Nesting Diaries
pair using both platform and now in 2023 back on the boat lift as no exlcuder has been placed to deter -once again
chick has not yet fledged, but looks ready
only saw one growing chick being fed this evening
observed one very deep in nest
no osprey visible by volunteer monitor today
pair on nest early am, as per photo sent by a neighbor
pair reported to be staying at nest but not building up nest material, likely due to human disturbance
pair reported on nest today by volunteer with CIB 2021 state of the Bays Inland bays active nesting survey, unfortunately pair was flushed off nest due to people walking the bay beach. this may explain the prior years inactivity at nest but new nest material seen each season..
no activity this season, the home was torn down and property is for sale, not good for future osprey nesting prospects
a small black bird appears to be nesting in this unused osprey platform
no activity again this season although the nest looks built up, i do not know what is keeping osprey from nesting at this site because i cant get to it frequently but i suspect people running dogs along the nearby beach
finally able to get my boat up the river today. the nest definitely has new nest material, quite a bit in fact but no osprey seen or heard on that side of the river. I went directly across the river and there is a new duck blind constructed about 4 feet out in the water and on top of the blind was a beautiful empty osprey nest. in the nearby pine was a lone osprey. this could, or could not, be our Riverdale osprey. the boat lift has the "excluder' bucket still on the preferred nesting corner with no sticks at this time.
pair is back trying to build a nest on the boat lift, even with a large bucket turned upside down on their favorite corner. neighbor is removing nest material daily. We are not sure why this pair will not use the platform we placed very closeby in the marsh, something is keeping them from that area, hopefully it isnt people and dogs running in the marsh as we so often see around the inland bays of DE.
report that a pair of osprey have built a nest on the oak orchard fire siren pole. the siren goes off every day and doesn't seem to bother the pair. no way to know if it is the boat lift osprey.this new nest is approx 1/2 mile from the boatlift and new unused osprey platform.
have not been able to get to this nest site but report is the osprey have not been seen for a few days.
pair back in the area today, brought fish to the boat house next to the old nest location, they ate and hung around but did not attempt any nest building.
orange cone on boat lift corner and no birds seen or heard in 2 days. no activity witnessed on the new empty platform. Today we had winds SSW 17 mph and the sky was very loud with large numbers of osprey. I will guess there was a wave of younger osprey arriving so perhaps a sub adult pair will find the platform and play house this season.
local person told me he finally plaed an orange cone on the corner of the boat lift yesterday 4-4-18 and today he has not seen either osprey. he also has not seen them land on the newly placed marsh platform. perhaps one of this pair was hatched on an over water nest, channel marker perhaps, and will not nest over land. we will continue to hope they choose the platform and stay away from the numerous boat lifts and boat houses along Riverdale and Oak Orchard.
At least one of the pair arrived late friday, possibly both but by saturday morning both were on site and had built a nest on the exact place off the boat lift as last year because the property owners did not place excluders on the metal lift! A neighbor has been trying to deter them and yesterday put a large yellow bucket on the boat lift corner but the osprey are still trying to drop nest material. He said they also were dropping nest material on a different boat lift corner.Of course we are disappointed the owners of the dock did not follow through after our 2017 fall platform installation. We still hope the osprey will find the nearby nesting platform and abandon that boat lift. This will be interesting.
local property owner near the boat lift and new platform states the boat lift still has no excluder on the area of last seasons failed osprey nest and no ospreys have been seen in the area.
end of season- no osprey activity seen on new platform, nest removed from boatlift but no excluder placed on boatlift
We placed a nesting platform in the marshy area of the next door property south of the boat lift property today. The new nest location is approximately 350 ft from original nest site. We did not see any osprey. The boatlift owners received permission from DE F&W to remove the nest material Tuesday August 22nd. Now we must hope the property owners keep an excluder on the boatlift into the 2018 osprey nesting season or we can not guarantee the osprey pair will choose the new nesting platform.
I have not seen any activity at the nest recently and the nearby homeowners report seeing just the male more than a week ago. There are a few gulls that have been using the nest as well as numerous crows have been picking at the nest. Nest is still intact. We have secured permission from landowner near the nest to place a new nesting platform on his empty land approximately 350 feet from boat lift and 50 feet from water's edge. It should be a good alternative site for the pair next season assuming the boat lift owners place an excluder on the boat lift corners where osprey may try to re-nest. Will ask them to talk with fish and wildlife to have permission to remove the existing nest same time as we place the new platform as that is usually the best way to entice osprey to make a nest move! Excluders are a must. New platform location is actually much safer for the birds, less human disturbance.
I arrived by boat to see one dead chicks head visible on nest. Chick appeared intact but very wet. Neighbors came out and said they can see chick from homes and it was dead at least since the storm two nights prior. discrepancy about 1 0r 2 chicks originally hatched but just one had been seen recently. adult osprey flying around the nest when people were on dock discussing the chicks death. female landed on nest and was calling to mate or chick. gulls were on the nest when I arrived by boat and scattered when female came back. We are in discussions with nearby marina land owner who has protected wetland available for an osprey platform so the boat lift owner can get permission to remove osprey nest and fix/use the boat lift.
checked nest after storm, female on nest feeding but could not see chicks
Male adult was on nearby snag with a fish and female was calling to him from nest. We sat out a bad storm in our boat and then returned to see the female feeding at least one, possibly 2 chicks. The male was guarding the territory from the observation deck on the dock next door
I was contacted yesterday by a volunteer at Tristate Bird Rescue that a homeowner had posted on a bird site a photo of an osprey nest on her boat lift and needed info about how to resolve the problem. I was asked to check the status of the osprey nest so I spoke with the homeowner and took my boat to visit her today. The female osprey was in the nest incubating eggs. I did not see the male osprey. There are a number of docks and a marina nearby as well as a marsh next to the marina ramp. The homeowner wants to allow the ospreys to nest undisturbed this season and perhaps place a nest platform in the marsh for the 2018 nesting season. I referred her to De Fish and Wildlife and asked her to keep me updated about the nests status. I was told the pair had placed nest material there 2015 and 2016 season but this is the first active nesting. The nesting pair will definitely be stressed by human disturbance. Hopefully other monitors will observe this location because it will not be realistic for me to check on the birds regularly.