Nest #9053

Nickname

2023 Matilda nest#8628

Coordinates

(372050.0, 761627.0)

Substrate

Osprey Nest Platform

Description

March 15, 2023 4:30 pm The first sight of female osprey this year. an adult female stopped at the nest station, stayed for thirty minutes, and then flew away.

Followers

None

Monitoring groups

Chesapeake Bay Osprey Watchers

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

Activity reports

	2023 - Tomoko
aAdult Arrival	3/17/23
aOccupied	No
aActive
bEgg Laying	5/1/23
bIncubation Initiation	5/1/23
cClutch Hatching	5/24/23
dNestlings
eFledglings
eFirst Chick Fledging
fChicks Last Observed
xNest Failure
xReason For Nest Failure

Adult arrival	03/17/2023	Nestlings
Nest Occupied	No	Fledglings
Nest Active		First chick fledging
Egg laying	05/01/2023	Chicks last observed
Incubation initiation	05/01/2023	Nest failure
Clutch hatching	05/24/2023	Reason for nest failure

Photos of this nest

Nesting Diaries

03/18/2023 by Tomoko

Matilda a mature female osprey lost her husband Oscar to an eagle, and thus was unsuccessful in breeding offsprings last year. Matilda Arrived at the nest on March 17 alone without a male. She stayed several hours in the nest, and on the post, surveying the area, and was probably waiting for males’ arrival in this area.