Nesting Diaries
attempted to assess the platform for trash removal /nest trim and any necessary repairs but the platform is not accessible from the nature center marsh due to degrading marsh conditions. I may be able to access from the community next door in the fall but will need hOA permission.
not monitoring this area as closely this season, dates are estimated when i confirm on site
pair was in trees then flying up to guard their airspace, very crowded in the air above the nature center today with 3 pairs of the 4 nest sites in residence!
pair was in trees then flying up to guard their airspace, very crowded in the air above the nature center today with 3 pairs of the 4 nest sites in residence!
No birds on nest, but could hear one calling from nearby trees. Spotted an adult in one of the trees eating a fish.
78 degrees, cloudy, light breeze . 2:15 pm
One almost full-grown juvenile only on nest. An adult in a nearby snag. 78 degrees, mostly sunny, light breeze, 1:45 pm
Female on nest with one chick, half grown. 1:40 pm, 83 degrees, mostly sunny.
One adult on nest which left shortly after I arrived. Then I could see one chick. Adult did not return before I left, but I saw it flying around the woods. 84 degrees, light breeze, sunny, 6:30 pm
just one chick observed today, female shading
Bird in nest apparenting incubating. Several adults flying around overhead calling. 68, very clear, light breeze, 4:30 pm.
4 pm, SW 10 mph, 82 degrees sun and clouds, one deep in nest appears to be incubating, finally
one osprey on nest, appeared to be female, 62 degrees, clouds and sun, NW 14mph
When I arrived, no bird on nest. After 10 minutes one bird returned. 55 degrees, mostly cloudy, some breeze, 2:30 pm
one on nest today, did not see mate, 61, overcast 7 mph NW
Female standing on nest and did not move from her spot. Mate came in for a couple of moments and then took off. Did not return during 15 minutes of observation. Mostly cloudy, 62 degrees, light breeze. 2:45 pm
68, sun, breeze, WNW 13 mph, first day to confirm a pair on nest, photographer on the far walkway did not seem to disturb any of the pairs, this would be good for this pair as the female has been skittish in past seasons.
male in far tree today, drizzle, NW 14 mph, nest has grass growing in it and doesnt look like much work has been done to refresh it.
82, S 20 mph and gusts, 4 pm, 3 ospreys flying over the nature center marsh, tussling a bit and vocalizing but none that stopped off at this nest and territory
One on nest working on nest and another nearby in tree. 81 degrees at 6:45 p.m.
One osprey in nearby tree, appears to be a male. 70 degrees and clear.
No birds on nest, but could hear at least two calling in woods beyond. A little while later, two ospreys flew out of trees and circled over Salt Pond. 80degrees, mostly sunny, light breeze, 1:15 p.m.
one juvie in nest crying today
At first did not see any birds on nest. After a few moments, one juvenile came up out of the nest. Did not seem ready to fledge. 2:30 pm, 80 degrees, sunny, light breeze.
one fledge on far tree today second in nest
checked the nest this evening, both chicks at nest, some wingercising but they still have a little growing to do.
cooler today at 78 degrees at 4 pm with some light rain off and on, both chicks laying down in nest, both adults in the back tree area, chicks may need another week or so to fledge age and I hope they get there with a coming storm expected this entire next week
extremely hot humid late day, 89 degrees, both large chicks under mombrella at 4 pm today, many ospreys circling and tussling over airspace and dining trees. definitely the place to be for osprey watchers, one adult was standing in the pond cooling its feet and this adult female took off after it and chased it away. i would expect these 2 chicks, should they make it, to be flying b the 2nd week of august, hopefully before. the great horned owl that may have preyed on this nest in seasons past was found injured in the nearby woods and taken to bird rescue, it did not survive.
One adult and one almost grown chick on nest. Adult was feeding chick. Adult was spreading wings as if to shade chick. 83 degrees, mostly sunny, light breeze, 1 pm.
hot humid evening, 82, SE wind at 9mph, female on nest feeding 2 chicks at 6 pm, did not see mate
Adult sitting on nest with wings spread to protect chicks from strong sun. As she moved around, I could see two chicks. No feeding at this time. 2:40 pm, 80 degrees, very sunny after rainy morning.
2 chicks visible and they appear to be approx 10-12 days old, just peaking above the nest rim, dark heads straining to look out. Mom was flushed off nest by people on the walkway but she went back to nest after about 5 minutes. could be more than the 2 chicks but i watched for about 30 minutes and did not see a third nor did I see the mate.
Female in nest and did not move except to turn head. She did not call and I did not see mate. 69 degrees, windy, partly cloudy, 10:30 a.m.
observed nest for over 15 minutes today, female flat in nest and did not show hatchling behavior that one might see such as fussing under her chest etc. She remained in same still position during my visit, did not call to mate who was also not in the area. we should continue to look for hatchling and feeding behavior in this coming week.
observed female in nest between 4-5 pm today, really nice day with cool temps at low 70's wind E 7mph and gorgeous blue sky. female was apparently flushed off the nest when 3 people and one dog walked to the end of the walkway. she did quite a few fly rounds and landed again after about 5 minutes. she has not flushed off nest for me but i often dont go all the way to the end observation area.if she is flushing off eggs with most visitors to the end of the nature center walkway then her eggs may not be viable-time will tell. i will look for feeding behavior around 6-16 or after. locals tell me she is often not on her nest. I did not see the mate but she was calling for fish. this may be a young inexperienced pair. will be interesting to see if they have chicks.this platform has not done well after the first season we placed it in the marsh to save 2 chicks that had fallen from a nearby snag nest.
incubation range is 35-43 days, this pair started incubating around 5-8-20, expected hatchling feeding behavior of adults anytime on of after 6-13 to 6-20 hatchlings generally not seen above nest until approx 1-1/2 to 2 weeks of age which is when they can lift their heads.
One bird sitting deep in nest. No other activity. Bay girl, thanks for info.
One bird deep in nest. No other activity.
One adult deep in nest. Could see the head of one chick. Adult on nest calling to mate.
One bird on nest. Mate showed up a few minutes later. Abruptly left nest when a blackbird swept nearby. Mate chased it off and returned to nest. 58, chilly, partly sunny, windy. 2 pm
female deep in nest calling for evening fish, did not see mate but there is now 4 osprey pairs at the nature center marsh area so if one is monitoring its best to learn where the mates eat and guard from, that makes it easier to understand the dynamic at the nest as well. territory is everything especially in a colony such as this one.
One bird standing on nest. Moments later mate landed on nest with a fish. The other bird then took off. The bird with fish also left moments late and flew to a nearby tree with fish still in talons. After a minute, it came back and started eating fish. After a few minutes it settled into the nest. 62 degrees, sunny, windy. 1:30 pm
one deep in the nest today, appears to be incubating, did not see or hear mate however a new pair has begun a snag nest close to the beginning of the boardwalk in the SE wooded area. this makes 4 pairs at the nature center!
Both birds sitting on nest, but not brooding. One left the nest after a minute and approached another osprey coming from the south. They circled around for a moment until the intruder went back into the woods. The original bird settled on a snag near the nest. 75 degrees, sunny, 30 mph wind, 3:15 pm.
no signs of incubation. female was hunkered on the nest rim today in high wind rain calling to mate that had just brought in a fish and was eating on his favorite tree to the east of the platform.
Female deep in nest. Did not see mate. 60 degrees, partly sunny. 11:45
both on nest today, female asking for fish, male attempted copulation twice then took off for the pond
this pair comes and goes to the nest area, pair on the nest today
female on near snag to nest this evening calling for mate to bring fish, did not see mate
No birds near or on nest. Sunny, 80 degrees
pair is not at the site as often now, rarely do I see them and when i do it is just one
pair continues to spend time either at nest or on favorite guard trees at far back area of the nature preserve. i cant prove it but i suspect the failure of the nesting was, like many this season, the heavy rains that saturate the eggs.
Did not see or hear any osprey or chicks on nest. Looks abandoned. 80 degrees, sunny 12:45 pm
nesting has failed, no adults on nest, female perched on favorite guard tree
One osprey was on nest, but a duck-sized bird surprised it from the marsh and it left the nest. I could not see any chicks or mate. Osprey did not return to the nest in the 15 minutes I watched. Pretty day with light breeze and 70 degrees. 1:15 pm
One bird in nest; head bobbing as if she might be feeding chick, but could not tell for sure. Mate flew off into trees and over Salt Pond. Nice day, 70 degrees, light breeze. 1:30 p.m.
incubating in 90 heat, mate arrived to nearby tree with a fish
One bird deep in nest. Did not see mate. 3:45 p.m.
one deep in the nest today, did not see the mate
One bird deep in nest and the other was on dead tree not far away. They called back and for rather stridently. I think they may have been nervous about turkey vulture hovering over. Pleasant day, light breeze, 70 degrees. 12:30 p.m.
one deep in nest- incubating behavior
Only saw one osprey on dead tree near nest. Calling on and off. Heard no response. No bird on the nest. Weather was sunny, light breeze and 70 degrees.
pair continues to spend most of their time on a tall snag near the lower platform, other 2 pairs on higher nests are incubating for a few weeks now
both on nearby snag then over to the platform but they dont seem to be very settled
checked nest today, both ospr on nearby tree, leaving for maine, will check again in one week
it appears the Villas osprey pair has chosen this nest platform for 2019 season. they are on nest regularly and not too disturbed by people walking the long deck near them.
all diary entry prior to 4/05/19 is for a new (2018) frustration snag nest at edge of bethany loop canal/salt pond, that pair is still at that nest site but there is now a new pair on the platform that other pair vacated mid 2018 season. this new pair may be the Villas pair as I have seen no activity at that live tree snag nest this season and they once nested in the BBNC marsh. today they were both on the platform! confusing but pretty sure this makes the same 3 pairs at BBNC~ just 2 pairs have shifted, all 3 pairs accounted for today at 12:15 pm
seeing one consistently and it is calling for fish but have not seen mate, calls are definitely food calls tho...
Pair just sitting quietly on edge of nest. 4:30 p.m.
Sunny and warm.
one continues to spend time in the nest
one osprey on the nest calling to osprey today
adult male in his favorite snag today
Warm breezy day, WSW winds at 10mph with gusts, guess the lack of north winds is keeping the adult females in town. today around 11:00 am I observed the nature center nest sites from across the channel and both adults from this new large snag nest were perched on the neighboring tree limbs calling to the numerous other osprey passing by.
Sunny, 90 degrees, but nice breeze. No birds on nests, but several flying around general area, one with a fish in it's talons. Also lots of calling chirps.
Hot day and mostly sunny, some breeze. 11:30 am. Did not see or hear any osprey anywhere in the entire marsh area.
one adult standing in the snag nest today
10:30 one adult on new snag at waterway then around noon one adult was on the platform and snag was empty. can not be certain if this is the original osprey from this nest or one from the failed Villa's nearby, both nest sites failed.
just before dusk this evening one adult osprey calling for fish on the snag next to the new snag nest at the canal, no osprey near the platform.
7:30 am, 84, NNW 7mph, sun and light clouds following a night of high winds and heavy rain.nest empty but both adults on the large new snag nest at canal.
12:30, cloudless blue sky, 85 degrees. Still no activity on this nest.
nest empty, one adult osprey with fish on snag near newly constructed and growing snag nest.
3:345 p,, 87 degrees, sunny, humid. There were no adults on the nest. In fact, I could not see any evidence of the chicks. I scanned marsh and woods nearby and I could not see any osprey. It just seems too early,for the chicks to have fledged.
I was monitoring this nest site today from a different vantage point along the Salt Pond canal and at first I saw 2 osprey adults bringing nest material to a new nest located on a thin snag NW of the platform. The amount of nest appears to have been built up in past 2 days or so, I base this on my own experience in watching osprey build snag nests but can not be 100% sure when they started the nest. I thought it looked like a frustration nest and it is next to the adult males usual guard tree. So I assumed it was not a sub adult pair in that territory.I walked the trail until I could see the pairs platform and my heart dropped when I saw an empty nest. No young osprey remained in the nest. The 3 chicks that were in the nest just a week ago were about 6-7 weeks old and very healthy. They would not have died from exposure or starvation. I know eagles spend time on the far side of the pine grove near their platform but I also know that great horned owls often take young osprey when they are in the stage of exercising wings and getting ready to fledge. I can not prove it but I know the chicks were taken from the nest and now I see the adult pair has moved off the nest and are building a frustration nest nearby. This is so sad but its is nature and I have to accept it. The BBNC new snag/plat location was a very successful nesting site for the past 4 years, it is just a random event. Now I hope the 3 chicks in the other platform at the nature center do not suffer the same fate.They were present on that nest at 6 pm today.
2 chicks vs on nest with female calling for fish from snag next to platform. when she flew to the nest the 3rd chicks head popped up.the male had a large fish on the live tree near the channel..
Beautiful day, 80 degrees, light breeze, 3:00 pm. Parent was standing on edge of nest with wings spread over nest. Occasionally she would flap her wings. As her back was to the sun, it appeared she was providing shade for chicks. I only saw two. One was very activ and seemed larger than other chick. I was afraid at one point that he would fall out of nest. It turned out he was using opportunity to squirt out a substantial defecation beyond the nest edge. After I 10 minutes parent on the nest starting calling loudly for mate who showed up shortly afterwards on a tall dead tree.
just 2 chicks seen today, as i arrived female was finishing feeding, 80, hazy sun today, SSE 9mph later mombrella was over the chicks
Today I may have solved the mystery of what happened to last 3 seasons left leg banded female from this nest. NJ left leg bands and since female osprey generally settle farther from their natal nest sites than males do its possible there could be more than one... having one of their females in my group for the past few years nesting at the old snag nest at this site was always very exciting. Then she didn't arrive this season. Today I discovered a left leg banded female on the nest with 3 chicks at Joshua Cove. I heard there was a huge battle for that nest site. It is actually very close as the crow flies and so it is really possible this is our gal from the famous 4 pack nest at the old snag.Maybe she just wanted a new locale. We will never know for sure but I have a feeling about her...
both adults on nest with 2 chicks vis
2:45 pm, 61 degrees, overcast, 8 mph wind. Yes, 3 babies! A parent was on edge of nest feeding one chick to her left for 5 minutes. I was getting worried about the others when she switched to her right. It was heartwarming seeing her (him?) working so hard to feed the young ones.
3 healthy looking chicks bobbing about in the nest with momma, she was calling softly for fish, did not see her mate
viewed this platform from the Salt Pond today, one shading chicks, mate not seen
i have been stopping by briefly to check on this pair and have been consistently seeing the male at the nest with the female feeding chicks. really nice to see an osprey pair appreciate this nesting platform.
I arrived around 1:15 pm to see the female in the nest finishing eating and what appeared to be feeding at least one hatchling. She only dipped her head a few times, and after eating she fussed in the nest for quite sometime, staring into the nest, getting up and down numerous times, another tell tale sign she has at least one chick! Her mate came back about 30 minutes later with a tiny fish and he ate it himself in the pine tree without so much as a peep out of the female. Beautiful breezy day at the nature center today, 75, WNW 8mph, good visibility, wispy clouds and lots of sunshine. The male osprey from the Villas tree nest made a few spins thru the far trees. I can not help but notice the ever expanding pond areas of the marsh and the absence of the snags that once made for such a dramatic view from the boardwalk. the water level is coming up no matter who wants to argue it!
8 pm,61 degrees, light wind, partial cloudy and no rain. Did not see mate. Female was more active than normal; seeming to be digging around in nest.
we have had 7 days of rain, sometimes all night but for periods of every day with more rain forecast in next few days.this is always worrisome for the eggs and newly hatched chicks. so far this pair is still incubating. today around 11:30 I spent time watching both nesting pairs here at the nature center as both are moving into the egg hatching range for this coming week. it was very cloudy with off and on drizzle, 65, SSE 7 mph. I assume the female was incubating as she was softly calling for fish and was very fussy, she kept getting up and changing position in the nest.And she was digging under her chest.... I expect we will see chick feeding behavior soon. I did not see the male but more than one osprey flew by and prompted her to call more loudly for her lunch to be served!
The female on this nest is the calmest of the bunch and they have built the neatest nest. She was quietly sitting nest with only head visible; occasionally turning. Mate not seen. 11:40 am, light rain, 65 degrees.
2:15 today just one deep in the nest, very quite, and no mate seen. very cloudy day with NE winds at 13 mph, good vis, 54 temp.
2:30, 68 degrees, slight wind, mostly sunny. It was a busy half hour. At one point 3 different osprey circled over the general area of the platform nest and chirping loudly. The osprey on nest seemed to take it all in stride. An assortment of other birds everywhere--great egret, turkey vultures (flying through top layer of canopy rather than above it), yellow rumped warblers, chipping sparrows, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds, gulls, crows. It was quite noisy.
1:30, 78, SW winds at 6mph, pure sun. Female deep in nest and male on his favorite spindly snag next to the platform. He did not have a fish. The newest pair was flying around near last seasons BBNC new snag #3 nest was and I am thinking this may be the 2016, 2017 pair from that nest territory as they are now over at the Villas building a tree nest but they keep hanging out on their old favorite snags. They don't seem to be concerning to the 2 platform pairs. It had been so very quiet-now It sounds more like the "Bethany Osprey Center"!
Female deep on nest. Mate(I think) was flying over general area and settled on dead tree on east side of Boardwalk. Spent at least 7-8 minutes calling. I did see bald eagle a few minutes before. A half dozen downy egrets in marsh. 60 degrees, partly cloudy, fairly windy. 1:35-2:00 pm.
11:45-noon, sunny with few clouds, 61 degrees--osprey deep in nest with only head visible. No siting of mate though I heard a call from Salt Pond.
Bird deep in nest. Heard her call mate who flew briefly over treeline and disappear back toward Salt Pond. After 5 minutes, bird on the nest stood up and bowed in the nest; I think probably moving the eggs around. Then it sat back down into the nest facing in a different direction. Sunny, a little wind, 62 degrees, 1:45 - 2 p.m
11:50 today, 48, W 15 mph winds, about 80% cloud cover with some sun and hi vis. Definitely see one osprey incubating and the second flew in low then perched on the smaller snag next to the platform.
Arrived at 10:40 am. Stayed for 25 minutes. 55 degrees, sunny (at the time) and quite windy. I also observed female deep in the nest with only her head visible. Did not see male come to the nest, but I saw an osprey out over Salt Pond hunting.
1:30 visit today. I like to check the incubating ospreys after a storm and we had a good 24 hour heavy rain. The female was in the nest very deep, apparently incubating and the male flew in and landed on the small snag beside the platform. I was on site about 30 minutes and the female did not get up off the nest in that time. SSW winds over 18mph, 100% clouds, med vis, 61.
1:15 today the nest was empty with the male perched on the closest snag to the platform. He then flew over to the back treeline and out came the female osprey who flew to the nest. The male took her spot in the pine tree. I watched the female for a few minutes as she started to pick around deep in the nest. i thought she might just be getting the nest bowl ready to lay egg(s) but then she got down into the nest and rocked down deep and was obviously incubating! She stayed down low with just her white head showing for the remainder of my 30 minute visit. I am very happy to finally have a pair of osprey want the platform I built in 2016 to re-home 2 young osprey chicks who lost their snag nest. Just hoping the left leg banded female is somewhere safe but not intending to arrive late to the party and evict this new osprey couple.
5:00 pm I watched both nest sites at the nature center for over an hour and this nest platform had the female and then she flew to the closest smallish snag and waited for her mate who arrived about 30 minutes later. They copulated and then he flew off. They can be hard to see as they often sit back in the treeline especially when they have fish. They are not, so far anyway, perching in the same areas last years pair liked. This female does not have a left leg band. I am still waiting to see if that female arrives as she arrived 4-16-17. I believe this pair to be from last years snag nest #3. If they are not harassed I think they will use the platform-finally! It feels quiet at the marsh, very unusual for years past when we had 3 pairs all vying for the small territory. Maybe this will change with the strong south winds bringing in the younger osprey.
Observed nest for 10 minutes at 4:50 p.m. Did not see any osprey on nest or nearby.
4/8--11: 30 am --one bird perched on platform. Weather: clear, windy, 42 degrees.
I am still not certain this pair will remain at this site but for now I will say the nest is active.I watched this pair for about an hour today around 2-3 pm along with the other platform pair. I did confirm the female at this nest is not left leg banded as the female from the past few years.I knew it was not her because she did not stay on the platform when people approached. I had my scope and confirmed no leg bands on the current pair.Also this pair is not harassed by the human activity and I suspect they could be last years New Snag #3 pair as that pair was used to being close to the boardwalk and this male has the same head markings. I was unable to see the leg of the old platform female today so still not sure if the left leg female is in attendance at the nature center. She arrived mid April last season and could still arrive and usurp this pair. If she does she will attempt to build a nest at the top of her favorite snag that is still standing near the platform. For now this pair was just hanging out, I saw no nest building today.
Pair both sitting on nest and re-arranging nest material.
Not sure what is happening at this platform.I have seen ospreys on it but not today. Just one (male?) was perched on the snag beside the platform. I am not ready to confirm an active nest at this site.
No activity. An immature osprey was observed perching on a picnic shelter about a 1/4 miles away.
end of season: nest is in bad shape from storms and snag breaking apart. one crying juvenile consistently on nest till few days ago, may have left after storms blew thru (I hope) all 3 juveniles last seen together at nest 8-19-17. last adult male seen drying its wings in nearby snag on 9-14-17 with the lone juvenile on platform crying for fish. all juveniles switched to the platform after the snag nest was disintegrating from heavy rains. lets see where they nest next season
Yesterday evening I went to check the nest following and even during a heavy day of rain. The nest had disintegrated on the west side of the tree trunk leaving just a small part of nest material remaining and one chick perched on it. The adult female, adult male and one other fledgling was in sight on various trees. The female was extremely stressed and I assumed calling for food but then she began circling the nest clacking loudly and looking into the marsh. I assumed she had lost the 3rd chick to the nest falling. However this morning I arrived after a night of more rain and saw 2 fledglings on the nest with the adult female feeding them and a third chick flew over and landed precariously to try to get some fish too. The other 3 fledglings from the closest nest were also in sight so I feel confident these 3 chicks have fledged safely during the storm. Thank you Osprey God. Snag nests are exhausting!
3 very large chicks on the nest along with the adult female. she is left leg banded. she was calling loudly for fish and the adult male was on his favorite tree eating a fish and he did not share. I saw him fly off toward the ocean as I was leaving the nature center boardwalk. the 3 chicks are so big their eyes are looking more yellow than orange and their feathers are getting very dark. if they are not flying then they are just lazy but most likely I am missing seeing them on the nearby trees. the snag nest looks pretty good at this late time in the season and with so much activity on it, sure hope it holds through tomorrows storm.
3 chicks and the female adult on the nest calling for fish. at least one chick was flapping and exercising so there should be at least one airborne soon, if not already
3 very big chicks on the nest this morning following a very rough night of high winds and driving rain. This snag nest came down last year but this time the chicks really should be flying any day now! We are getting more rain all day with rain continuing next few days. Rising water into the marsh can take many snags down. Praying this snag holds a few more weeks till the young can get strong flying skills.
female on nest calling for fish, male flew in with fish, feeding of chicks but too high to see chicks from my vantage point
I am seeing chicks feeding behavior and so far the nest looks strong
I believe the pair has hatchlings but have not yet confirmed feeding. The female was on the nest calling for fish today and she was quite fussy under her self and laying a bit higher than incubating posture.
incubating, nest still looks stable
male eating fish on fave snag at water edge and female incubating
Female deep in nest today, male nearby on snag. the nest is huge. I pray it holds this season.
snag nest very large and female on guard snag calling for fish. did not see mate. platform shows signs of new nest material for 2017 but it is not being used.
each visit to this nest site I see a larger snag nest sitting on the rotted tip of the big dead tree. both osprey like to sit there. I don't see how the main branch will support this nest all season. oh my, at least there is an empty platform yards away in case the chicks need rescuing
female on top of snag, the nest is much bigger. darn, I hope this season is not a repeat of last years fallen nest. there are 2 lone osprey claiming different zones of the middle snag area of the nature center. pretty crowded!
Finally the left leg banded female has arrived. The pair was together today but as I suspected they are attempting to rebuild a nest in the high snag, the very same snag where they lost their nest last season. The snag no longer has the lower branch to support a normal nest so lets see what happens. The new platform has more nest material on it but it was placed there by another pair that is now no longer allowed in the territory.
male with pure white head and black diamond shape on forehead remains in the area but spends his time eating fish in the nearby snags and seems to be allowing another bonded pair onto the new platform. if his mate does not arrive it will be interesting to see if he finds a new mate and challenges for his new platform..or will he be a bachelor this season?..as the osprey world turns at the nature center.
last years distinctive male on snag near new platform...no female in sight
Do not see male from this nest. As I approach the new platform 2 osprey fly off the nest. the female osprey is not the left leg banded bird from past 3 seasons and the male is not her mate with dark forehead marking. this pair may be the 3rd pair from 2016 that lost 2 snag nests. the female flew to a nearby snag and the male briefly landed on her back, then they flew away.
male from last year in snag that held the nest that fell during summer 2016 nesting season. this male has very distinct head marking. head is very white with the dark forehead mark very black in a diamond type shape.
By far this nesting family was my most memorable for the 2016 season. I will try to keep their story as brief as humanly possible! The adult pair showed incubating behavior around 4-23-16 but by 5-8-16 they were off and on the nest until 5-18-16 when I was certain they were incubating once again. 6-30-16 I observed feeding behavior. I first saw 2 tiny heads on 7-9-16 and again I clearly saw 2 small heads on 7-17 but at some point I believed I saw 3 heads with one a runt however I can not find the note in my log book so I can not now be sure there were 3 but I do believe there was as I had been spending time at the nature center helping to educate the public about the osprey. 7-29-16 the 2 chicks were growing and the left leg banded adult female was usually calling loudly to her mate to bring more fish. It was a hot summer and the adult female spent her time shading the chicks.8-3-16 I noticed the snag nest was beginning to fall down the tree trunk. 8-4-16 the nest was a long thread with the 2 chicks and adult female hanging on at the top of the snag.8-5-16 I arrived just before dark to find the nest entirely gone and both adult osprey sitting on the remainder of the tip of the snag and they were looking down into the phragmites calling to their young.I called Tri-state Bird Rescue for advice and they asked if I could attempt to rescue the 2 chicks assuming they were still alive. I got my gear and struggled to get to the site and did indeed find the 2 chicks alive and sitting on top of nest material amongst the marsh grass and phragmites. One chick was smaller and more lethargic. I placed them in a carrier and slogged out of the muck and marsh. Once home I dried them and placed them in a larger carrier for the night. Early the morning of 8-6-16 I handed them off to another Tri-state volunteer and by late morning they were at Tri-state and determined to be in perfect shape and ready to go back to their parents. Trouble was we had no nest for them to return too. Since I monitored numerous nests in the area we began the process of finding other nesting osprey parents to foster them. But since this nesting was a re-nest these youngsters were too young to be placed in any local nest. I contacted US F&W Pete McGowan and he looked for a suitable rehome nest at Poplar Island in the Chesapeake but the only nest available had chicks far too young. So he said the best thing was to try to get them back to their parents. Since I have built osprey platforms I decided to go that route and on 8-10-16 we built a new platform about 60 feet from the original snag nest location. Unfortunately it was a 40 ft snag and our platform is just 10 feet high. I made a new nest and by 2 pm the newly rt leg banded chicks had arrived from Tri-state and I placed them on the new platform along with the bag of small fish Tri-state had provided. The adult left leg banded female and unbanded male had remained in the area. The female claimed the chicks in 4 hours!The adult male took about 1 week to begin visiting the nest but though the adult female spent little time on the nest except to feed and at night time she did tend to the chicks until the male accepted the new nest site. It was a tense experience watching the family acclimate to the new nest with the male chick fledging within the first week, 8-18-16 and the smaller docile female fledgling in 2 weeks on 8-27-16. The adult female left the group one short week after the female fledged. Her migrating coincided with the 9-3-16 storm that took down other snag nests in the area. The adult male took over feeding and guarding and remained until late August.The young osprey were pressured daily by a family of bald eagles that took advantage of the ospreys late nesting. I can only hope the eagles helped prepare them for their late start in life. I last saw the female fledgling following the end of September storm that also damaged other nest site and she was sitting quietly alone on a nearby tree branch peering into the high water of the marsh. I am hoping that one day in 2018 I will see one of the young banded birds visit the Bethany Nature Center osprey colony. We sure gave them a fighting chance at a long life!
This pair re-nested in June and now have 3 very young chicks in the nest. Today I saw just two and the female was extremely agitated and calling to her mate to bring a fish. he was in a nearby tree eating and took his time bringing her the fish. It was very hot and humid and these young chicks will need a lot of TLC to survive this late in the season.
Its definitely time now to see feeding behavior but so far I just see the adult osprey deep in the nest with an occasional second bird sighting. I guess I can be missing feeding times but I also did see this pair off the eggs a few weeks back so I hope the eggs are viable...
Well I thought I would stop by and see what is happening at this nest today. Its very quiet and one is definitely deep in the nest incubating. Maybe these birds can be off eggs for longer periods than I can imagine and still have viable eggs?
Hmmmm, today there is clearly one bird incubating and one bird on the edge of the nest. The beat goes on....
Today there is one bird down in the nest but I am not certain it is incubating. It seems a bit active to be incubating but it may be....
I do not know what is going on at this nest. I do not know just how long ospreys can remain safely off eggs. I know there are many variables so I will just keep monitoring this site to see what happens this season. I can now confirm though that this bird that is sitting off the nest on a nearby perch is the same female from 2015 season. She has a left leg band. Some what unusual for our area as we right leg band in Delaware. But clearly this is the same female that raised 4 chicks 2015 season!
I see no birds incubating! There is one bird perched nearby. I wonder if the brand new very low snag nests nearby occupants may be shaking things up too much....
Bethany Beach Nature Center's boardwalk has great viewing of osprey, eagles, heron and other assorted species. This particular snag nest is seen from the far end of the boardwalk. It was a notable nest in 2015 with 4 fledglings-and it was the pairs first nesting season. The winter of 2015/2016 was hard on the snag trees in the marsh and this nest took a beating and lost a few support branches and nest material. Hoping it can make it through the entire 2016 season.