just one chick remains on the nest with the female, i am hoping an owl did not get the other one but the nest site is close to a tall tree line where owls have been reported.
We rented a lift and were able to rebuild the platform today. placed a starter nest on the improved platform as all nest material was blown off during the winter. also placed an eyebolt for a carabiner and safety harness and extension ladder supports for any future rescues. platform is 25 feet high but with safety improvements will now be accessible by ladder.
last juvenile spotted was 8-24-18, it was on the nest and adult male was perched on the snag in back of treeline, today just adult male on pine branch in front tree line
confirmed 3 fledglings off and on nest today so this is the date i will use. possible date was a few days earlier but not alot of flying today so i am sticking with this date by the looks of the babes.
report of a homeowner who says she saw 2 fledglings flying at this nest... but this would make just about 42 days from hatch. possibly my hatch date was off but then so would my incubation date be wrong. definitely could be, will try to confirm fledging today. it can become harder to ID youngsters once they get darker feathering so she may not be able to tell the family members apart.
big trash bag fluttering in the breeze and one osprey getting up to fix the nest then settling down gently on what must be eggs! the mate arrived when a few interlopers flew over the platform at low altitude and after he felt all was safe he retreated to the pine tree.
Still waiting to see incubation but so far just the usual trash in the nest. Every year this pair brings a large white plastic bag and it has arrived for the 2018 season.
end of season: I can hope the youngsters flew south safely away from the owls. the last adult female sighting was8-22-17 and I saw the adult male in his favorite tree today!
amazingly these 2 youngsters have not been attacked by the great horned owl(s) that have taken their osprey neighbors. both are learning to fish but still spend much time on the nest
I saw 3 nestlings being fed on June 9. Since then I have only seen 1 or 2 and then just occasionally.June 15 I saw no adults on the nest but could hear one calling for fish from a pine tree. one chicks visible on that day. Have continued to see the adults and feeding behavior but have not seen chicks recently.
both adults on nest and one feeding chicks. darn white plastic bag still visible in the nest, I was hoping it would blow away. this season has been the worst so far for plastic bags in osprey nests.
plastic bag in the nest, blown up with the wind making it look like it is huge, sure hope it isn't going to put eggs and or hatchlings in danger. I watched the nest for about 15 minutes and the male was on the edge of the nest and then the female got up off the nest and stretched a bit but then back onto either hatchlings or eggs and again just hope they are not where the big plastic bag is sitting! often when the eggs begin to hatch I think the males spend more time on the nest and so there very well may be hatchlings now.
as is often the case early in nesting season I just see one osprey in the nest. I believe once my boat is in the water and I am able to see from the opposite direction I will see the mate deep in the loblolly pines. all seems normal, the osprey was sitting in a built up nest watching the pairs in nearby nest sites.. a very busy colony of osprey!
finally I see 2 osprey at the nest. there was one and I decided to stay awhile and a second osprey flew around the creek and landed in the nest. it was obvious they are a pair!
Today was the last day I saw the adult male from this nest site. Late in the season he moves to the nearby dock to guard his territory and many other adult males from the nearby colony remain at their posts too. It becomes an old boys club:) You can find them all at their posts at sunset and early in the mornings. very quiet and peaceful group of guys! The fledglings may have remained a bit longer than 8-30-16 but I wasn't out on the boat as much so that was the last day I noted in my log. This nesting family has it pretty good because they are so high up and away from the craziness of the jet skis and boats that pass a bit farther away on the creek. They are the lucky ones in the colony.
Sunset this evening I watched both chicks flying around the woods near their platform. The adult female left the nest and settled in a tree and the adult male was perched on a nearby boat canopy. The one fledgling settled onto a tree branch but the other one was not able to maneuver onto a tree and headed back to the nest. he seemed to not want to be on the platform alone. Hope the adults join him after darkness.
Past few visits to nest I have seen just one chick with one adult on the nest. I doubt one was lost but just can not see it with the growing nest debris. At least I hope that is the case.
! adult on the nest with both chicks clearly visible and in fact it appears the one chick is self feeding. I like to see this stage because if there is a lot of human disturbance on the water the adults can drop a fish and sit safely nearby while the chicks fend for themselves.
I observe this nest many times per week and have been seeing 2 visible chicks. Today the female was feeding both chicks. the male is hard to see because he often perches deep in the evergreen tree line near the nest.
One osprey on the nest and very busy fussing into the nest. Possibly the chicks are hatching as it is just about 35 days of incubating and very warm day today.
Pretty quiet at this nest. Very little to disturb except for the newish nest at Piney Point Rd power line where there seems to be just one bird as it was late last season.Today the incubating female was calling for a fish and I did not see her mate. I would like to confirm if its the same male as last season. He had an injured right wing but it did not seem to hamper his abilities in any way.
This private platform is at a high treeline and very close to a new powerline nest. I would guess incubating started a few days ago. Will watch to see if the new nest occupants disturb this established pair.
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