Nickname
Hampton Lake boardwalk
Coordinates
(32.2591, -80.9352)
Substrate
Live Tree
Description
The new nest is 200 yards from the old nest they built after the original nest fell last June. It is located alongside the nature trail that runs along the lake. Old Nest: The nest is just off of a boardwalk nature trail across from 30 Fishdancer Court in Hampton Lake. (Bluffton 29910)
Followers
None
Monitoring groups
What to look for
Review All Observations
2024 - HHI Osprey Watch2023 - HHI Osprey Watch
aAdult Arrival2/25/243/7/23
aOccupiedYesYes
aActive
bEgg Laying
bIncubation Initiation3/18/243/29/23
cClutch Hatching5/7/23
dNestlings2
eFledglings
eFirst Chick Fledging
fChicks Last Observed
xNest Failure6/14/23
xReason For Nest Failurenest destroyed during storm

Select Seasons

Show reports, diaries, and photos from:Current 2023

Activity reports

2023 Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival03/07/2023Nestlings2
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiation03/29/2023Nest failure06/14/2023
Clutch hatching05/07/2023Reason for nest failureStorm took down part of tree destroying the nest. The two chicks did not survive.
Nest Activity Report by HHI Osprey Watch
Adult arrival02/25/2024Nestlings
Nest OccupiedYesFledglings
Nest Active First chick fledging
Egg layingChicks last observed
Incubation initiation03/18/2024Nest failure
Clutch hatchingReason for nest failure

Photos of this nest

Nesting Diaries

03/20/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #9, March 20, Tuesday I sat near the nest for an hour in the evening. The female was sitting in the nest the entire time. I didn’t see the male. I feel certain that incubation is underway, probably starting Sunday, March 18.

03/19/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #8, March 19, Monday Just as I arrived in the evening the male flew into the nest and the female’s tail popped up from deep in the nest. The male then flew away.

03/18/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: I am pretty sure that incubation began Sunday, March 18 as the female has been in the nest every time I have visited since.

03/17/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Report #7- March 17, Sunday I arrived at 10:00am and the male was perched on a branch above the nest. The female stayed in the nest the entire time (30 minutes). At one point the male flew off to gather some Spanish moss and flew back to the nest with it. Possible incubation? I will follow closely.

03/16/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #6- March 16, Saturday I spent an hour at the nesting site around 6:00pm. The female was perched on a branch above the nest and the male never appeared.

03/12/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #5- March 12 (Tuesday) The Osprey pair is busy nest building. I possibly saw mating behavior! The nest is looking great and I’m happy to report that the tree is alive and looks healthy.

03/07/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #4- March 7 (Thursday) The Osprey pair is in the nest

03/05/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: March 5, 2024, Tuesday I live a couple of blocks from the Osprey site and today at 2:00 I heard the Osprey. I quickly went to the site and discovered that the pair has moved to another site about 200 yards from the nest they built after the original nest fell last June. It is located alongside the nature trail that runs along the lake. Please see enclosed photos. Both Osprey were present and the male was bringing in nesting material while the female was busy rearranging. Both Osprey were quite vocal. Old Nest Location: The nest is just off of a boardwalk nature trail across from 30 Fishdancer Court in Hampton Lake. (Bluffton 29910)

03/04/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: March 3, Sunday No Osprey seen or heard this morning. The nest appears unchanged.

02/25/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B: Report #1- February 25, 2024 First sighting of the male who flew in and landed on the old nest. No nest building seen. No sign of the female yet.

01/18/2024 by HHI Osprey Watch
1/18/24 Update: The tree and the new nest do not appear to be stable and much of the nest has blown away. I’m not sure if the pair will return, though this is the second year they were in the area. They were never successful in the first nest they built and that one also blew down over the winter. No sightings yet.

06/19/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: NOTE: This is the nest that was destroyed, along with the nestlings, in the storm of 6-14-23. Update on my Osprey. Not only are they sticking around they are now bringing nesting material to the stump of the broken off tree. What the heck! Too late for a successful do-over but I hope they aren’t building for next year as this tree is terribly unstable.

06/15/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports on damage to tree: Two photos posted taken previously. Red line added to represent the break point. . Arrow represents the break point. Multiple photos compared to generate this data. The last photo is from this morning showing broken tree and nest destroyed.

06/15/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports: So we had a terrible storm last evening (6-14-23) and I am devastated to report that the Osprey nest didn’t make it. Early this morning the female was on the tree calling on a branch just below where the tree had broken off under the nest. No chance of survival of the chicks. So sad…

06/13/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports: Female was in the nest and a nestling popped up intermittently for a fleeting moment, including this strange display.

06/11/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports: 6/9/2023, Friday The female was in the nest. No activity this morning. 6/11/2023, Sunday Early morning visit revealed a great look at a nestling! The female and the nestling were sharing a meal. I’m pretty sure I saw another nestling alongside the easily visible one. (See the last photo to the right of the nestling.) NOTE: Based on this info, we are listing 2 nestlings but can change if needed.

06/05/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports for 6/1 - 6/5 6/1/2023, Thursday The female Osprey was in the nest, intermittently vocalizing and tending to the nestling(s) 6/3/2023, Saturday The female was sitting quietly in the nest. 6/5/2023, Monday The female was busily working in the nest, tail up. I saw a nestling again but was unable to convincingly appreciate a head. The male was quietly perched nearby.

05/30/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports for May 16-30:: 5/16/2023, Tuesday More distant view from the lake this evening. One Osprey in the nest, another on an adjacent limb. 5/18/2023, Thursday One Osprey sitting near the top of the nest. 5/20/2023, Saturday Evening check today from the lake side. The female was moving about in the nest. 5/24/2023, Wednesday The female was in the nest pulling apart a piece of food. She was bending down in the nest appearing to feed the nestlings. The male was perched on a nearby snag. 5/28/2023, Sunday The female was sitting in the nest with frequent calls. 5/29/2024, Monday The female was sitting quietly on the nest. 5/30/2024, Tuesday Lots of activity today! The female was in the nest tearing up some food and making repeated “head bows” into the nest. I also got my first peek at a nestling who was bobbing in and out of sight! Light wasn’t great but a photo is included. NOTE: We have listed 1 nestling until we can confirm how many there are.

05/15/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports for the week of: 5/7 - 5/14: 5/7/2023, Sunday Male was outside the nest and the female was moving around in the nest with her head often down in the depth of the nest. No further drones. 5/8/2023, Monday The female was moving about in the nest. After a bit she flew out of the nest, flew around the nest for a few laps returning to the nest with a stick. I didn’t see the male today. 5/9/2023, Tuesday The female was busy working in the nest, moving sticks around. After a while the male arrived at the nest with a large piece of food. 5/11/2023, Thursday Both Osprey were in the nest this morning. The male was upright and the female was tail up, head down in the nest. 5/14/2023, Sunday Single Osprey in the nest. NOTE: the behavior described on both 5/7 and 5/11 might indicate that hatching has occurred and Mom was feeding them. We will list 5/7 as tentative hatching.

05/05/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports: 5/2/2023, Tuesday Morning visit. Still incubating with one Osprey in the nest. 5/3/2023, Wednesday One Osprey in the nest without change. 5/5/2023, Friday The male was in the nest and the female was on an adjacent branch. Lots of vocalizations from the female today. After about 20 minutes the female joined the male in the nest.

05/01/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports for 4/21- 5/1: 4/21/2023, Friday Early evening visit today. One Osprey was in the nest with it’s head just visible. I saw and heard several vocalizations. 4/25/2023, Tuesday Late morning visit revealed one Osprey deep in the nest. 4/27/2023, Thursday One Osprey in the nest in the morning as usual. 5/1/2023, Monday Incubation continues. Evening visit today. The nest was intact after 2 days of high winds and one Osprey was deep in the nest

04/16/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports for the week of 4/9-4/16: 4/9/2023, Sunday Windy and cold this morning. The top of one Osprey head was visible in the nest. 4/11/2023, Tuesday The male was deep in the nest. The female was nearby, flying to several different perches, eventually landing in the nest. Lots of vocalizations by the female today. 4/13/2023, Thursday Both Osprey were present this morning. At first they were both perched on the side of the nest. The male then flew off, broke a stick off of a nearby tree and delivered it to the nest. When I left the male was deep in the nest and the female was on a branch nearby. 4/16/2023, Sunday Incubation continues with the male deep in the nest and the female on a nearby branch. I heard a few vocalizations today

04/07/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: 4/7/2023, Friday I returned to check on the nest today and to my dismay the construction crew had cleared a new path through the marsh which passes right by the base of the tree with the nest. I found the construction crew who was nearby with a larger tractor and they said that they had not been told there was a nest. I pointed it out to them and have emailed my HOA with an update. Regarding the Osprey, the incubation appears to be undisturbed. When I arrived the male was in the nest with the female on a perch nearby. She then flew into the nest to switch with the male who lighted on a nearby snag.

04/06/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: 4/6/2023, Thursday Today at the site the male was deep in the nest, barely visible. The female was nearby intermittently flying around and lighting on perches. She appeared to have a fish in her talons. I did notice some construction equipment and an area of clearing they had done within 50 yards of the nest. I notified the HOA of the situation and they assured me that the construction company was aware of the nest. They also said no large tree removal was planned in the area.

04/05/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: Right on time incubation appears to have begun. The male was barely visible sitting low in the nest. A few minutes after I arrived the female swooped in with a fishy snack and perched on the adjacent branch to enjoy her tasty treat.

04/01/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: Both Osprey were at the site this morning. One was barely visible in the nest and the other was perched on a branch just adjacent to the nest. The one on the branch was doing some strange gyrations with its wings the whole time I was there. It was quite windy so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it.

03/29/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathryn B reports for the week of 3/24 - 3/29 3/24/2023, Friday The female Osprey was perched on a snag adjacent to the nest. 3/26/2023, Sunday This morning a lone Osprey was in the nest. The nest is now so large that the Osprey can be so deep in the nest that they cannot be seen from the boardwalk. 3/27/2023, Monday This morning the nesting site was quite active! Both Osprey were flying in and out of the nest, sometimes perching nearby or flying out of sight. I heard and saw many vocalizations. At one point the female flew into the nest followed by the male for a conjugal visit! The female appears to be missing one or more tail feathers. I had not noticed this before. 3/28/2023, Tuesday Brief stop by the nest this morning. No Osprey seen or heard. 3/29/2023, Wednesday At least one Osprey was in the nest this morning with only the tip of a tail feather visible. NOTE: This description seems to indicate that incubation is underway.

03/29/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch

03/16/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: Both Osprey were at the nesting site when I arrived. The male soon flew away but had apparently delivered a tasty treat for the female who chowed down while perched on a branch and then dropped some inedible parts to the branch below.

03/15/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reports: The female was sitting on the nest alone.

03/14/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
Kathy B reported for the week of 3/8 - 3/14: 3/8/2023, Wednesday The female was sitting on a branch adjacent to the nest while the male delivered more sticks. The nest can be seen in the photo without magnification just to the right of the center. 3/9/2023, Thursday The male and female were both sitting on the nest. 3/10/2023, Friday One of the Osprey was sitting on the nest and and the other was on a nearby snag. 3/11/2023, Saturday. The female was sitting on the nest and then flew to an adjacent snag. I did hear a few vocalizations. I didn’t see the male. The nest was definitely more elaborate. 3/12/2023, Sunday The female was sitting on a snag near the nest and didn’t change her location during a 30 minute observation period. I was to see and hear her call several times. No sign of the male. 3/13/2021, Monday Both Osprey were present this morning. The male was on the nest and flew away shortly after I arrived. The female was perched on an adjacent snag. 3/14/2023, Tuesday The female was on the nest and the male was not seen or heard in the area.

03/07/2023 by HHI Osprey Watch
This nest was added to the database after being reported by Kathy B, who will monitor the nest. Kathy provided this background info on the nest:The nest is just off of a boardwalk nature trail across from 30 Fishdancer Court in Hampton Lake. The area is a marsh with lots of snags and is a hotspot for woodpeckers. I first noticed the nest this morning (3/7/23). I last walked the trail on Saturday and the nest wasn’t there then. I have been watching because a pair built a nest in the same area last year in April. There were never any signs of eggs or hatchlings and the pair eventually left. Some time this winter the nest disappeared. I feel like the whole tree must have fallen because there was nothing left. Today, March 7, 2023 there was a smallish nest (see photos) with a male and a female. The male was delivering sticks while the female sat on the nest. Interestingly there was another Osprey perched in a tree 30 feet away and did not seem to bother the pair. NOTE: We are listing the date of the pair return as today, 3-7-23 since this is the start of monitoring the nest and the return of the pair was sometime between 3-5 and 3-7.