Get answers about wild ospreys! Welcome to the Osprey FAQ for the Sandpoint Osprey Cam, a project of Sandpoint Online and the City of Sandpoint. Browse below for an FAQ prepared by our consulting raptor biologist, Janie Fink Veltkamp; scroll down the page to read questions submitted by visitors, with answers from our nest cam volunteers.
Want to watch our wild ospreys? Click to the Sandpoint Ospreys live web cam »
Janie Fink Veltkamp, executive director of Birds of Prey Northwest, is the Sandpoint osprey cam’s consulting biologist. Based in St. Maries, Idaho, BOPNW promotes raptor conservation through educational programs with live birds of prey. It also provides medical treatment and rehabilitation to injured raptors with the goal of returning them to the wild. Janie provides answers here to common questions. Questions below from site visitors are answered or facilitated by our Nestwatcher Robin Werner.
How is a nest cam like this helpful to conservation and education efforts?
The camera will help viewers understand all the complexities of nest building, breeding, and raising young ospreys. Mated for life, these raptors will need to cooperate to hatch their young, feed them as they grow, and protect them from the elements until they leave the nest. Fish eating birds of prey such as the osprey serve as bioindicators, barometers to the ecology around them. Conservation of their habitat helps humans too. This is an opportunity to view into the life of an osprey family that promises to delight!
Birds of Prey Northwest biologist Jane Fink with a rehabilitated osprey.
Does the same osprey pair come back to the same nest each year?
Ospreys have a high nest-site fidelity and return to previously existing nest structures each year. You are likely seeing the same pair if you observe two birds early in the season at this nest site. The perils are many as the ospreys return from their wintering grounds – sometimes as far south as South America! Should its mate not return, the male will likely attract another mate. Mortality factors for the osprey include electrocution, illegal shooting and vehicle collision.
Due to the new nesting platform, the osprey are coming back to just a few sticks, compared to the big nest they had last year. What kind of behavior should we watch for to start?
Initially after the pair return, you will likely see, the male particularly, bringing sticks to the nest and beginning to refurbish the nest. They will both be present often thereafter as mating and egg laying commence.
What are some of the unusual characteristics of ospreys?
Ospreys are unique birds of prey in that they are the only raptor to eat exclusively fish. They are found on five continents worldwide and four subspecies exist. In North Idaho we have one of the largest osprey breeding populations west of the Rockies, thanks to our shallow lakes and ample fishing opportunities.
How are ospreys especially adapted for hunting fish?
Ospreys are the consummate fishermen, hence their nickname “fish hawk” – though officially their Latin name is Pandion haliaetus. Several adaptations allow for their expert fishing skills, including a reversible outer toe for grabbing fish, special pads on the feet for holding on to slippery fish, dislocatable shoulder joints, underwater vision, a fleshy nostril that closes and the ability to dive into the water at high speeds after fish- feet first. Their special feathers are good at shedding water quickly.
How can you distinguish between the males and females?
As with all birds of prey, the females are often larger than the males – some females have wingspans approaching five feet, and weigh up to four pounds; males weigh in at two pounds. They have a characteristic black stripe through the eye and have charcoal and white feathers. In youth the eye is orange, in adulthood it becomes yellow. Ospreys mature after two years of age. Ospreys may nest atop man-made structures and place their large stick nests near human activities. These raptors have a high nest fidelity and return after long southerly migrations to the very nest from the previous year. Ospreys mate for life and are devoted parents. Young are full grown at six weeks and leave the nest at about eight to ten weeks of age taking their first flights. Like all raptors, osprey have a high mortality rate in the first year of life. Ospreys are migratory and travel long distances south – as far as Central and South America, where they over winter until spring.
Are there healthy populations of osprey?
Historically the osprey was endangered due to use of DDT, a pesticide applied across North America that ended up in the food chain. Osprey, bald eagles and peregrine falcons were the most affected species of raptors, and by the early 1970s DDT was banned as the populations of these species began to plummet to perilously low numbers. Thanks to protective laws, banning the use of DDT and reintroduction efforts the osprey populations have now recovered and the osprey has been removed from the Endangered Species List!
Learn more about ospreys, and many other species of raptors at BirdsOfPreyNorthwest.org»
I live in Bayville NY. A new Osprey nesting platform was placed in the wetlands, replacing an older
platform that had been there for years. There have been two Osprey on the platform for a couple weeks now. They return daily but do not seem to building a nest, Is there an explanation for this? They do seem to be small in size.
Hi Jeanine – they could be young ospreys checking out the options for nesting. Also, sometimes it can take them a little while to build a nest, but once they get going and are serious about it, a nest will appear in a week or so. Hopefully you’ll get to see a pair of ospreys raise a family there this season!
I noticed a pair of osprey starting to build a nest on a telephone pole near our house. The sticks keep falling and they seem to be struggling a bit. Should I contact the DEC to see if they would put a box there for them or would that human interference scare them away? I would like to see them stay and raise some chicks.
Hi Nancy – Platforms sure seem to be the safest option for osprey nests. At this point in the season, it might be a little late for things to get done in time for the ospreys to make a nest and lay eggs if a platform were to be installed. It is amazing what they can build a nest on though, and they like to be at the top of old trees or poles, etc. If they can’t seem to get a nest on top of the pole, maybe contacting the DEC is something you could do for next spring before the ospreys arrive 🙂
I live on the Pamlico sound Outerbanks NC. 2 ospreys have been sitting on the end of my pier for at least 2 weeks. Couple of days ago I noticed they have started a nest. At least that’s what I think it is. Just a few twigs piled together. There are platforms close to the water in neighboring yards with no nest so I don’t know why they would choose this spot. The nest is on one of the metal support rails of my boat lift. I don’t use the lift but the rail is narrow & long & the wind in this area can be extreme sometimes. Even in the summer. It’s been cold so they haven’t gotten very much built. My question is…if I go out now & attach some kind of platform in the spot where they have started will they use it or will they leave. Or could they have a nest somewhere close by & they’re just fishing off my pier? One of them might leave for a little while but basically they are both there all day & im assuming all night. They’re there when I go to bed & there when I get up
Hi Sherer keel,
This could be a young couple not yet established in a nest, and sometimes sticks are placed somewhere and then they don’t continue building there. It’s possible, if you were to put up a platform, that they would nest there, but no guarantees. They should start building a nest or establishing their nest pretty soon for eggs in May.
the nest in richmond ca with female male and 3 eggs had an osprey visitor today
there were no alarm calls and the female say quietly near the third osprey
we thought i might be a child from a previous mating come back to visit a young male
do former children cone by often?
Hi Nancy!
Visitors have been known to come by occupied osprey nests with no repercussions! Chances are it could be a young osprey returning after their 2 years away. Ospreys are very accepting of orphan chicks and seem tolerant of osprey that don’t pose any threat. Usually if there are eggs or chicks the ospreys would keep interlopers away from the nest.
thanks
it was the fact that there were eggs and the very accepting way the third osprey was treated even allowed to be in the nest close to the eggs ! we have pictures we are still scripting out heads this is the nest in richmand ca at the whirley crane http://sfbayospreys.org/live-chat
Oh, is this Rosie and Richmond’s nest? There was another situation similar to this back East where the ospreys even fed the young osprey that flew and stayed on their nest. It would nice if there were bands so it would be easy to identify if they were a chick from a couple years ago or not.
Why when they catch a fish ! They fly around and make so much noise? Are they trying to distract peditors away from nest ?
Hi Kristin! That could be one of the reasons. It could also be that he is letting his mate know he is coming home with dinner. His mate in the nest will greet him with lots of noise as he is approaching with the fish. Osprey have many sounds with different meanings, here are a couple – https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/OSPREY/sounds
Hello. I’ve been watching the Osprey cam at Pink Shell, Fort Myers, Florida. The male (was observed with a fishing lure in his chest a couple of weeks ago – not sure if that’s still embedded but he’s been bringing fish in regularly to Mum and two chicks ) has not been seen for almost a full 24 hours. How long can the chicks survive with no fish? Will the female fish herself at some stage? This has been a worrying nest as two weeks ago one chick was tangled in fishing line but the wonderful local wildlife centre removed it and the chick seems fine (though aggressive towards younger sibling). Any advice would be very welcome. Thank you.
Hi Lisa! There have been situations where the males have been gone for 24 hours and return with a fish. There could eagles in the area keeping the male from returning to the nest, even taking the males fish. The fishing could be bad. There are so many scenarios, sadly! Depending on the age of the chicks would determine how long they could survive. It seems like the females don’t fish when there are chicks in the nest that haven’t fledged and often the chicks die or the strongest chick is the last to survive. Ospreys face so many dangers, I sure hope the male returns, with a fish, and all survive.
I’ve been watching an osprey pair in coastal North Carolina. All seemed normal, but then, the parents were nowhere to be seen. A vulture was seen sitting on a limb above the unattended osprey nest. Could the osprey parents have abandoned the nest because of the vulture?
Hi Bobby! It turns out that turkey vultures prefer to eat herbivores, not carnivores or omnivores—in other words, they eat animals that eat plants, not meat. They’ll even eat some vegetation. They also won’t go after anything that is moving, only animals that are lying still and appear to be dead. I don’t know if osprey felt threatened by the vultures presence. There could be many reasons for the osprey pair not staying at the nest, they could have been an unmated pair or young osprey or osprey checking out the options! If a pair starts bringing sticks to the nest then most likely they have claimed it as theirs.
I have a osprey nest near my home in the 7mile area of Riverside State Park on the Spokane River.
We had about 3 years in a row of succesful breeding pair with 3 babies. Last year we had a goose pair take over the nest and refuse to leave when the osprey arrived. When the geese left the osprey started nest building and mating but gave up and left. I believe I saw a osprey pair today, earliest ever sighting. Any tips on getting rid of these geese that are hanging around?
Hi Laurie! Well, if the osprey have gained control of the nest, the geese most likely won’t take over. There are several things that have been done to keep geese away, but most have to be done prior to the ospreys arriving back in the spring. Here at the Sandpoint Osprey nest, the nest is taken down each fall after migration, this has been very successful. The geese usually arrive to the platform and are very shocked that a nest isn’t waiting for them 🙂 The ospreys arrive and build their nest and we’ve never had geese take over in this situation. Other cam nests have put up excluders which are like a wire cage and there is someone that will remove it when osprey are sighted, just this year Dunrovin Ranch put a goose decoy in the nest 🙂 The wind tipped it over and I’m not sure if it’s still there. While geese can be a nuisance, we’ve observed that once the osprey pair has taken over the nest the geese move on. Soon the geese will have to find a site to lay their eggs. Maybe you could talk with Parks and Recreation or some Wildlife authority in your area about having the nest taken down each fall. We have pictures on the Sandpoint Osprey Nest Friends facebook page of osprey at Kendall Yard in Spokane. Hopefully this will be a successful osprey watching season for you!! 🙂
We had healthy osprey families for the first two years,the third year a buzzard killed one of the two juveniles. He was left dangling from the nest and we removed him. The fourth year a pair of inexperienced parent gave birth to three chicks but the first born killed off his siblings. Last year we had a pair who came but then one of the two disappeared and the other sat mournfully waiting to no avail. My question: Should we remove the somewhat large nesting materials left in the nest? Could they be “contaminated “ ? We have had one pair this year who came, flirted and left.
Hi Nina! This is the seventh season for the Sandpoint Osprey Nest cam and every season has been different. There has only been one season where there were 3 eggs and they all hatched, survived, and fledged. The nest at the field is taken down every year because the Canada Geese will take it over and lay eggs and the osprey loose out on their nest and would have to build a nest somewhere. Sounds like you have different couples using the nest instead of the same couple coming back every year. If you were to take the nest down maybe a new couple would build a nest and be the couple to return in the spring each year provided nothing happens to either of them. It’s probably not a case of contamination. Building a nest together helps bond an osprey pair. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to see a couple and their chicks survive a season!
Will high winds up to 20 mph cause osprey adults to
leave their nests?
Hi K. Day,
If there are eggs in the osprey nest, the female will stay on that nest incubating in high winds as well as snow and rain. They don’t stay in their nest if there are no eggs or chicks. That doesn’t mean that the wind won’t knock the nest off or it could even blow the osprey over.
I live on a farm in western Massachusetts. My wife saw what a appeared to an osprey flying nearby. Later while harvesting peppers in a field she found a fish buried head first in the field with most of the body exposed. Could an osprey have done this?
John Spineti
Ospreys do drop fish occasionally and sometimes it’s because they are being harassed by an eagle that wants the fish, it ends up neither one gets the fish, but maybe you’ll benefit as fish are good fertilizer 🙂
What would happen to an ecosystem if the osprey population were to decrease?
Ospreys are at the top of the food chain, and a good indicator of things going on in the environment. Unlike some other raptors, their diet consist of almost only fish. Owls, eagles, and other raptors eat mice and other mammals which helps to keep those populations under control. The same could be said for fish, without the ospreys fishing there could be an abundance of fish in the water which could cause problems. Hopefully we will never have to experience what it is like to not have ospreys!
A young osprey we watched through a telescope from hatching this spring seems to spend most of the day sitting on the nest calling (to the parents?) I saw it eating fish about four days ago, but otherwise it just sits and screams. No sign of the parents who may have already migrated. And certainly not the bountiful food it was use to being served by the parents all summer.
The nest is located on a channel marker in the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia
Is this normal behavior? Has it not yet learned to fish? Will it learn? Will it know how and when to migrate.? It sounds so pitiful.
Sometimes parents do migrate before the fledglings and the young osprey learn to fish on their own. Everything is instinct and it will either take over or the osprey won’t survive. Hopefully everything worked out for the young osprey you viewed last summer!
Hi Mary! Every season you will most likely see something that seems different when watching osprey. It is possible the parents are on a branch somewhere encouraging this young osprey to start fending for itself by withholding food, or they could have migrated. Instinct is what drives osprey to migrate and this osprey will have to migrate and learn to fish on the way, even if it hasn’t been successful yet getting a fish on its own.
I watch the Osprey Cam in Orange Beach Al, About 3 weeks ago 2 of the 3 hatchlings started flying. The 3rd one will flap his wings occasionally but that is all. Is this unusual. I am afraid something is wrong with his wings as they look a little unusual.
This sounds totally normal. The 3rd one is most likely the youngest and the last to take off out of the nest! Hopefully the young osprey fledged and is doing well.
Ospreys built very large nest on arch of a pier next to my house on Long Island sound in Stanford Connecticut. there is a raised walkway that connects to the arch which apparently aided their efforts. For the last few weeks they have been trying to build another one on the other arch. This one does not have the walkway or anything connected to it and almost all of the materials they bring simply drop down. They sometimes retrieve twigs that fall into the water, but never the ones that drop immediately below to the pier, where a substantial pile has formed. The first nest was a big success. The second a complete failure. Saw a hatchling today for the first time. Anyone have an idea what’s happening?
Was the hatchling in the first nest? If they were successful in building one nest and they had chicks that survived, could it be possible a different osprey couple is trying to build on the other arch? If their first nest had not been successful sometimes ospreys will build ‘frustration’ nests in another area. Maybe you can write back and let us know how this worked out!
Hello, I live in Atlantic Beach, Florida and have always had Osprey’s nest in our huge oak tree in our backyard by a large lake.
This year, they decided to build their nest in our next door neighbors Chimney top. They had two fledglings this year but we found one dead on the ground, the other has just started flying in the last week.
When can we expect all of them to leave the nest so that my neighbors can clean out their chimney?
They want to take the material from the chimney and move it to the platform in our tree but neither of us have been able to find any article on when we can do so.
I look forward to your reply.
Osprey nests are built for eggs and chicks. After the chicks have fledged (flown from the nest) and have migrated it would be safe to move the nest. Ospreys only use their nest during the times when they have eggs and chicks, after that it is more of landing pad and they even spend the evenings away from the nest until all have migrated. Again, once you are sure they have migrated and left the area, then you can remove the nest from the chimney.
I have been watching an osprey cam with 3 5+ week-old chicks. This is the 5th year this osprey pair has nested here. They are incredible “parents” as far as nestbuilding and fishing goes Now that the chicks are bigger, the female spends the night on a branch connected to the nesting platform, usually 3-4 feet above the nest. Tonight a Great-Horned Owl took one of the chicks. The female Osprey tried to fight it off the nest, but did not succeed. What is the ospreys night vision like, and can they fly in the dark? I ask because she was sounding alerts but the male did not come to defend the nest. Also, how far away could she see the owl coming?
It is very hard to hear or see predation on osprey nests. Sadly, this is not an uncommon occurrence. The male could have been perched further away and with owls being silent flyers things can happen quickly and nothing can be done. We have seen osprey fly into a nest at night, usually they are on a branch somewhere and stay there for the night.
Do Osprey eat their young? I’m watching a nest on EarthCam, and watched two of the three siblings die. I’m guessing either disease or starvation. But could never catch what the mother did with the bodies. Does the mother take them off site, or roll them over the edge?
No, they don’t eat their young, there have been incidents where an egg that has not been developed has broken and the contents have been eaten. When osprey chicks die, and it happens often, sometimes the body will be left in the nest and decompose (this has happened in the Sandpoint Osprey Nest) and other times the chicks are removed and deposited away from the nest. (nest watchers found a chicks body under the nest one season in Sandpoint) Not sure why the ospreys decide to remove or leave the bodies in the nest, it could have something to do with size.
We have a nest in portland oregon at the portland international raceway. There is a big one atop the light where they have thursday night motorcross. They were there at the beginning of the season, now its the beginning of july and have not seen them the last couple of weeks. Does anyone know what happened to them. Did one die, did they not have offspring this year what happened. They nest here every year. WHAT HAPPENED!
There are many things that could have happened. The eggs, if there were any, may not have hatched and the adults could have gone some where else. The eggs could have hatched and the chicks may not have survived and the parents could have left the nest. Sadly, something could have happened to one or both of the adults. Hopefully, they will return this season and do well!
I am currently watching the Osprey Cam at GRCA Belwood in Fergus, Ontario, Canada. Three chicks hatched, 2 survived, very feisty and thriving well. However the female left the nest at 3am Sunday morning and has not returned to the nest. Besides her coming to some sort of peril, would there be a reason for a mother to just leave the nest and not come back to her chicks? The father is covering all the duties now as best he can, but I fear for their survival. I would appreciate any information on this.
Kind regards
Megan Raasch
Hi Megan! It is not typical for a female osprey to leave her chicks when they are very young. They will leave if the dad is there, for a short amount of time and as the chicks get older they may leave them unattended. If you did not see her for a length of time and the father is taking over duties, it is sadly, very possible that something happened to her. Male ospreys have raised chicks with success.
osprey parents seem to have abandoned the nest. The babies are still alive. What should i do?
Hi Gretchen! Osprey parents would not abandon their chicks, they could be fending off eagles or other threats to the nest. Not sure how old the chicks are, if they are really little the mother would not leave them uncovered unless some danger to them came close to the nest. Hopefully nothing happened to either parent. If you were sure that the parents had been gone over night, you could see if there was a number for your states Wildlife department. There maybe be a raptor rescue organization in your area or call a local vet to see if they have a number. The chicks would not survive long without their parents shelter.
HOW LONG DOES OSPREY NEST WITH BABIES?
Hi Sandy – once chicks hatch the ospreys stay with them until the chicks are able to fly from the nest which is called fledging. The female will stay with the chicks on the nest until all the chicks have fledged, while the chicks at the beginning will return to the nest the mom at some point, will sleep away from the nest and eventually one or more of the chicks will sleep away from the nest as well. Usually in September (in Idaho) the osprey will fly south.
There is an Osprey that sits on top of a street light in Ocean City NJ…it arrives every night 10 min after the sun sets and leaves every morning about 10 minutes before the sun rises. It arrived in 2016 around the month of May and left in the month of October. I noticed this year 3 weeks ago it arrived on the same street light after sunset.
Why does this bird sit on a street light all night?
Are they nocturnal? It never moves? I would assume it flies back to its nest by the bay during the day.
I’ve played a YouTube video of an Osprey calling and it responds back by singing.
What are your thoughts.
Thank you
Hi Helen! Early in the season, before there are eggs, osprey will spend more time away from the nest. The nest is made for eggs and chicks and until the first egg is laid the female will be working on the nest with her mate but will sleep away from nest. The male never spends the night at the nest and the street light could provide a view of the nest for the osprey as well as a night perch.
Our Ospreys suddenly left…she looked to be nesting all squatted down gor about 4 days.
Male returned occasionally…then one day we saw her just leave.. not come back. Been 3 days.. why would they do this when they seemed to be happy here gor weeks..
Hi Patti! It could be they might not have been a mated pair and she may have laid an egg that wasn’t his. Did any osprey stay on the nest after she didn’t return? It also is possible that something happened to her.
We have a man-made eagles nest near our property in western Minnesota. This is our first spring here so I am unsure what used the structure in the past but this spring we had a pair of osprey. We watched as they built their nest. Then the female seemed to be nesting. Staying in the nest, down low. But it has now been a week since we have seen either. Just wondering what might cause them to abandon the nest. Bad weather? It has been cold with days of rain and snow
Hi Tracee. There could have been threats in the area that kept them staying safely in their nest. They also could have been a young osprey pair and maybe just getting to know each other. Sandy from our Sandpoint nest incubated her eggs through snow and rain, so weather probably wouldn’t be an influence. Osprey parents are usually devoted to their eggs.
Male osprey never returned to nest with fish for two days now. Mom and one baby are left squawking all through the night. If he never returns, will they survive?
Hi Lisa. In many situations where the male osprey doesn’t show back up the mother does not go out and fish for the chicks. Chances are the chicks may not have survived.
I have a cell tower behind my house. It looks like both bald eagles and osprey are using it for nesting. Do they normally use the same nesting platform for their nests at the same time?
Hi Rex! Eagles are enemies to the osprey and they surely would not share the same nest at the same time. I would suspect the eagles got the nest and osprey went elsewhere.
My boyfriend has been fishing by an estuary that feeds directly off the Atlantic Ocean in St Augustine, FL. Over the last two weeks, he’s had an osprey follow his line as he casts off the shore, and the osprey even took a small fish off his hook as he reeled it in. The bird recently has taken to walking around in the grass near my boyfriend and his fishing buddies, and even perched on his golf cart, awaiting presumably lunch and has gotten closer and closer. The bird is probably within 10 feet of him. Is this normal behaviour for ospreys?
Hi Stephanie. There are ospreys that are year round residents in Florida and have adapted well to having humans around.
osprey is a migratory bird or not
Hi Vanshika,
Ospreys are migratory. More information on their migration can be found here https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/lifehistory.
Hi my friend lives on a small lake in South Florida, there is a single female Osprey( judging by it’s size) its been here for a year at least. We usually see it sitting on a branch in a palm tree or flying by the window searching the lake for fish. Lately it has been spending a lot of time just sitting on the ground, which is odd because it is not eating, just sitting there. It is able to fly because we watched it for a good 30 minutes or so and watched it fly off. We have seen it doing this for several days in a row. This seems like odd behavior for an Osprey.
I am reporting from a nest site near the Center for Urban Horticulture about 3 miles south of the Sandpoint webcam. UW Crews constructed a nest platform in the area known as the Fill and removed an osprey nest from atop light poles surrounding the baseball field.
The osprey had three chicks and approximately 2 weeks ago the adult female migrated southward and was followed several days later by the adult male and presumably 2 of the juveniles. No one directly observed the departure of the juveniles although there were photos posted of all three on September 23,2016. One female juvenile osprey remains and while she circles high above the nest platform, I have not seen her fishing. She does call plaintively, particularly at dusk, but the area near the nest site is often closed for construction and I have not been able to check on her condition for a couple days.
Is it possible to leave fish for her near the nest platform? Can she survive without migrating or is some type of intervention appropriate. Please advise asap. The area is required to be open on weekends and I will try to find her later today.
I just realized the webcam is in Sandpoint, Idaho and I thought it was located in the Sandpoint area of Seattle, so my references to the location of the nesting platform as described in the above post are incorrect. I am referring to the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, Washington.
We’ve had an osprey nest in a tall pine for several years. It appears the kids recently flew the nest and several days ago the nest all but disappeared. The parents ? are still perching on the tree and saw one bring a fish to other just yesterday. They have been extremely vocal – almost like they are trying tell us something? Just a shock to see the nest so quickly dissipated. Also, within last few weeks 3 osprey deaths and one badly injured within about 2 mile radius. Central Fl on Banana rIver lagoon.
In a swamp area is a tall osprey nest which I believe the parents return to every year-I keep a sharp eye on the nest and the babies in the spring- we just recently had fairly high winds and downpours which has now fallen to the ground.. will the ospreys rebuild on the tall post as before?
Sounds like the nest fell apart. This is not unusual in a live or dead tree.If the chicks did fledge they no longer have the comfort of the nest to receive fish from their parents so they will need to be fed on a branch. Fledglings can be very vocal.The adults will continue to care for them as they learn to fish on their own. It is easy to identify young osprey by the white tips of their feathers that creates a somewhat spotted appearance that fades as they age. First season osprey also have an orange tint to the eye that turns yellow with age. It is likely the adult pair will return for the 2017 nesting season and will either rebuild at the same nest site assuming it is intact or they will try to build nearby.
We have an osprey nest in our pole yard on top of a utility pole and platform that we erected a few years ago to keep them from the electrical wires. It’s been inhabited with 2 babies and mother. Unfortunately yesterday Mom flew into wires and was electrocuted. She did survive but was unable to fly so we called a rescue person who came and got her last night. She will be flown to a sanctuary on the Vancouver island today but we are now left with the dilemma of trying to keep the youngsters alive. We are, at the moment, trying to toss some chicken into the nest. I will bring fish tomorrow. I’ve asked the guys in the yard to keep an eye on them and see if they are leaving for long periods, hopefully getting their own food. I don’t want to hinder them providing for themselves but would like to know if you have any advice! The guys say they have seen them flying. Please help!
HI Cheri: We queried raptor biologist Janie Fink, director of Birds of Prey Northwest, and here is her advice:
It is best to toss fish up to the young remaining. They likely won’t recognize chicken as food. Keep providing food until they fledge. Dad should also be present to feed the young. Depending on their age Dad may be able to keep them going if they are close to fledging. I hope that helps… good luck!
More about Birds of Prey Northwest at:
http://www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org
Can i band chick an I band osprey chicks if the nest in my yard
The thing about banding birds is that it’s best left to professionals for a variety of reasons. For one thing, a government permit is needed. But most important (in my opinion) is it must be safe for the osprey chick. The band must be the right material (such as the Darvic PVC sheet plastic most commonly used), otherwise there is risk of allergic reaction, besides fading of color, & the material wearing/rotting/or being pecked away & falling off. It’s also important to be exactly the right size so it it doesn’t rattle or chafe the bird’s leg. On top of that, it needs to be put on at precisely the right time, age-wise, so that the chick hasn’t fledged yet, but is fully grown physically so that it won’t outgrow the band. Banding chicks is simply something I’d leave to licensed professionals, mainly for the safety of the birds.
There are a pair of Osprey in our neighborhood. Each year they have had babies. This year, however, they didn’t and now they are gone from the next. Is this characteristic of these birds?
We have the same thing that just happened. Now there is only one osprey in the nest. The other one has been gone for a few weeks.
I have a situation that is very confusing! In Montana, there is a nest atop a crane in the Pioneer Log Homes yard. Olivia and Oscar are the couple, and Olivia had laid at least one egg. However, another female came and apparently won a fight for the nest. She has left the eggs alone, but now stands guard. The male has been coming in and brooding, but the two have not displayed any pair-bonding behavior (other than him bringing fish back and her chasing him away after taking it.
Just today, I saw what looked like another male come in and chase Oscar away. New male lands on the nest and immediately broods too!
Now, I am really confused! These birds are hard to tell apart, and now I believe that the intruder female (we call her Trudy) has a mate or suitor who is also frequenting the nest.
Eggs are non-viable, but still in tact so far.
Any sharp-eyed Osprey experts want to check this out and weigh in? I really wish I could tell who was who. Their behavior is fascinating.
Streaming video is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgojMBs5umg
The second male coming in can still be seen for another 3 hours or so, just scroll back.
Fellow Osprey lovers! My husband and I have been mesmerized by a live video cam of a nest of a young osprey family on Hog Island, Maine. We have been watching for just two days, however, and today’s feeing frequency (and appearance) by Papa has us concerned. For the past two days, Pap has brought fish to his mate and three chicks quite regularly- every 2-3 hours or so.
Today, however, he appeared and quickly disappeared from view early this morning and has not returned since (yes, we are indeed mesmerized). Mama has been calling out insistently but he has not returned all day.
Perhaps osprey chicks have heavy eating days followed by days of ‘growing”? Is it normal for the male not to have returned to the nest for over 7 hours? We are worried!
How fast can a osprey be in a swoop?
My question there was a nest with babies born when the parents left the next to defend it. The babies were left out in the heat and passed away leaving one egg.
So is it possible that the one egg will hatch. How long will mom & dad realize that they have no babies and leave the nest?
The birds made their nest on a TV station
WE have observed osprey adding sticks to the pole nest on our property this fall. We do not know what the sex of the osprey is but it seems to only be here sporadically now. Is it possible the male is preparing the nest for next spring?
Do Ospreys feed their young regurgitated fish or only fish parts stripped at the nest?
Fish parts stripped at the nest.
Hello.
We had a Osprey pair nesting in a tall pine tree down the street from us, here in Central Florida.. For several months we have enjoyed watching them fish in the canal behind our home, and we could see them coming and going to their nest. A few days ago, one of their chicks was dead in the road.. presumably having fallen out of the nest. I have not seen the parents since. Would losing a chick cause the pair to leave…?
My wife and I are watching a single osprey, unaccompanied at all, bringing sticks to an established nest on a tall dead tree on the shore of a small manmade lagoon on Roanoke Island, NC. We assume it is an unattached male but we have no way to be sure. We have not seen two birds together at the site at any time. We have seen this activity sporadically over a 5 to 7 day period between May 16-21 while we are RVing nearby. What can you tell us about the behavior we are seeing?
My parents have had an Osprey nest for 13 years at their house on Innerarity Point, in Pensacola. Never once has the mom and dad Osprey ever thrown a baby out of the nest, but this time they did. Do you know why? We’ve even had cameras in the nest, but we know it was thrown out of the nest, not accidentally a fall; It was deliberate because of where the baby landed and how young the baby was.
You should never molest a nest. Putting a camera in the nest could cause the birds to abandon it. Many animals will abandon their young when they have been handled by humans.
After courting for a week or more, and starting to build nest, our pair of ospreys on our new stand have vanished.
What could of happened? They seemed to be settling in well but have not seen them for a few days. Stand is over water large creek on Chesapeake Bay.
Not sure why they are no longer around..
Been a few days of my observing an Osprey nest, Two adults and three off-spring. (maybe a week or two old). Notice the female either preening constantly, or is she bothered by some type of insect? Most of the attention is in the chest area, occasionally in her tail feathers?
We live in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. There’s an Osprey nest on the transformer tower across the street. Last week, there were workers on the tower, that disturbed the nest, electrocuting the mama and on baby. The dad and brother were devastated. They came over to one of the boats at our marina, and cried all day. Since then, we’re down to one. He was crying again this morning. Is there anything we can do for him?
Karen, are you aware of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act? The Osprey and all migratory birds are protected by this treaty in Canada, US and Mexico. It is so heartbreaking that there is no respect for wildlife in most parts of Mexico (I’m from there). Unfortunately most people are not aware of this treaty. It is illegal to harass and kill birds or take and destroy their nests and eggs. I hope the workers and company get punished…You can still report violations to this number, please telephone them at: (998)267-7452 in Cancun. As for helping the only osprey left, I’m not sure what you can do. Perhaps find out if there are any bird sanctuaries that will take osprey. Please let us know what happened. Good luck.
question… our 2 ospreys returned this year to their nest, but after about a week, they have moved down a few telephone poles where they are trying to build a new nest. they had started to fix up the old nest, but have abandoned it. we did notice a squirrel scare them last week when the ospreys were in the nest, and that was the last time we observed the ospreys in that nest. note that we aren’t watching the nest but for a few times a day, and aren’t sure that they didn’t come back to the nest after the squirrel observation we made.
any ideas on what would cause them to move only 200 feet away (assuming it wasn’t the squirrel) ?
We have had a pair every year since we built our platform. This year, however, their nest building is practically nonexistent. There is but a shallow remnant of last year’s nest at most, and they’ve been here a couple of weeks. They spend lots of time sitting on, and defending, the nest, but no time fetching sticks. Any thoughts or explanations?
I have just watched Osprey mate on the Loch Garten site, how long til she lays her eggs and then when can I expect the chicks to start hatching.
Thank you, Florence
Interesting – I just watched a pair mate off Ocean City, NJ. I never thought I would just happen to see that! I also am curious how long it takes before the female lays eggs. I think the hatching starts in May, at least that’s what it was here last year.
My osprey pair returned and were quite content to start upgrading the nest in anticipation of hatching new chicks this season. However, a third osprey arrived about a week ago and appears to be a male because he’s been performing the aerial display. The other male chases him off but he’s persisting in courting the female of the pair. I just took a photo of one osprey sitting at the nest while another one flies off with a fish in it’s talons as another osprey flies in with a fish. Can you tell me a little about competing males and will the female stay loyal to her first mate?
We have Ospreys living in a nest in a tree in front of our home on the water. We see them flying to another nest about 200 yards away across the water. Why would they have 2 nests?
On a small unmanned island in the Long Island Sound there is a large guyed tower with some shorter tower round it a pair of Osprey have been nesting there for at least 6 years arriving in march and leaving in the late fall.
They usually have two or three chicks per year. Unfortunately late last fall I found one of the bird dead on the ground because the chicks were about 7 months old it’s hard to determine if it was one of the adults or a chick. They have not returned yet and I’m concerned it may have been one of the adults what do Ospreys do when they lose a long term mate?
I had a nesting pair of Osprey last year, here in Upstate NY. When should I expect them to return? Should I start watching now? I know they started the Hawk Watch in our area and the migrants have begun to return, so I am hoping they will be back soon!
Heather, ospreys could be arriving back to your region any time now, up through early April. Here’s to a good season for the New York fish hawks!
while on vacation in Sarasota, FL early Feb, I noticed an Osprey nest. Frequently 1 Osprey would land on the head of the Osprey sitting in the nest. What’s up with that?!!
Our school is assisting in the building of an artificial osprey nesting structure and we need to know what height to make it, what materials they would prefer the structure to be made of and what would be a good design for the structure?
Please reply ASAP!
Thank you
Hello, I am photographing resident and migrating ospreys and bald eagles around an inlet in northeast Florida. The ospreys fish the extensive tidally influenced flats above the mouth of the inlet. I am trying to determine the optimum time or conditions to photograph them fishing, but have not discerned a consistent pattern based on time of day or tidal cycles, that is whether they tend to fish immediately after sunrise, mid-day or before sunset, or on tidal cycles such as high, low, ebbing or rising tides, where fish movement or water depth may influence fishing. Do you know of any sources of information associating such variables with osprey fishing patterns in marine environments?
Thanks, Ted Mikalsen
Jacksonville, FL
Do Ospreys feed at night? I live on a pond and have been hearing large splashes in the water at night that sound like the Ospreys that were fishing all summer here.
It’s early September in northwestern Wyoming and there appear to be two ospreys still in their nest…could this be…might they be transients using the nests as they proceed south?
Thank you!
i have a pair across the field, the male sits on a pole outside my balcony, we whistle bk n forth all the time, i havnt seen any babies this year, i have binoculers n witnessed the pair what looked like feeding something in the nest, ive been looking all summer for babies but have not seen any, when do the babies come out and fly, im frustrated that i havnt seen babies, me n daddy bird hang out all the time, i love him….i have a great connection wh animals, i want to see a babie….plz help me understand if they flew the coop or what, i only see mom n dad up there……..
We saw a bird across the water from our house sitting on a very low branch. We couldn’t identify the bird until 4 hrs later when it flopped from its perch & floundered into the water. As we watched, it flapped its wings and made its way across the water to where we were sitting. It seemed to be coming to us for help, knowing we were watching it for several hours. We realized it was an osprey, & it couldn’t lift itself up the bank. We didn’t know how to help it & didnt want to hurt it. Someone told us to leave it alone, osprey sometimes eat so much they can’t move until they pass stool to lose weight. I couldn’t find any information to that effect online. Could that be true? (We called for help from wildlife)
We have had a family of Osprey on top of a satellite tower across the street from my office in Osceola (St. Joseph County, Indiana). I watch them with a scope set up in my window, and it appears two have been left behind for the last couple of days. They have been calling out as normal, but the others haven’t returned, and I’m not entirely sure that they can fly (they don’t leave the nest). Is it possible that the other 3 or 4 have migrated and left them behind?
If so, is there any rescue or protection for these falcons?
This comment will NOT be popular, I know, but I cannot STAND these birds. We live on the water and are nearly driven crazy every year by their incessant shrieking, whistling, chirping, and territorial bullying. I don’t know how they can keep up their high-pitched nonstop hollering for hours on end, but it goes on ALL DAY without cease. Horrible birds that can’t even be drowned out by earplugs, AC, or music!
You chose to live BY THE WATER, what did you expect? Putting up with the noise for the couple of months the breeding and fledgling takes, is a small price to pay in order for you to enjoy your water view. THeir lives depend on the water, yours don’t. Only your convenience is suffering. How about the incessant human activity with loud parties, loud music, and drinking that goes on longer than the osprey shrieking? THAT is what you should complain about, since that is not a life giving activity. I am sure ospreys close to the Hamptons are disturbed by the loud, obnoxious humans nearby.
Iv hit the nail on the head,,,we are the intruders and need to do our best to be good neighbors to the osprey, I love their constant communicating,Never had a bird throw a beer bottle out in my yard,,,
You are a real piece of work…I would hate to have you live anywhere near me.
You dont know what an osprey is they dont kill birds they are fish eaters and as for the noise they only make a noise whrn wanting food. Get your facts right.
when do parent osprey leave? Nice noticed 2 years running that the juveniles are left on their own for weeks or months before they migrate. It’s mid August here and our nest has only one juvenile in it; there s a second juvenile around but it is chased away from the nest. Is this usual? Seems like the parents needed to stick around longer to referrer.
Here in central Florida where we have lots of lakes, Ospreys can be seen on their nests starting around the end of February, and continuously until early August.
Does it take that long for Osprey hatchlings to grow and fledge?
There is an Osprey nest in a tall pine tree near our patio. For 2 or 3 years we have enjoyed them from their arrival until they departed floor migration. Everything was proceeding normally this year until mid July. All of a sudden they tore the nest apart and vanished. No sign of the adults or chicks. What’s that about? Have we lost this nest forever? What has happened to the 4 birds? Herb
Did you see them tear the nest apart? unlikely. A predator probablly got the chicks and then another animal may have torn it up.
We live in Old Saybrook Connecticut.
We built a platform several years ago and we have had a couple inhabit the nest but this is the first year that we have fledglings.The eggs hatched recently (first week in July)
We have just seen the fledgling’s heads pop-up in the nest.
How long before they start flying?
Thanks
Ray.
Ray, if you go to Sandpointonline.com/ospreys there is a section below the cam picture where you can ask questions. It’s a good site.
We live in Maupin, Oregon on the Deschutes River where we have ospreys coming back each year to a wonderful nest that the previous owners have built at. The ospreys have been coming here for years and years. We have had a terrible heatwave of 100 degree weather for 2 weeks and have watched the parents hover over the chicks all day trying to keep them cool, but a few days ago, we saw that the chicks were not moving and then the parents left the nest and buried the chicks in the nest. I have observed that they are now trying to make another next on a telephone pole, which won’t work because it is so small. What can I expect? Are they going to come back again next year? I say them sitting in the nest for hours after, just being there. It was so sad. We need to realize that this global warming is serious and we just saw “the canary in the coal mine” here!
I have a cottage at Chapman Lake in PA. Last night we spotted an adult osprey on a dock. while kayaking around 7:00P.M. It could move and open its wings, but did not fly away. It emitted no sounds. I was told that this same bird had landed on a beach earlier in the day. It did not leave the dock. Any ideas and suggestions? I did not check this morning.
Lots of info on osprey-cam page.
No obvious button to actually view birds.
If you click the “Osprey cam home” link in the upper left column, that takes you to the home page with the live video stream. If you are not seeing the stream on that page, you may have a browser incompatibility – if that’s the case, let us know in a reply here and we’ll investigate. Thanks.
We’ve been watching George and Gracie on the Osprey webcam. Of the 3 chicks one died. Mom just covered him with a piece of plastic bag. Is this normal? If not, what do the Odprey usually do with dead chicks. This mom seems to be a new mom.
The Ospreys in Charlo, Montana left their dead chick in the nest for about 5 days and then one day the mom picked it up and flew off with it.
As you may know, an eagle swooped in to the osprey nest at Hog Island maine last week and stole the chicks. Much sadness. While watching the nest today, mom was screeching, dad arrived with a big fish, she grabbed it away, screeched some more and then flew off with the fish. Is this normal? Seems though she could fish for her own? Is it still part of her parenting instinct?
Thank you for any info.
Becky, we have forwarded your question (and others below) to our consulting biologist, Janie Fink Veltkamp. It’s a busy season for her so a reply may take some time. The particular incident of the bald eagle’s depredation on the osprey chicks was caught in a video clip published June 26, 2015. It depicts raw nature at work and we debated whether to provide it here, but believe that many interested in the fascinating but complicated lives of raptors would want to see it. It’s a 1 minute clip but the content will be disturbing for some.
Oh no! Well, don’t think I’ll watch that one. : (
How do the adult osprey get water to their young chicks?
All the moisture they get is from the fish that is fed to them 🙂
I live in Annapolis Maryland right next to an osprey nest. I was sitting on the beach in front of it when I heard a loud crash. I turn around and there is a juvenile osprey on the ground in fragmities. I went over, got it untangles and carried it to a flat spot in the shade. It seemed fine; no broken wings or visible wounds. However, it was not moving much and was twitching occasionally. I watched it for about 5 mins and it appeared to be recovering (looking around, moving some parts, etc.) and all of a sudden it just died. What could be the cause of this and why was it so sudden?
Also the Osprey was about 12″ from beak to tail and had the mature colorings.
I watched a mother of 3 chicks on the cam and noticed her nonstop calling for 15 min.then dad came with fish ….after the feeding she continued anthem next day doing the same . Is she stressed
I want to thank Jane Fink for all of the info she posts, I’m partial to all raptors but have only seen Osprey and Bald Eagles in the wild. While visiting my daughter in North Idaho years ago I was able to watch one fishing in the river (Kootenai, I think) which ahs focused my attention on Osprey. Beautiful birds!!!!!
We have an osprey nest across the river. Babies are nearly full size and one spends most of its time out of the nest. However, the other one stays close to home and cries and cries. haven’t seen the parents for days. How long will the baby survive waiting for mom and dad? It obviously doesn’t know how to fish yet.
Never mind. He died today.
Valerie, that’s sad. Unfortunately, if the chicks are orphaned before they become self sufficient, that’s the likely outcome.
Is it legal to shoot osprey? I have a feeling that is what happened to the parents.
Valerie, we don’t know what state you’re in, but ospreys are listed as a threatened and protected species and are protected under state and federal law in all states.
I’m in Washington State. I have reason to suspect the parent birds were shot because they fish in this salmon river. I am so heart broken. I watched the nest since the time the babies were born. I watched the baby for three days calling out for mummy. How can I find out if it’s illegal in this state to shoot one of these beautiful birds. Do you know?
Valerie, we don’t know the laws specific to Washington state, but eagles, ospreys, hawks, falcons, kites, owls, vultures and all other native North American birds of prey are strictly protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. That includes a prohibition against the taking or possession of their parts such as feathers or talons. You can contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife through their website at wdfw.wa.gov, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington state at fws.gov/wafwo. Good luck.
Dear Jane,
I want to first thank you for all of your answers to my questions, and for you care of the great raptors. And secondly, I need to give you an update on the osprey nest.
After the young osprey cried continuously for 3-4 days, and left the nest only for 5 or 10 min at the most, usually flying to a lower branch and crying more, I was certain when he disappeared that he had died. I drove across the river and looked for the tree and any evidence, but didn’t find it. Also, there was a new mysterious white and dark brown area of the nest that we hadn’t noticed before, and we thought it was him. A branch obscured our view too much to make positive identification even with a telescope. Then a couple days later I saw the older sibling on the nest. He was the quieter baby, so I decided it was him…but of course I could be wrong. I watched the nest for about 30-40 minutes thinking if only another juvenile bird would show up, I could know the younger one lived.. And sure enough one did. Now, we do have other ospreys in the area, and another adult has been trying to claim the nest and get a mate, so we cannot be certain. But, then I remembered that the sibling had come to the nest a few times during the crisis and seemed to be trying to get the younger one to fly away with him. Sometimes he would, but would return pretty quickly. Also, the Saturday before we thought he died we saw the sibling drop something in the nest, but it didn’t look like a fish to me because it was so dark, and the baby didn’t go for it but continued to sit on the edge of the nest and cry. Do you think it’s possible the older sibling finally got the younger one to fish??? Also, a few days after that, an adult came to the nest and began calling out – not the desperate cry like the baby…just the normal calling of these birds. Then one of the juveniles showed up at the nest with a fish and began eating it. At that point I found out the adult also had a fish and ate it at the same time. When this ritual was finished the young one flew away and the adult stayed. I have not seen any juveniles since then. The adult would come and call often at the nest and finally another larger bird joined. Maybe a male securing a nest and then looking for a female? So far they have not mated, but I do see him there calling out and occasionally she comes to visit. Is it too late for this new pair to mate? My understanding is that these birds stay with their young for 2 or 3 months after fledging so I’m sure this isn’t the original adults as they were only with them for a week or so after fledging. I also investigated the possible shooting and my neighbor didn’t shoot them. He shoots the Cormorants for fishing in the river and going for the young salmon. While this disturbs me just as much, it solves that part of the question regarding the osprey.
Sorry for such a long note, but I am very interested in your take on all of these goings on.
Thanks!!!.
I guess I thought Jane was answering all these questions. I’d like feedback from whomever might understand these birds better than I. Thanks! : )
Next year if you witness an active nest and think you find orphans, contact your local raptor rehabilitation center and they can determine if you indeed have orphans.
Cheryl Crowder…
They were 50+- day babies. No question that something happened to the parents. I have never seen that pair again. And it is just my hope that the two juniors I saw a couple days later were the original ones. And yes, some local folks have told me that the Dept of Fish and Game will come to help birds of prey. We don’t have a rescue site such as yours. This didn’t answer my question about the new birds who started taking over the nest. Turns out it is too late. They are gone too. I guess I’ll just learn about these birds as I watch them over the years to come. We have at least two osprey nests, perhaps three, and one bald eagle nest. Thanks for all your wonderful information on these magnificent birds.
Every year hundreds of Ospreys migrate to southern Ontario for breeding. There are many man-made platforms where they build their nests. I observed for the first time a pair and their young babies last year in one such platforms by Lake Simcoe. This year I saw the parents (I presume that they are the same) coming back to the platform and started building nest and mating in the middle of April. Since then, every week-end I visit their nesting site hoping to see a baby or two popping their heads in the nest. Unfortunately I only see the parents continue mating to this date and often times both parents leave the nest for a prolonged period of time. This most likely means that she hasn’t laid any egg. How late they can be in laying egg? Is end of May already too late? Also, if there’s an egg or two in the nest will the female ever leave the nest? Or does she spend all her time tending the eggs?
Mating ospreys will continue to lay eggs and nest over a continuum of time. Once she has laid, an experienced set of parents will not leave the eggs unattended. Incubation posture is obvious in the female as she lays horizontal in the nest. Be patient, as there is still time for late
layers. Once laid they will relieve each other of their duties, never leaving the eggs.
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
Went out to feed my cats, and when I walked by my ladder leaning next to the house, I was surprised by a young osprey sitting on top of the ladder! My neighbors have an osprey nest set up and we always watch them every year. The young osprey keeps calling out, and can’t seem to fly for long periods of time. It just hops & flies a little from one tree top to another calling out. Will the parents help it or is it just left on its own now? It will surely die without assistance.
The “young osprey” atop the ladder requires further investigation. Depending on what state this question comes from, we have no “young osprey” yet here in North Idaho. Even if they have hatched they are not yet flying around. It is too early. What you may be observing is an adult whose mate did not return and is frustrated and calling out to a mate that will not return. The bird may also be wounded in some way if it cannot sustain flight. Either way if grounded, it should be captured and x-rayed. Also, another identifying feature is young osprey have orange eyes. Adults have yellow eyes.
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
Do female osprey eat the shells of their eggs after the chicks hatch?
I do not know if osprey moms eat the shells after the young hatch. Doing so sounds like a good way to replenish calcium stores. Let’s keep watching them on the osprey cam to find out!
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
Hi. I have an osprey that spends a lot of time in a line tree in my yard. It has been killing other birds that fly into my yard. I find feathers all over my yard every day and this morning witnessed it plucking a bluejay. It also dives at my cat…. This does not seem like typical behavior- or is it?
Thanks!
Your description is that of a hawk, as eating birds is NOT the work of an osprey. They are strictly a fish-eating raptor. The hawk that visits you is likely a Cooper’s hawk. Remember, when people put bird feeders out to feed songbirds they may be also indirectly feeding bird-eating hawks like the Cooper’s and the sharp-shinned hawks. Everything has to eat something. That’s why it’s called a food chain.
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
A female osprey has laid 2 eggs and the male has not brought food nor been seen for couple of days. At what point will she leave the eggs unattended to feed herself? – Also worried that when eggs hatch they will not survive if she has to leave them to hunt
When one of the mated pair is “lost” the other remaining nesting adult will eventually be forced to leave the nest when hunger overcomes them. Unfortunately it is not likely the eggs will survive. When the parent bird leaves to feed itself, the eggs will cool to a critical temperature. When we admit adult raptors to our facility in summer months, we know there is a potential they may have a mate waiting. The sad fact is that the offspring will not likely survive with only one parent bird.
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
Hi,
We have recently seen three adult osprey occupying the same nest. Have you seen this behavior before?
While it has been documented on rare occasion that a male osprey has serviced two nest sites, in general raptors are monogamous. This polygamous strategy puts great pressure on the male when young have hatched and he must forage for the additional young. By far the youngsters have a better chance at survival with one set of dedicated parents.
– Janie Fink Veltkamp / Birds of Prey Northwest
Great information! Is there any data on how many young survive the first year out of a given number? Also, is there any data on how well the dads tend to them after the mom migrates?
What will happen to mom and babies if dad doesn’t come back to nest after a few days. Will the mom go and try to fish leaving babies unprotected?
Randy
If the male dies will the female abandon the chicks?
I have Ospreys landing on the on the canvas top of the fly-bridge on my boat. They are
making a real mess. They are covering the boat with all types of debris and fish parts.
What can I do to stop them from returning? I have “gull-chasers” and already strung fishing line and streamers across the canvas, any ideas would be appreciated.
ospreys have made a nest on top of my chimney. The babies were born but they have come back. What can I do to remove the nest?
Hi: We just spotted your comment on the SandpointOspreys.com page. You need to wait until the nest is vacated in fall, then remove it. Ospreys have high nest fidelity so they may attempt to rebuild the nest next spring; to discourage that you would need some structures around the chimney to inhibit their access to the nest spot.
I believe that a small airplane hit the male osprey last night guarding the nesting female on a telephone pole on my land. Knowing that birds are relatively fragile, if he died, what will happen to the female who has been nesting for about three weeks? What should we?
I live on the Potomac River right close to the Chesapeake Bay. There was a nesting pair last year on my nest, but this year the nests around here are not paired. I have one sitting and calling, but no mate. Many nests are empty this year. Was the winter too cold? Rachel Schrote
We put a platform nest up in 2008, and this year we have our first osprey pair her on riverside state park on the Spokane river. They arrived April 17th and have been busy since, nest building,mating, now the female seems to be staying on the nest consistently. The birds have been named Mac and Ella after the first family to settle this little area of Rivermere at Seven mile.my question is in regard to setting up camera of course after they leave this fall. What is the best kind and what is approx cost? Thanks Laurie
Laurie: The answer is a bit complicated but here is the short one. Cameras can run under $1k to $5k-plus depending on the features you want. A full-motion video cam requires that you have a high-bandwidth network connection available to the nest site; it can be wireless, but the relay and power source, such as a solar array, will cost additional if you don’t have hard wires available to the nest site. Also, to stream video over the Internet you must use a streaming media server, which incurs several hundred dollars monthly expense.
I’ve been watching this osprey couple for a few months now, nesting and bringing fish to the nest, not sure how many chicks but the male osprey was killed and I was wondering if the female will be able to care and feed her chicks on her own now that the male will no longer return…..
Dear Jane,
Six years ago I had installed a web-site recommended constructed osprey platform in the canal in front of my cottage in the Outer Banks of NC. Once in a while over the years it would appear an osprey was interested in the platform but after a couple of landings, they never returned. Finally, last year a couple “courted” on the platform, coming and going frequently but never showing any serious nesting plans. This year, however, the couple , or another couple, showed up and started building a nest. I was thrilled. With the nest built, one stayed in it and the other came and went with twigs, food, etc. Then suddenly, maybe two or three weeks later, they both left. Is there an explanation for their sudden disappearance, i.e., is this normal, particularly if this was a first time young couple? If so, is there a chance they’ll return to the same nest next year? Thank you for any light you can shed of this mystery. Sincerely, Sandra Canepa, Hampton, VA and Kill Devil Hills, NC.
Dear Sandra,
My only speculation is this, regarding the mysterious departure of your osprey pair:
Many times, placed osprey poles and platforms lack one critical feature – the placement of predator control flashing. It may be that a raccoon or another ground predator accessed the nest, destroying the eggs or young, which would cause the pair to abandon the nest. Placing metal flashing in a 3-foot circumference around the base of the pole or tree can prevent this from happening. This material is easily found at any hardware store and is often used around chimneys.
Fantastic information here thanks for sharing it. I have a man-made osprey nest in the marsh behind my house. This is our second summer experiencing these awesome birds. Last summer (2012) our nest had 4 babies and it would seem that one or more of those babies came back this year. In April the parents tried to chase them off to the nest on the other side of the marsh, but this last month we’ve seen 3-4 adult osprey in the nest plus the daddy on the separate pole in front of the nest. Is this typically for the babies to come home and invade the nest so that no new babies are born that year?
Regarding the young returning and invading the nest they were born in: Young osprey take at least 2 years to reach maturity. Also they tend to migrate south to Central and South America and remain there until reaching maturity. At this time, the young ospreys’ eye color changes from youthful orange to adult yellow. If you are experiencing four in the nest this year, I would think that they are this year’s young. You can tell by the buffy tips on the feathers and the orange eye of the youngsters. I would bet there are 3 young in the nest with Mom present and the ever watchful male nearby!
I work for a small non-profit environmental group and we own an island on Cape Cod that is prime nesting habitat for coastal shorebirds. We have a very healthy Osprey population and it seems to grow larger every year. My question is that one of our members stated that he saw on 3 different occasions, an osprey take a plover chick and feed on it. It flew back to the nest and fed it to the young. Can this be true? I thought they fed primarily on fish.
Regarding the osprey predation on plover chicks: While osprey are fish eating birds of prey, it is not out of the question for them to take unusual prey items-especially when the parents have a growing family to feed!
Flying and mastering the art of making it back to the nest come first, then after several weeks of successful flights, hunting attempts will occur. Unitl then the little osprey wlill retrun to the nest for feedings. The sex of the osprey is unknown. Only about 80% of females sport a necklace and in the end size matters. The females are often larger than the males and the determinant factor is weight. Best guess is to note whether the youngster is closer in size to the respective parent bird. At 6 weeks of age the youngster is mostly full grown and will sport its youthful orange eye for 2 years to come.
Can you tell by looking at Baby O in the Sandpoint nest whether it is male or female. I’m betting on female but others think male. Thank you
Hi Jane,
We were chatting and have the following questions. Do the chicks leave the nest before or at the time of the fall migration (do they travel as a family the first year?)? Like salmon do they have ingrained annual migratory routes that they use from birth? Do they come back to area they were hatched? When do they take a mate? If they mated for life, what happens to widows/widowers?
Thanks, Bill
Chicks leave the nest at the time of fledging near the age of 48-60 days of age, well before fall migration. The family unit usually stays in tact for another 3 months or so. The birds do not migrate together as a family. These offspring do have ingrained migratory routes and return to the general area from where they were born, once they reach adulthood. Males generally speaking, return more closley to the natal area.
The ospreys usually require a minimun of 2 years to reach sexual maturity at which time the males select a nest site and then attract a female to that site. This pair bond is typically monogamous and life-long. The mate is only replaced upon the death of one.
HI JANE
JUST WONDERED IF THEFLEDGLING IS ABLE TO HUNT FOR ITSELF YET OR DO THE PARENTS CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE FOOD? I KEEP MISSING THE FEEDING EVENTS BUT AM NOTING THAT OUR LITTLE OSPREY FLIES PRETTY WELL….SO IS HUNTING OR FISHING INATE FOR THIS LITTLE ONE OR DOES HE OR SHE NEED TO BE TAUGHT? AND IS IT A BOY OR GIRL? THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INFO OVER THE WEEKS OF EXCITEMENT
Another question… How old are the chicks when they first start making noise (ie chirping, plaintive cry, etc.)? The other osprey nest in Colorado, we can hear a chirping sound and also a plaintive cry but the female’s mouth is not moving and the chick is not visible. Could the sound be coming from the chick that is about 2 weeks old? Very curious about these osprey!
I still have HOPE for the first egg that was laid, although I know it is probably not viable. My first question is what will they do with the unhatched egg? My second question regards the recent times that the eggs have been left alone – will that be a problem for the 2nd egg? Can they survive without being sat on for short periods of time?
Thanks for the quick response to questions!!! Now that we understand how the osprey catch their fish, can you comment about how they consume them?? You’re already noted that the chicks will be started off with ripped up pieces of fish flesh. From watching feeding in the nest, I’ve noticed this: 1) seems like only the bottom of the fish is delivered; 2) the entrails are the first eaten; 3) female spits out bones or scales? 4) both sexes seem to “burp up” and re-swallow after eating; and 5) I’ve seen her swallow a large section of tail several times. So, do the osprey eat the entire fish — head, scales, bones, etc? Let’s say they’re catching 4-5 inch trout — how many fish does an adult and chick each eat per day? Thanks!!!!!!
One more question on consumption. We see alot of dissect fish. how does the osprey tear these fish apart — beak, talons, both? Assuming a 4-5 inch trout how long would this take?
Having handled and observed many ospreys, it is clear the “fish hawk” bites and then twists with the beak. The talons are used to secure the slippery fish and anchor it. This is how the osprey manages its fish into smaller components. Many raptors remove the head of the prey item in times of plenty for caching and to ensure the item is dead. Entrails have differnet nutrients than say the bones do. The osprey often consumes the whole smaller fish, deriving important vitamins and minerals from different parts of the fish.
Larger fish with scales take more energy to consume and break down into managable parts. How much fish is consumed by the osprey depends on two main variables- the ambient temperature and the age of the bird. In times of cold weather raptors can double the amount of food intake-a mechanism to keep warm. Young growing raptors are full grown at six weeks of age and are capable of consuming TWICE what an adult osprey eats! Hence my previous emphasis on the phenomenal role the male osprey plays in just fishing for the growing family!
The osprey, like most day active hunters, relies mostly on sight to hunt. Osprey do not hunt at night, but rather are “diurnal hunters” like eagles, hawks, and falcons. Osprey differ from the other raptors in that they have a dislocatable shoulder, reversible toes, underwater vision, waterproof feathers, and velcro like pads on their feet. Their most unique feature is their ability to put their feet where their vision initialy saw the fish underwater. The osprey dives feet first into the water at speeds over 30 miles per hour!
Regarding your question about “catch rate”, osprey do not catch a fish on every dive. They adjust to the conditions, and undoubtably conditions like waves or cloudy or muddy water do affect their success rate. They have overcome all of these conditions for millions of years, and continue to thrive!
Hi, just wondering what senses make the Osprey such a good fisher. Is it vision, sound, scent, etc?? I’m wondering how they fish at night or when its wavy on the lake. Does their catch rate decrease during these times??? Thanks, love the site and info provided!
I have been recording and taking pictures through a telescope “our” Osprey on Osprey Lane and Whiskey Jack Circle for 8 years.
Every other year it seems, we have a chance for two baby Osprey being hatched. Is there
any knowledge of when you can expect three as we have had three four years ago. We called it a real wonder and they had a very devoted mom.
We had a veterinary neighbor who helped me with a fallen Osprey after it hit a live wire and damaged it’s wing. The Osprey was nursed to good health and let go several weeks later. It returned the following year. It has a tag we identify it by.
Thanks so much for all your information. I’m having my grandchildren in MAINE follow the Osprey on the web cam. What a teaching lesson for them.
The number of eggs laid by a pair of osprey is often influenced by weather and food supply. If the season yields a particularly abundant source of fish and warmer weather a larger number of eggs will be produced. Enjoy watching your fish hawks!
So do the chicks start feeding with digested material from the parents or do they start on fish flesh right away?
Bill, our biologist Jane Fink says the chicks get fresh fish immediately. The adults tear tiny bits of fresh fish and delicately feed the young.
Thanks for all this excellent information. Ospreys are my favorite bird and I have the pleasure of seeing them every day as First Mate aboard the Shawnodese in the Spring, Summer, & Fall. In the Winter, I live in Mulege’, on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. We have an abundant population of ospreys here. I have observed them here from December through May and believe that they do not migrate. I am told by local Mexicans that they are here year round. I am seeing them actively nest building right now. Is this unusual to have non-migratory ospreys? When I first moved here, I used to imagine that the ospreys I saw everyday might be the ones we observe on the Rail Bridge in Sandpoint, but alas, not the case.
Thanks again…
Hi Linda: We passed your question by our biologist, Jane Fink, and she replies:
Much like our resident and wintering bald eagle population in north Idaho, osprey, too are either stationary in their habitat or migratory. We have an influx of bald eagles in Idaho over the winter months, as wintering bald eagles are forced to leave the north as the freeze up occurs and head south to open waters. All the while our resident breeding pairs of eagles typically do not migrate. Likely the case in Mexico, that you have resident breeding osprey that never leave and those like our North Idaho population which migrate every fall and spring to the south. Many nonresident ospreys may winter in Mexico and sport colored leg bands. These osprey where part of a reintroduction effort across North America to reestablish populations of this fabulous raptor!