Nesting Diaries
4/28 babies observed. As usual, around the end of July, everyone was gone. I haven't been good about recording dates/observations this year!
Very exciting: Walked by the nest yesterday, saw both male and female there and believe I heard some babies as the parent(s) brought food to the nest!
After the pair reunited later in February, things got so quiet I wasn't sure if they had abandoned the nest or not. During the past week, though -- since around 3/16/13 -- I have seen the male on his usual perch across from the nest. I see no signs of the female, so I'm presuming she is hunkered down in the nest sitting on eggs? It often goes this way. The female seems to disappear and the next thing I know there are tiny ospreys.
I saw the pair flying together around March 3 (as per the photo)
Saw the male for the first time this season at the nest and perched on a nearby tree on February 2, 2013. This is the earliest I've ever seen him there.
I have watched this nest for a few years. This is the first year of nest failure. During the month of April, everything was very quiet, so I was assuming she had laid eggs and they were incubating. I normally see chick activity in this nest around May 5th. We last saw any activity (parents around) a few weeks ago. Then my husband saw the male and female sitting together, away from the nest, on a nearby palm. That was the last either of us has seen of them as the nest sits empty.
3/31 -- Female is on the branch across from the nest where male is usually perched.
This has been a really fun nest to watch. The male is so experienced. Last year, a main branch the nest was resting on had fallen, and probably 25% of the nest had gone down with it (off season). He had the nest back to perfection before you could blink an eye. It's been a very successful nest so far, so I'm crossing my fingers for this year. The "new" female seemed nervous and skittish the first year, but has seemed much more comfortable with people (and dogs) walking by.