/2021 by ospreychick
I observed the nest on 4/28 and the female was incubating. The male was on the perch attached to the nest. No one was monitoring this nest so the date the eggs were laid is inaccurate. I observed the pair on March 23 so they arrived around that time.
08/20/2020 by ospreychick
Today I saw one of the adults perched on top of the mast near the nest. This is where the male sits after the chicks hatch so it seems that at least the male is still here.
04/30/2020 by Roadrunner
Today watched my nest for a while. One osprey on side of nest it’s mate on flagpole eating a fish. The one on the nest flew to the one on the flagpole and kinda landed on top of him/her? Then sat on flagpole for a short time and then flew towards me to the beach, was kinda paralleling the beach and as I watched with binoculars went into the “dive position” and dove down to the beach picked up a bunch of dried seaweed and flew low on the water struggling fighting the wind and took it to the nest! Pretty cool!
04/19/2020 by Roadrunner
This morning saw one osprey in nest bowl. Then one flew over head and landed on side of nest.
04/09/2020 by Roadrunner
6:33 This morning saw 1 sitting atop the nest and saw its mate on the flag pole to the left of the nest eating. After a couple of minutes the one on the flag pole brought whatever it was eating ( I assume it was a fish ) over to the nest.
04/05/2020 by Roadrunner
6:20 am This nest is really deep! Saw one osprey atop the side. Couldn’t tell if there was one in the nest bowl.