05/14/2023 by ART

03/17/2023 by ART Decent nest development on platform. Big drama was lengthy aerial dogfight, about 30 minutes of swooping and diving, talons out. Mostly three ospreys: a female attacking the nesting pair. Then at finish, another male swept in and up river with the attacking female. Nesting pair returned to platform. Male spent 15 minutes or so with head down: hurt? All quiet. 03/28/23 Mating behavior, aerial and on nest 03/28/23 Mating 03/30/23 Eggs? Onna low on nest throughout strong winds and driving rain. Crest feathers soaked and spiky. No other reason to not seek shelter in trees. 04/01/23 Onna clearly egg sitting, rearranges sticks periodically. Petras brings new sticks and fish, stays on nest as companion as well as flying off. 04/02/23 Interception of fly-by ospreys is different: not aggressive, more playful, flying in tandem, wing to wing, not dive-bombing, talons out. Could intruder be a sibling? Nesting poles spotted on Spriggs Pond and further up-river at Magothy Manor. Again, siblings? 04/03/23 Great blue heron flies by to stand on log in Bodahl Pond. Petras swoops from nest and dive bombs GBH: my pond, my fish. Sporadic mating. 23 Mar 14 Female Mar 16 pair 23 Mar 28 mating 30 Mar eggs: two weeks from arrival 23 April 4 egg-sitting obvious: possible eggs: two weeks from suspected mating 23 May 13 One hatchling sighted. Teeny tiny, bald; 5 ½ weeks from suspected egg sitting

04/03/2023 by ART

03/28/23 Mating behavior, aerial and on nest 03/28/23 Mating 03/30/23 Eggs? Onna low on nest throughout strong winds and driving rain. Crest feathers soaked and spiky. No other reason to not seek shelter in trees. 04/01/23 Onna clearly egg sitting, rearranges sticks periodically. Petras brings new sticks and fish, stays on nest as companion as well as flying off. 04/02/23 Interception of fly-by ospreys is different: not aggressive, more playful, flying in tandem, wing to wing, not dive-bombing, talons out. Could intruder be a sibling? Nesting poles spotted on Spriggs Pond and further up-river at Magothy Manor. Again, siblings? 04/03/23 Great blue heron flies by to stand on log in Bodahl Pond. Petras swoops from nest and dive bombs GBH: my pond, my fish. Sporadic mating.

03/17/2023 by ART

Decent nest development on platform. Big drama was lengthy aerial dogfight, about 30 minutes of swooping and diving, talons out. Mostly three ospreys: a female attacking the nesting pair. Then at finish, another male swept in and up river with the attacking female. Nesting pair returned to platform. Male spent 15 minutes or so with head down: hurt? All quiet.

03/16/2023 by ART

March 5, 2023 10 AM Male osprey on bare nesting platform. Responds to whistling with snaking and circling overhead. Markings and behavior are different from Ozzie. March 8-11, 2023 Various osprey land on platform, as do bald eagle and blackbirds, but no nesting behavior. March 14 Female on bare platform, brings two sticks. Flies off, returns several times, but does not return to stay. March 16 Pair on bare platform, bring sticks, stay for hours. Hover, fish and display catch. Territorial circling and calling from morning through evening. Not Ozzie and Harriet though: seem younger pair, more hesitant, less busy; not making contact. Note (photo) slender, awkward sticks; Ozzie and Harriet used thicker, shorter, more sturdy branches or driftwood for nest foundation. If not Ozzie and Harriet, 2023 ends a dynasty begun 2013. Will continue to watch. May rename pair: Petras and Onna?

07/10/2022 by ART

22 July 6 Third osprey fledged. Each day flying further. All three return to the nest for morning and late afternoon feed. Third one seems to return to nest and chirp alone. Interesting that last fledgling holds on to nest, like 2021. Through hard rainfall, third fledgling and Harriet braved weather exposed on nest. By July 10, all 3 off nest for extended periods of the day.

07/04/2022 by ART

22 March 3 Fly-over, no landing 22 March 10 O&H swoop, land, build 22 April 16 Eggs? Harriet change of behavior 22 May 23 Hatch? Little chirps 22 3 chicks: two female, one male; SPHS birds peck at youngest, seemingly neglected but surviving. O&H’s chicks more egalitarian, compatible 22 July 3 Fledge! small male, 5 weeks? from hatching; white patch on closed left upper wing

09/24/2020 by ART

2020 March 3, 1 PM 2 bald eagles flew over house, ate fish in Bohdal tree ~ 20 min 20 March 5, 11:45 AM osprey sighted flying high up river; Ozzie and Harriet arrived March 7? 20 April 11 Eggs? behavior change; Harriet sitting low in the nest 5 weeks from arrival 20 May 17-19-20 Eggs hatch? behavior change; Ozzie joining Harriet on nest, Harriet dipping low; 5 weeks from suspected eggs laid; 10 weeks from arrival 20 May 27 Hatchling confirmed; head sighted 20 July flapping into wind; F#1 Blackie up to 50 flaps; F#2 Brownie, 10-20 at a time; both have “necklaces” 20 July 6 vigorous flapping and small hops in pre-storm light wind 20 July 14 Noon: flapping, hopping, F#1 Blackie 3' high above nest in sustained wind off Bay 5 PM in no particular wind: FLIGHT! Harriet sat on the boat with F#1 Blackie until I think she got too hot. Then she flew back to the nest to stay with F#2 Brownie, leaving F#1 Blackie still on the boat. It looked around made a few desultory flaps, but looked like it didn't have the nerve to fly back to the nest. Then suddenly F#1 Blackie took off, flew in a circle down river about 60 feet and then upriver about 60 feet and finally landed on the nest. F#1 Blackie fledged 6.5 weeks from confirmed hatching days from suspected eggs laid; 4 months from arrival. 9 PM both fledglings snuggled low in the nest. Harriet keeping watch. 20 July 15 F#1 Blackie/Orville flying in circles almost hourly: 2-minute, sustained flights with gliding; F#2 Brownie/Amelia up to 63 flaps, sometimes irregular, & small hops, but not much lift; Harriet often off the nest for sustained periods; predict fledglings leaving nest in 2 weeks August Rare to see two ospreys, Orville and Amelia, on the nest, but often, in pre-storm wind, Orville and Amelia display swoops and chases in airshows. Sometimes together ward off other osprey above nest. Ozzie and/or Harriet still feed Amelia, stopping first on their branches to eat. 20 August 29 Amelia screeching on Harriet’s branch, often on nest. Not seeing Orville. 20 Sep 3 Thought Amelia migrated because nest bare, but she returned ~ 10:30 AM, screeched awhile and then flew off. While on nest, another low fly-by by another osprey. After party tent went up, Amelia did not return to nest at all, sitting on Harriet’s branch with only occasional chirpings, more chirps than screeches, when another bird flew too close to nest or Harriet’s perch. Few osprey around, maybe only one by-by daily. 20 Sep 8 2:28 Amelia flew off Harriet's branch, where she has been sitting virtually silent for hours, to circle the nest twice, screeching to ward off the bald eagle flying high across the river from Black Hole Creek.  Then Amelia set off to chase the eagle across Spriggs Pond. He didn't slow down or speed up, but no matter. Big girl, all grown up 6:13 PM Amelia startled off of Harriet's branch by someone walking back on the pier. As Amelia flew over to Bodahl Pond, she was carrying a fish. Nobody got it for her! It was small, but it was one whole fish. Final sure sighting of Amelia for 2020, 6 mos. from O&H’s arrival, consistent with 7 weeks after fledging. No chirps or screeches after today; a couple ospreys sighted, but not in Amelia’s flight pattern or on her perches. 20 Fri Sep 11 11:50 AM Bald eagle over lawn; perched in sweet gum tree, on pier. Ownership!

08/24/2020 by ART

21 Mar 4 Osprey on nest, but not seem like Ozzie; several flying around 21 Mar 9 Harriet on nest; chirping back, chirping out; no Ozzie; Harriet starts building nest solo 21 Mar 20 Harriet building nest alone, fending off ospreys; no Ozzie, but Larry reports mating 21 Mar 23 Ozzie?: nest, branches, chirps back; many fish flying display, duo nest build, mating; we’ve lost Ozzie’s favorite branches to storms and tree trimming, so he doesn’t land close to eat fish and keep company: is it really Ozzie? He does snake when spoken to or whistled to, but doubts persist. 21 April 10 large, high nest; Harriet hunkers down; Ozzie fishes, occasional mating: eggs? 21 April 19 definite nesting behavior; 4 weeks since Ozzie sighting; look for hatching ~ May 15 21 May 12 Ozzie very active, eating fish in tree; Harriet sitting higher, definite chirps like chicks; by May 14, Ozzie & Harriet both tending to the nest most of the time 21 In light of doubts that Ozzie is truly Ozzie and not a previous offspring with whom Harriet is building a nest, we renamed Ozzie as Oedipus, Harriet as Jocasta and the two eaglets as Antigone and Ismene. 21 July 7/8 Antigone fledged; Ismene by July 11; 8 weeks after hatching; look for migration from August 26 to Labor Day

09/24/2019 by ART

2017 March 3 - Labor Day Arrive, depart; nest building, but no visible eggs 2018 March 3 - Labor Day Arrive, depart; nest building; suspect eggs until violent rainstorm; no visible hatchings 2019 (March 3 bald eagle, BE, on nest) 19 March 7 Arrive; suspect eggs; Eggs: 1-4 eggs in each clutch, 1 brood annually; 2.2-2.7" X 1.6-2.0” Cream to pinkish cinnamon; wreathed, spotted reddish brown. Incubation: 36-42 days; Nestling Period: 50-55 days Chicks capable of limited motion. Covered with down and with eyes open 19 May 22: Hatch? Two chicks: many dated pictures 19 left late ~ 1 week past Labor Day