Nest #7903

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Nest #7903

Nickname

Elizabeth River Park

Coordinates

(36.808, -76.2866)

Substrate

Steel pile

Description

Chesapeake, VA. On top of a 40' steel pile(?) where Scuffletown Creek flows into the Elizabeth River. There's a tugboat operation there. I believe the pile secures a barge.

Followers

None

What to look for

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.

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.

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.

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 fly

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.

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.

Nest Failure

Look for signs of nest failure like adult abandonment, adults no longer incubating eggs or feeding young.

Previous Next

Review All Observations

	2023 - Dave Gibson	2021 - Dave Gibson	2020 - Dave Gibson
aAdult Arrival		3/9/21	3/15/20
aOccupied	Yes	Yes	Yes
aActive
bEgg Laying
bIncubation Initiation
cClutch Hatching
dNestlings			2
eFledglings
eFirst Chick Fledging
fChicks Last Observed
xNest Failure			6/15/20
xReason For Nest Failure			eggs or young killed by predator

Select Seasons

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

Activity reports

2020 Nest Activity Report by Dave Gibson

Adult arrival	03/15/2020	Nestlings	2
Nest Occupied	Yes	Fledglings
Nest Active		First chick fledging
Egg laying		Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation		Nest failure	06/15/2020
Clutch hatching		Reason for nest failure	eggs or young killed by predator

2021 Nest Activity Report by Dave Gibson

Adult arrival	03/09/2021	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

Nest Activity Report by Dave Gibson

Adult arrival		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

05/10/2023 by Dave Gibson

Quick visit as I birded Elizabeth River Park. An adult was hunkered down and incubating eggs.

05/21/2021 by Dave Gibson

Observed nest while walking in park. Female was on nest and vocalized. Male hunted. The female could be frooding young, but not sure. Glad to see both birds there.

04/17/2021 by Dave Gibson

Visited on 4/17 late in day. Female was buried in the nest and the male hunted. Observed him catch a fish and carry it off. He returned later with nesting material for the nest.

04/13/2021 by Dave Gibson

Visited this a.m. I don't think there's any question that the female is on eggs.

03/26/2021 by Dave Gibson

Observed female on the nest. Male was absent. Nest is growing.

03/11/2021 by Dave Gibson

Nest building continues.

03/09/2021 by Dave Gibson

New arrivals. Much vocalizing. Observed copulation behavior.

07/26/2020 by Dave Gibson

I'm not sure, now, whether or not the nest here has failed. Yesterday, I observed an adult defending the nest from a Bald Eagle. This a.m. an adult spent a considerable amount of time sitting in the nest.

07/05/2020 by Dave Gibson

I discovered the male building this nest in March, 2020. The female showed up later, and the pair mated. They produced offspring (don't know the number). Sometime in June, the nest was abandoned. I assume a predator got to the chicks. I've been back several times, but haven't seen any signs of life there. Please see the photos which document the "progression." The last photo is of the abandoned nest.