Nickname
101-B-022 "Thurston and Lovey"
Coordinates
(40.0623, -74.0487)
Substrate
Chimney
Description
The nest is located atop a chimney in a huge house in Bay Head, NJ off of Egbert Street. I first observed it at the end of last season, and recently saw activity from across Barnegat Bay in Bay Head Shores, Point Pleasant NJ. I reported the male has a silver band on one leg, and red band: 71/C.
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 - Candy | |
|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | |
| aOccupied | No |
| aActive | |
| bEgg Laying | |
| bIncubation Initiation | |
| 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
Activity reports
2021 Nest Activity Report by Candy
| Adult arrival | Nestlings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | No | 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
06/09/2022 by Candy
As of this date, no activity. However I did spot Thurston (71C) again flying over the marsh behind the school near my house. I am guessing he and Lovey did find another nest site.
05/02/2022 by Candy
I saw activity from across the bay on the chimney. I rode over and sure enough it was Thurston and Lovey trying to rebuild the nest on the deterrent! I have checked every day since then but haven't seen any activity.
03/25/2022 by Candy
I was watching Romeo and Juliet on the yet to be restored nest when Juliet started chirping like mad, getting louder and louder. I searched the sky, knowing from her chirp that danger was around. sure enough, overhead flew another osprey. It buzzed the nest and then flew onto their favorite perch about 40 yards from the nest. Juliet then flew and chased it away as it went across the marsh towards Antony and Cleopatra. It wasn't until I got the photos on my laptop that I saw the band and that it was 71C aka Thurston from the Egbert St. chimney nest in Bay Head NJ! I knew then the owners of the house put up some kind of deterrent - I took a ride and yes, there it was, a smaller cap on the current large one where Thurston and Lovey had their nest in previous years. I wonder if I'll find out where the displaced couple chose to make their new nest site.
07/05/2021 by Candy
Thurston and Lovey are attentive parents. There appears to be 2 chicks. Thurston flew off in search of breakfast.
An interesting behavior That I witnessed was that at one point Lovey took the fish from the nest and flew around the nest a couple of times while the chicks watched. Was this teaching them how to do that?
06/18/2021 by Candy
I can often be found at the little bay beach down the block especially during summer afternoons. As I was there last Friday, there was a lot of osprey activity surrounding me. Looking south in the distance, I counted at least 7 ospreys flying in circles, saw two go at each other, and one dive down and pick up seaweed. The one bearing seaweed approached the little beach, flew right in front of me! I saw his bands - it was Thurston! I asked my friends to watch my stuff and I drove into Bay Head despite my misgivings about summer traffic, and Bay Head is thisclose to my neighborhood. When I got to Egbert St., Lovey was sitting alone to the side of the nest. I watched for a few minutes but didn't see any little heads peeking up. Then Thurston shows up with a branch and the pair simultaneously placed it "just so" in the nest. I forget the term for assigning human traits to animals but in the one photo it looks like Lovey is saying to Thurston "right here" and Thurston replies " Yes dear" ....
06/09/2021 by Candy
I've been seeing activity from across the bay lately. Today I went to see if there were any hatchlings. I didn't see any but Lovey was sitting off to the side of the nest, and she took a short flight around the nest. Thurston aka 71C brought her a fish. Perhaps tomorrow.
05/21/2021 by Candy
As I approached the nest in the early morning, I couldn't see anyone. When I got closer I saw a head peeking out - those eyes! I stayed for a bit but didn't see anyone return with breakfast.
05/17/2021 by Candy
I just got to the bay when I heard the alarm. An osprey was hovering over the bay for a good minute or longer with its catch , screaming. I looked around, saw nothing except an osprey on Thurston's and Lovey's nest. It flew across the water to join the osprey atop their nest. Then another two ospreys appeared, the male wearing a silver band. The female was not only beautiful but huge. They flew to the south. Interesting -
05/14/2021 by Candy
As I sat at the bay beach across from the Bay Head nest, I saw Thurston visiting my side to collect more seaweed. He did this on May 13th and 14th.
05/12/2021 by Candy
returned from Florida a week ago, observed activity from my bay beach. One of the pair remained on the nest while the other gathered seaweed for the nest.
Before I went to FL I saw scaffolding on the chimney. I contacted BW and the outcome is the homeowners decided to let the nest be for this season.
04/21/2021 by Candy
Thanks to Ken Ostrom, the red band identifies Thurston as 71C, banded by Ben Wurst in 2015 as a nestling! I also observed that Lovey has a federal band but I can't make out the numbers yet. As of today, there are no eggs. I did see Thurston flying off, probably for lunch
04/09/2021 by Candy
The first day I say them this year on the chimney nest was April 6; I noticed them last year at the very end of the season. It's a difficult nest to observe because it's across the bay, and the street where it's located is VERY PRIVATE. But I will do my best. Yesterday both Thurston and Lovey were gathering nest materials from my side of the bay. When I uploaded the photos on my laptop, that's when I saw Thurston had a silver band on one leg and what appears to be a red band on the other!
04/09/2021 by Candy
I just got clearer photos of the bands on the nest. She is housekeeping the nest.