Nest #8536

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Nest #8536

Nickname

Alex and Abigail Hamilton

Coordinates

(38.244, -76.9576)

Substrate

Osprey Nest Platform

Description

Platform on dedicated pole in water

Followers

None

Monitoring groups

Colonial Beach Osprey Nest Watchers

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 - BarryM	2022 - Joanie M.	2022 - Mary J	2022 - Cable Risdon	2021 - BarryM
aAdult Arrival	3/24/23		3/20/22	3/20/22
aOccupied	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
aActive
bEgg Laying			4/8/22
bIncubation Initiation			4/10/22
cClutch Hatching
dNestlings		0	1
eFledglings
eFirst Chick Fledging
fChicks Last Observed
xNest Failure		6/20/22	6/1/22
xReason For Nest Failure		unknown reason	adult abandonment

Select Seasons

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

Activity reports

2021 Nest Activity Report by BarryM

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

2022 Nest Activity Report by Cable Risdon

Adult arrival	03/20/2022	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

2022 Nest Activity Report by Mary J

Adult arrival	03/20/2022	Nestlings	1
Nest Occupied	Yes	Fledglings
Nest Active		First chick fledging
Egg laying	04/08/2022	Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation	04/10/2022	Nest failure	06/01/2022
Clutch hatching		Reason for nest failure	adult abandonment

2022 Nest Activity Report by Joanie M.

Adult arrival		Nestlings	0
Nest Occupied	No	Fledglings
Nest Active		First chick fledging
Egg laying		Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation		Nest failure	06/20/2022
Clutch hatching		Reason for nest failure	unknown reason

Nest Activity Report by BarryM

Adult arrival	03/24/2023	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

03/22/2023 by BarryM

In 2022 "Mrs. Robinson was 21 years old. Her nest was not successful for the last two years, possibly due to her age. She was banded by Greg Kearns in Maryland and Cable Risdon was able to photograph her band in 2021.. We are hoping to see her again in 2023.

11/16/2022 by BarryM

Nest was active as of 6/7/2022. By 6/28 nest was abandoned for unknown reason.

06/26/2022 by Joanie M.

There was one egg unhatched in the nest. The female is banded and she is 21 years old this year.

03/20/2022 by Cable Risdon

Mrs. Robinson is back. Verified her band number. 21 years old!

03/15/2022 by Mary J

The male, Alex has returned

01/25/2022 by Cable Risdon

In 2021 this nest was occupied by a 20 year old banded female and mate. They mated but no chicks were produced.