Osprey Pair Nesting Atop Communications Tower
My husband & I have been observing this Osprey pair since May 4, 2022. We will be monitoring the nest until the chicks fledge. We are not able to see the chicks yet, as the bowl of the nest is very deep. Ospreys typically begin nest building and mating in mid-late April, with first egg laid in May. The male does most of the nest building, gathering long, thick sticks which are carefully arranged in a bowl-shape. Next the nest is lined with any number of materials including bark, grasses, sod, vines, algae, or flotsam & jetsam (floating debris). The first year a typical nest size is about 3 feet wide and 3-6 feet deep. Ospreys use the same nesting site year after year, so the nest can grow as large as 3-6 feet wide and 10 feet deep! A typical clutch is 1-4 eggs which take 36-42 days to hatch, and fledging is between 50-55 days. Ospreys raise one brood per season and both birds share rearing responsibilities. "Osprey males do not incubate eggs very much. According to field observations of breeding Ospreys, the female spends all night and most of the day (about 95% of the time) incubating while the male brings her food and protects the nest.
As the male brings food to the incubating female, she leaves the nest for a nearby tree to eat, allowing the male to take over incubation duties. After eating, she returns to the nest and resumes incubation." avianreport.com/osprey-breeding/
*All photographs were taken from at least 600 feet from nesting site and photos cropped 2-3 x's.
To see an Osprey pair overhead view this site, which shows nesting from building activity through hatched chicks: dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/.../ospr.../....
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id
scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2018/07/osprey-update-when-w...
Osprey Pair Nesting Atop Communications Tower
My husband & I have been observing this Osprey pair since May 4, 2022. We will be monitoring the nest until the chicks fledge. We are not able to see the chicks yet, as the bowl of the nest is very deep. Ospreys typically begin nest building and mating in mid-late April, with first egg laid in May. The male does most of the nest building, gathering long, thick sticks which are carefully arranged in a bowl-shape. Next the nest is lined with any number of materials including bark, grasses, sod, vines, algae, or flotsam & jetsam (floating debris). The first year a typical nest size is about 3 feet wide and 3-6 feet deep. Ospreys use the same nesting site year after year, so the nest can grow as large as 3-6 feet wide and 10 feet deep! A typical clutch is 1-4 eggs which take 36-42 days to hatch, and fledging is between 50-55 days. Ospreys raise one brood per season and both birds share rearing responsibilities. "Osprey males do not incubate eggs very much. According to field observations of breeding Ospreys, the female spends all night and most of the day (about 95% of the time) incubating while the male brings her food and protects the nest.
As the male brings food to the incubating female, she leaves the nest for a nearby tree to eat, allowing the male to take over incubation duties. After eating, she returns to the nest and resumes incubation." avianreport.com/osprey-breeding/
*All photographs were taken from at least 600 feet from nesting site and photos cropped 2-3 x's.
To see an Osprey pair overhead view this site, which shows nesting from building activity through hatched chicks: dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/.../ospr.../....
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id
scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2018/07/osprey-update-when-w...