Nickname
Oyster Bay Place HHP
Coordinates
(32.2434, -80.712)
Substrate
Live Tree
Description
Construction on this new nest started in late February, 2023. Location: in backyard of 15 Oyster Bay Place in Hilton Head Plantation. The nest can also be seen from across the lagoon just past 7 Oyster Reef Cove.
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 - CarolC | 2023 - abiggs2 | |
|---|---|---|
| aAdult Arrival | 2/24/23 | 2/24/23 |
| aOccupied | Yes | |
| aActive | ||
| bEgg Laying | ||
| bIncubation Initiation | 4/11/23 | |
| cClutch Hatching | 5/17/23 | |
| dNestlings | 2 | |
| eFledglings | ||
| eFirst Chick Fledging | ||
| fChicks Last Observed | ||
| xNest Failure | ||
| xReason For Nest Failure |
Activity reports
Nest Activity Report by abiggs2
| Adult arrival | 02/24/2023 | Nestlings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | 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 CarolC
| Adult arrival | 02/24/2023 | Nestlings | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest Occupied | Yes | Fledglings | |
| Nest Active | First chick fledging | ||
| Egg laying | Chicks last observed | ||
| Incubation initiation | 04/11/2023 | Nest failure | |
| Clutch hatching | 05/17/2023 | Reason for nest failure |
Photos of this nest
Nesting Diaries
05/30/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports:
5/1/23 incubation
5/7/23 Maxine Uttal observes: incubation position at first then a lot of both of them standing around and wing flapping and some relocating of sticks.
5/17/23 bird sitting in nest, looking more elevated than when incubating (egg hatch today is an estimate based on 5/19 report from neighbor).
5/19/23 incubation, moving sticks around. Neighbor said there was a lot of activity yesterday with crows and hawks
5/24/23 adult feeding 2 chicks 9:30 am. View better from ORC.
5/28/23 Adult stands at side of nest. Chicks not visible.
5/29/23 Adult female stands at side of nest. Chicks not visible.
04/28/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reeports for April 21-28:
4/21/23
8990 8:44 incubation position
4/24/23
8990 11:35 incubation position
4/28/23
8990 12:15 pm looks empty, watched for awhile, and a bird eventually showed the top of their head. Incubation position. Viewed from ORC.
04/17/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports:
4/17/23
8990 9:28 looks like incubation, can only see top of head. OBP. Can’t see from ORC. But male flies in and I see them trade places. 9:35. I have photos of this.
04/11/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: Image posted of what looks like the female spreading her wings outside of the nest and the male in the nest. They didn't change places while I observed.
9:24 male in incubation position then had female fly in being harassed by a crow, landed for a few seconds then left, better view of male from 17 oyster bay place. Can only see his head. Female flies in and chirps a lot.
NOTE: We are listing incubation as possible as of 4/11
04/09/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports for April 3-9
4/3/23
8990 bird hunched down and only top of head is visible 9:14 am
4/5/23
8990 no one home 9:45 am
4/9/23
8990 10:44 nobody home
03/29/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: 8990 9:17 nobody home then 1 shows up, 3 others fly around including a BAEA, crows get too close, lots of noise. Three of Alan's photos added from March observations.
03/22/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: 8990 9:23 both adults standing at side of nest. After a few minutes they both went flying away.
NOTE: Since neither bird remained at the nest, incubation is probably not underway yet even though she appeared to be in incubation position previously.
03/17/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: 8990 female bird in incubation position then moved to side of nest, male flew in then female left 9:16 to 9:31. Male standing at side of nest.
03/10/2023 by CarolC
Steve W reports: They are spending more time on the nest rather than perched on its edge. We may have witnessed the pair changing places to incubate an egg, But we can't see that a bird is in the nest most of the time.
NOTE: We will hold off on a date for egg laying until we can see consistent incubation posture.
03/08/2023 by CarolC
Steve W reports:
3/4 Add some Spanish moss and it feels like home.
3/8 Now it's looking like a real nest.
03/04/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: 8990 nest building activity today
Male and female present, male fetching sticks. Could be a young pair?
03/01/2023 by CarolC
Alan B reports: There was one bird there that probably was a female. The nest looks still like it is in “the discussion phase.”
02/24/2023 by CarolC
This is a new nest reported by Steve W 2/24/2023
They just started construction, maybe a half dozen sticks. Right now most of the nest building is in the discussion phase. Location: in backyard of 15 Oyster Bay Place. View from back of 7 Oyster Reef Cove.