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An Intro to OspreyZone

The Story of DDT

Osprey Rescue

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Bald Eagles Visit Nest

Ospreyzone Highlights: May 21-29, 2020

OspreyZone Highlights: May 15-20, 2020 - The Intruder

OspreyZone Highlights: May 7th-14th, 2020

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March 18, 2016 Timelapse

The Summer of 2015 by GinaM

Osprey Rescue Extended - July 30, 2015

Osprey Zone Highlights - June 28, 2015

Osprey Zone Highlights - June 19, 2015

osprey 07/11/15 squirt

First Sighting

George and Gracie's First Baby

Eggs Over Easy

Changing of the Guard

Breakfast is Served

Upgrading

Feeding Time

First Love

Let's Hang Out

Hard to Get

Little Brother

Intruder

Dinner is Served

OspreyZone Montage

OspreyZone Highlights: George Returns

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Belle’s Journey

Written by Dr. Rob Bierregaard & Illustrated by Kate Garchinsky

Take flight with Belle, an osprey born on Martha’s Vineyard as she learns to fly and migrates for the first time to Brazil and back–a journey of more than 8,000 miles.

Click HERE for more information!

IMPORTANT: Messages from osprey experts

Rob Bierregaard July 1, 2015 at 7:24 am
I haven’t seen the little guy yet this morning, but I would be very surprised if he survived the night. That sure was tough to watch yesterday, but that whole process is as much a part of the essence of being an Osprey as is eating a fish. It’s part of the life of Ospreys that was rarely seen before we started putting cameras in nests. As hard as it is, we should not label the behavior as mean or cruel. Being mean or cruel implies that there is intent to do harm just for harm’s sake. Those young were responding to a set of stimuli (very little food being delivered to the nest and the presence of a very small young) in a way that evolution has hard-wired into them. It helps ensure their survival. Nature is not cruel. It is harsh, unforgiving, and often random (had the little guy been born 1st, he would have been just as aggressive as was his sibling), but not cruel or mean.

4818eecc88292926c58414a82c884c71Paul Henry ospreyzone July 1, 2015 at 8:17 am
Thanks Rob for bringing your knowledge and experience to help us all gain perspective here. We are all saddened by the events that unfolded before our eyes and it’s only natural for all of us to feel and express our emotions appropriately. There have been many issues pertaining to intervention which have been discussed amongst us all. There is no doubt in my mind that the right decision was made, to let nature take it’s course. By the way, that doesn’t equate to heartless, on the contrary, nobody feels worse about this then the apparent decision makers. I say apparent, because when all was said and done, and all the issues were properly weighed, there really weren’t any other options. It was clearly pointed out, by experts, that intervening at this stage could have spooked the whole nest to the point of losing all the young. If the little one was saved, and nursed back to health, what kind of a life would it have had, perhaps caged up in a zoo. I remember when I was younger I saw a golden eagle in captivity, caged behind a wire mesh. I could practically see it’s tears. As far as placing the little one in another nest, such a low probability of success would never have justified the possibility of spooking the nest. There’s a piece of me, however heavy hearted, that believes that perhaps it is better to be born free and die free. We mourn for the little one as we marvel at the wonders of nature.

Reprinted with the permission of John W. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hello Paul,

Thanks for your query, and you have my admiration for persevering. We know very well how tough your job is, including dealing with an anxious public.

Our policy with our Bird Cams project is essentially “just say no” to pleas for interference. The behavior you are witnessing – while seemingly cruel and heartless to us – is natural for many kinds of birds, especially those that feed on variable, unpredictable food supplies. The little nestling does have a chance to survive, but if it does not then that result was “meant to be” by the nature of Osprey breeding strategy. The wonderful things about these nest cameras also sometimes yield the difficult things for us to watch. As you might know, we actually post a “siblicide alert” on some of our cams where we suspect the possibility exists.

I’m copying your note to Charles Eldermire, project leader for our Bird Cams. He may have some additional comments, and he would be the one to ask if we might be able to use your stored files for biological analysis.

Best wishes, and good luck,

John W. Fitzpatrick

Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

In addition, Charles Eldermire, Bird Cams Project Leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Writes:

It’s also important to acknowledge that intervening can also cause problems of its own—depending on the ages of the birds in the nest, disturbing them can trigger an early fledge. We have restricted the scenarios in which we would even consider intervening to injuries or dangers that are explicitly human-derived. For example, 3 or 4 years ago we were alerted by viewers that one of the osprey chicks at the Hellgate Osprey nest was entangled in monofilament line. We consulted with our partners there (wildlife biologists, raptor researchers, raptor rehabbers) to determine if the monofilament was an issue, and if intervening was both likely to solve the issue AND not have bad effects on the other nestlings. In the end, a quick trip to the nest was scheduled via a bucket truck, the monofilament was removed, and the nestlings all eventually fledged. In that case, all of the permits were already in hand to be studying the ospreys, and we had already discussed how to approach issues in the nest.

Good luck to the young one—hope it all turns out well.

charles.

*******************
Charles Eldermire
Bird Cams Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Paul,

I’ve been to your site—great cam! And I noticed the runt in the nest. This is just normal Osprey reproduction. It happens all the time and you should not intervene. It’s tough to watch, but it’s how nature works. Ospreys almost always lay 3 eggs and on average fledge between 1 and 1.5 young each year. They stagger the hatch so there is a spread of ages in the young. That way, if food is short, the first-hatched (and therefore largest) will get enough food to survive while the smaller nest mates do not. If all three young were the same size and there was only enough food for 1 young, none of the young would get enough food and they would all die. If there’s lots of food, the smallest will eventually get fed and can survive. These nest cams can show some gut-wrenching scenes. The most infamous perhaps was one of the very first Osprey cams (on Long Island somewhere), where the smallest young died. One of the adults carried it out of the nest and after several minutes flew back into the nest and fed it to the other young. Waste-not-want-not at its goriest. At Hog Island up in Maine just last week a Bald Eagle came in and took the young out of the nest. Last year at another nest, cameras documented a Great-horned Owl taking young Ospreys out of a nest in NJ or MD. All of these things have been going on for millions of years and Ospreys are doing fine.

Rob Bierregaard
Academy of Natural Sciences
Drexel University
http://www.ospreytrax.com

“Interesting. They don’t often take over osprey poles—probably too small for them. They will coopt tree nests, which they can expand. We had a pair of eagles do this on the Vineyard. They built up the Osprey nest a lot and then the Ospreys came home and drove the eagles away, in a David v. Goliath story. The Ospreys successfully bred. They looked tiny in the nest, which sadly blew down this winter.”

    Leave A Comment

    52,587 Comments

    1. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 3:54 pm - Reply

      3:46pmEDT 5/15 George arrives with an Angel flourish,,”now I’m flying, now I’m not !” He has some new oddity..a solid clump of grasses? roots? He’s standing off to the right where you only see 1/2 of him..his butt is in Gracie’s face but at least he’s blocking the wind..She chatted to him and he took off after a few minutes…

    2. Mickey Martin May 15, 2016 at 3:52 pm - Reply

      5/15/16 3:50pm Gracie briefly got up to roll the eggs. All 3 eggs visible before she sat back onto them.

    3. Mickey Martin May 15, 2016 at 3:46 pm - Reply

      while we`re waiting for hatching. Heres a fun fact. When we see the adults sit down and wiggle onto the eggs,and chicks when they are tiny, the adults are manipulating the eggs onto their brood patch. This is a featherless part of the underbelly that is supplied by blood and gives off heat. This heat helps keep the eggs and chicks warm. The feathers start to grow back soon after hatching. 🙂

    4. rjoneal May 15, 2016 at 1:47 pm - Reply

      Sunday pm 5-15-16 well everyone if this wind was not able to blow that fishing line up and out nothing will. Now we have to just hope that George or Gracie dont get their claws stuck in it as they fly in and out . That fishing line wad is caught on the stick below it in a loop. Glad our little babies arent in the nest today they could blow right out like a balloon. That wind is really picking up. Leanne thanks for suggesting that everyone should join in on the fun with our Egg Hatch Guess. I enjoy reading your comments so keep posting. Carol IV you keep asking Betsy when your going to build pop up for birds. I say we build a clear awning overhead on just half the nest for protection from rain and hail along with everything else. It would have to be clear and they could at least protect their heads under it. Also you and Betsy keep me laughing, good job on comments keep them coming!!

    5. Betsy May 15, 2016 at 1:25 pm - Reply

      George and Gracie got their usual early morning start when George brought Gracie breakfast of a headless fish at 5:25-ish, which she eagerly took before flying away and leaving the eggs in George’s care; about a half hour later she was back, without any leftovers for George. An hour after he had brought Gracie breakfast, George was back with another headless fish; then he stood at the front end of nest for a couple of minutes before leaving, looking around the nest and at Gracie, as if he was a little puzzled – either the fishing is good this morning and George wanted to show Gracie or he forgot that he had already fed her! Within 15 minutes, George was back (still carrying the fish, but it was smaller) to join Gracie on the nest. Gracie started alarming, then he joined in, to warn any trespassers to keep out. When everything had quieted down, George fed Gracie the rest of the fish, save for the tail, which he swallowed (without hardly any trouble today) himself. After wiping his beak on a grass-clump napkin, he took off. … Shortly after George left, Gracie got up to change her position on the eggs, but first, before sitting back down, she wanted to pull up and fluff out the corner of plastic that was so nicely tucked under the eggs, and then she left it loose. As she lay down on the eggs and the plastic, the corner of the plastic remained free, and as the wind picked up, the end started flapping, not making Gracie happy. So, she soon got up to sit facing a different direction, with her head now near the big pile of tattered sheets of black plastic. 25 or so minutes later, she got up to change her position, and, after first trying unsuccessfully to poke the black plastic end into the nest, she decided to just pick it up and move it over to the pile, so that the end was no longer even somewhat anchored. Now, with the wind getting really blustery at times, the plastic began flapping like crazy, slapping her in the head and face and draping over and around her, like a very long scarf! (Did anyone know how LONG that piece of plastic was?? It apparently starts in the right back corner of the nest!!) Eventually, she changed her position again, and this time she sat so her body was on the end of plastic, so that at least it was no longer flapping. But while the one end was anchored somewhere in the corner of the nest and the other end was weighted down by her body, the center section of the plastic still had slack, making it billow and snap near her head. At 8 am, Gracie and George switched, with it George’s turn to now deal with the flapping plastic; at first he looked a little perplexed at what to do about that crazily waving plastic, and his solution was to just lay with his upper body was on part of it – leaving the end free to still thrash around! It was Gracie’s turn in the wind tunnel again at 8:30-ish am, but before George left, both he and Gracie alarmed and he waved his wings at someone flying around nearby … I was waiting for poor little George to just get blown over backward! This time when Gracie sat, she anchored the length of the plastic so it was more taut, until she shuffled the eggs with her feet, loosening up the plastic. About 1 1/2 hours after starting her shift and staying in the same position, Gracie stood up to poke the nest to aerate it and moved the plastic end over so it was now in front of her face, and even though she tried to poke it down into the nest, she didn’t quite get the end well anchored … but she now had other, more important, things to worry about as Mr. Intruder took a low fly-by directly over the nest. He apparently then circled around, causing her to alarm at him again, warning him to stay away. A few minutes after all that, she changed her position and now the slackened plastic was again flapping like mad near and on her head. About 10:50 am, George brought Gracie her lunch – headless fish – and then sat on the eggs in exactly the same direction as Gracie (so that when I was scrolling ahead, I was thinking, wow, Gracie’s been there for the longest time, until I suddenly realized that the osprey who was now on the nest was darker; and I had to scroll back and back to see when the switch was made!!) At 11:50-ish, it was George’s turn to fend off Mr. Intruder, and George jumped up off the eggs to wave the intruder away (and almost losing his footing with the wind catching his wings!). Then George made his wobbly way back to the eggs, where he stayed, until Gracie returned a couple of minutes before noon. (George looked like he was sucked right up by some kind of large vacuum when he spread his wings to leave the nest!! … Whoosh and gone!! … and it wasn’t the video stream!!) Gracie was now in care of and on the eggs, with the blowing end of the plastic whipping around … and the plastic must be working its way out of the corner where it is anchored, because it seems to be getting longer!!

      • Betsy May 15, 2016 at 1:31 pm - Reply

        As I posted, I saw that the morning’s comments were already up! Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so lengthy … my intention this morning was to just write little blurbs, but as you can see, I kind of (!) got carried away!! I’m going to try to be short(er) in the future!! 🙂

    6. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 1:07 pm - Reply

      Poor Gracie…she’s totally prone in the nest, avoiding having plastic flapping in her face……
      I took a quick trip around nestcams and am really happy that the G’s nest is on a tower ! all the other nests rock in the wind, making me motion sick!!!!!
      Lis ch. 12 News and the one moderator is clearly saying Lawn Guyland…would not have notice except for previous discussion….

    7. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 12:43 pm - Reply

      The chicks are hatched in the sparrow nest in my patio awning..heard the peeping …wonder if the osprey neighbors are parents, too….

    8. Bre May 15, 2016 at 12:03 pm - Reply

      I want to make a correction: when i said newspaper i meant our comment section to me is like a daily newsletter for the detailed happenings of our osprey family in progress..I absolutely enjoy reading at the end of my long work day..Thanks Betsy & CarolV and few others for making this fun & exciting, such a pleasure to have such dedication as i mentioned, i can tell you enjoy writing & have a talent for story telling with such hilarious since of humor in a intellectual way! Means alot to me.I pray are baby ospreys will be safe & healthy The G’s are working very hard to make the nest comfy & safe for their babes.And of course many thanks to OZ sponsers for making this possible

    9. GinaM May 15, 2016 at 11:30 am - Reply

      I have been a viewer since last year and have several screen shots from last summer. This is the original pair of ospreys: George and Gracie. Regarding knowing better about fishing line, sadly, even if they could “know better” most fishing line, balloon strings and other assorted human garbage are attached to whatever they have picked up from the water and inadvertently brought to the nest. Here, about 40 miles east of our nest, a male osprey caught a fish. He brought it to a nearby telephone pole to eat the head before bringing it to his nest to feed his family of a female and three fledglings. There was fishing line attached to that fish and this beautiful male became entangled in it to such an extent that he could not break free. This was last summer. His body is still hanging upside down from the top of a 60′ telephone pole to this day. A constant reminder of how we have to educate beachcombers, fishermen, swimmers and boaters to please pick up any loose string, line, plastic and safely throw it away. If every beach can have plastic bags to pick up dog waste, they can have special garbage cans that are for discarding plastic dangers with signs and photographs showing what happens if we litter our beaches and waterways.
      This wad of fishing line scares me. If it is tangled deep enough in the nest, it won’t go anywhere. What will happen to the babies when they start to explore and hover?

    10. GinaM May 15, 2016 at 10:17 am - Reply

      George feeding Gracie at approximately 7:00 AM on 5/15 was one of the most touching scenes so far. It is a chilly morning, he knew Gracie shouldn’t get off the eggs.

    11. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 8:01 am - Reply

      7:55ishamEDT George in,,Gracie out….Gracie was getting beaten up by that plastic flapping in the wind…George corralled it a little by laying on it…even the Snarl is dancing….

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 8:29 am - Reply

        8:25am Gracie is home in time to back up Geo in defending..alarmcalls….sounds like Geo sticking close-by

      • Patty K May 15, 2016 at 9:28 pm - Reply

        Hi great folks, thank you so verymuch for the constant loving updates!Don’t know if I should use the reply tag to leave a comment or scroll to bottom to do.Tried to comment last night to no avail, sooo…seeing the “snarl”‘ illuminated looks weird but hopefully time and mother nature will get it gone…simply love the bonding interaction of Gracie andGeorge this season. Seems like George has matured greatly..let’s see what happens whenGracie screams for fish for the kiddies. I didn’t know about this wonderful site until two of the three hatched last year, so so enjoying the interaction of mom and dad taking care of the gorgeouseggs.Hugs to Betsy, Carol V, Leanne and of course the commentators, and the wonderful Osprey Folks! xoxoxo

    12. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 6:50 am - Reply

      about 6:45amEDT George flew in..Gracie had been alarming, so he backed her up and they did some calling…George had a small chunk of fish in his claw and started feeding Gra..altogether, say “aaahhwwwwwwwwww, so Cute !!!” ’cause it was….

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 6:52 am - Reply

        Gracie has one loose feather sticking out above her beak..just want to reach out and pluck it…but if we could do that, the Snarl would go and assorted other annoyances….

    13. Kathy B May 15, 2016 at 6:49 am - Reply

      Sunday 6:48 am George in feeding Gracie breakfast. So adorable !

      • Helen May 15, 2016 at 11:44 am - Reply

        I saw that and it was a wonderful moment. Don’t know if that is the usual but from part observations, George is a very loving mate.

    14. CarolV May 15, 2016 at 6:02 am - Reply

      5:26amEDT 5/15 George brought in a nice sized headless fish..Gracie said thank you and went out to breakfast..She just got back@5:57….
      Can’t tell if it ever rained last night..it doesn’t look like it here..

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 6:10 am - Reply

        There was a pretty moment @5:46ish..everything was tinged pink by the rising sun…across the water, feathers, the left camera housing..and the lovely Snarl…..

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 6:17 am - Reply

        Mid to high 50’s and windy today…warming up all thru the week……and that would be the RIGHT side of the camera….directionally challenged……

    15. Leanne May 15, 2016 at 1:33 am - Reply

      May 15-1:30 am- That fishing line looks kind of eerie to me. Reminds me of an animal skin laying out to dry.

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 1:12 pm - Reply

        Or an alien creature on an old Star Trek

    16. Bre May 14, 2016 at 9:57 pm - Reply

      Such a pleasure to have such dedication to us viewers!

    17. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 9:10 pm - Reply

      George made another trip to the nest with more twigs and grasses a couple of minutes before 8 pm. The wind had steadily been picking up and as George moved about the nest rearranging things, he wobbled in the wind. As he stretched his wings, the wind caught them and blew him back so that he almost fell over Gracie on the eggs but he managed to dance-step his way to the side. Already having had George tapping his tail feathers on her head while he was housekeeping and trying to put the reed on her back and pull the plastic that she was laying on out from under her, Gracie decided she needed to fly the coop. 20 minutes passed and then she was back to settle in for the night and George took his leave.

      Waited up to see the night light, and, sure enough, there it is, exactly as Carol described!! Good night Carol, good night Leanne. Good night everybody else.

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 12:14 pm - Reply

        How did you resist the “good night, Gracie”?

        • Betsy May 16, 2016 at 10:12 am - Reply

          Did think about it … but forgot to put that when I got side-tracked proofreading (and correcting misspelling) what I had written ,,, and wrestling kitty Brady’s paws off the keyboard 😀 That kitty just loves to pull the keys off the keyboard, bite them (lovely teeth marks on a few … makes it hard to put them back in place!), and then bat them around so mama has to looking all over the place for them!! 😀 You would think I would learn not to leave the cover open!!

    18. Bre May 14, 2016 at 9:07 pm - Reply

      we are glad to here each day George brings Gracie her headless fish & she is fed well..& that they switch out to cover eggs is important….giving them personality is very interesting part..;-) reading newspaper in between lol gives a visual 😉

    19. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 8:12 pm - Reply

      At 6:15 pm, George brought branches and placed them in a couple of areas around the nest, then flew away, returning about 25 minutes later with a large clump of dried grass. He stayed a few minutes to do some rearranging of some branches and other things before flying off, leaving Gracie to break up the clumps of new and old grass and the reeds. As much as we all hate that ball of tangled fishing line, the slanting sun of the late afternoon made it look, for a short while, like the golden hair of a princess, before the continued westward path of the setting sun turned it back to the gray hair of an ugly old hag that it was.

      • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 12:12 pm - Reply

        PERFECT !!!!!!!!!

        • Betsy May 16, 2016 at 10:19 am - Reply

          I’m learning from your poetic comments!! … I even said to myself “That sounds like something CarolV would write”!! 😉 🙂

    20. CarolV May 14, 2016 at 6:23 pm - Reply

      about 6:15pm, George dropped in to do some stick-shifting..sounded like Gracie was inquiring about dinner,,,

      • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 8:08 pm - Reply

        7:56pm George came in with a small piece of wood, then started refurbishing with a vengeance…poking and prodding, pulling things around..stumbling all around Gracie..we got a nice close up of wingpit…Gracie glanced back at him as if to say”Really? Is this necessary?” then decided to go out for an evening foray…George plopped right down on the eggs as if this was his plan all along….

        • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 8:21 pm - Reply

          8:19pm Mommy’s home…had a nice pre-bed break..

    21. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 6:04 pm - Reply

      At 1:17 pm, Gracie returned, landing up on the perch. George, who had been silent since the start of his shift, started alarming almost immediately afterward and then continued to do so intermittently until he stood up off the eggs to fly off several minutes before 1:30 pm and a minute or so later, Gracie hopped down from the perch to take his spot on the eggs. Within a few minutes, George was back with a short stick, coming in with it gripped in both feet and looking as if he was balancing on a flying hoverboard! Gracie got up off the eggs, walked backwards to the top of the egg bowl rim, shook her feathers and stood for a moment, making her appear as if she was a giant compared to George standing at the front of the nest! She flapped up to the perch and George seated himself on the eggs. Shortly before 2 pm, Gracie took over as George dashed out for a few minutes to pick up more dried grass for the nest. Upon his return, he stood there a couple of minutes to contemplate what he should do next before again taking his leave. Just around 2:30 pm, with George still gone, Gracie alarmed as a huge osprey shadow crossed over the nest. A couple of minutes later, the really-getting-annoying-now osprey did a fly-by and then zoomed up from over the water to try to land on the perch. But, as the great warrior she is, Gracie jumped up there to chase him away, landing gracefully back down in the nest!! A few minutes later, Gracie alarmed anew as the pesky osprey apparently circled overhead, warning him not to mess with her anymore! All was well for the next 10 minutes, and then the video stream became very choppy(!). Somewhere in the choppiness, George must have landed on the perch, because Gracie was doing a staccato begging call and would gaze up at the perch when her head wasn’t whipping around! Gracie was still alone in the nest when the video stream froze and then suddenly George was standing next to her! (I think it would have been 2:50-ish pm.) Then the video stream continued to jerk along, flashing to a turquoise Axis Communication Screen at one point … and I think George left a couple of minutes after his magical entrance, to return at 3:35-ish pm with a whole fish for Gracie, which she grabbed, and almost clocked him in the head with when she flew off (he ducked!). The first thing he did after Gracie flew away was to move a thin long twig over, first dropping it on the eggs with a dull clink (“Hello, this is your Daddy!), before picking it up to move it on top of the black plastic sheeting. He did his usual egg-sitting antics – alternately fidgeting and playing with everything near him with dozing and also giving himself a preening in between his other activities! (But no longer panting because of the nice shore breeze. And doing a most adorable yawn, somewhere around 3:45 pm.) Gracie flew up to the perch after dinner at 3:50-ish pm, where George joined her a minute later for a quick tryst. After hopping down to the eggs, Gracie carefully took her place and a minute later George flew away off the perch, returning 40 or so minutes later with a clump of dried grass and small twigs, which Gracie immediately helped him start to break up before getting up to first stretch her wings before flying away. George moved a few twigs around then made his way down the slope of the egg bowl to sit on the eggs (and you know what he did to pass the time). By 5:25 pm, Gracie was back on the eggs …

    22. CarolV May 14, 2016 at 5:58 pm - Reply

      5:50pmEDT 5/14 Looks like business as usual…seems fairly calm today, based on comments in so far…
      Leanne,,,sorry you missed the “lighted tree” last night..don’t know how it will be without the added raindrops ….
      Kathleen..left a reply by your question..just to let you know to check back
      There’s a couple of line storms heading our way..sometimes they break up when they come off the mainland..but in any case, they are supposed to pass thru quickly….things are getting well watered, including the birds….

      • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 6:03 pm - Reply

        Bet the roofer doesn’t realize that there is a bird’s- eye- view of his handiwork..better have done a good job !!!!!!

    23. JP(K) May 14, 2016 at 4:03 pm - Reply

      Ball of monofilament seems to have drifted to the left and out of the main part of the nest. Hopefully it will fall out completely with more wind and rain in the forecast and Neither bird will bring it back. Crossing fingers.

      • Leesa May 15, 2016 at 10:36 am - Reply

        I don’t remember what time, but George brought Gracie a nice size headless fish, which she grabbed. And as she flew off the nest the ball of line got snagged on either her talon or the fish, and pulled away from inside the nest. But it snagged on that stick and stayed put. At least it is out of their walking path now.

    24. Leanne May 14, 2016 at 2:00 pm - Reply

      May 14- 2:00 pm- Scrolled back 2 hours and saw a man who appeared to be doing some roofing? I had to laugh because just as the man exited off the roof, Gracie did her business off the side of the nest. Wonder if that was her way of saying “And don’t come back” She’s such a bird 🙂

      • Elaine May 14, 2016 at 8:43 pm - Reply

        Way to go Gracie!!

    25. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 12:52 pm - Reply

      After almost 2 1/2 hours of baking in the sun; head-dodging large flying insects; watching the boats on the water, other birds landing on the water and then taking off, and the little ant-people coming and going from the house; getting up off the eggs periodically to change her position, do some solo wing stretches and a couple of bend over hammy-and-wing stretches; and once alarming in chorus with George (who I’m guessing was baking in the sun up on the perch, because Gracie would occasionally look up at the perch – as if asking George when he was going to relieve her or maybe it was “which is worse the deluge or the searing sun?”), Gracie was relieved of egg duty by George at around noon and then it was his turn for fun in the sun!!

    26. Nita Roper May 14, 2016 at 12:26 pm - Reply

      I’ve only seen Gracie today, any one else seen both birds?

    27. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 9:59 am - Reply

      At 9:37 am, George did a few little chirps up to Gracie on the perch, then he got up from the eggs and took off and Gracie hopped down to sit on the eggs … about 10 minutes later, as she stood up to turn the eggs, she started alarming at someone flying overhead who then crossed in front of the nest but nearer to the water … I was waiting with baited breath to see if there was going to be a “Gracie’s Battle with the Intruder Part 2”, but then she finished turning the eggs and settled back down … all’s still quiet on the home front … now, paper!!

    28. Rjoneal May 14, 2016 at 9:59 am - Reply

      5/14/16 at least is not raining today so far. Keep fingers cross it stays that way.

    29. Rjoneal May 14, 2016 at 9:23 am - Reply

      June B How can you make a comment like this you said –
      (obviously that is not the original George and Gracie ) and something to the affect of because the real George and Gracie would have learned about the fishing line.
      If you’ve been reading the posts and looking at the live cam you would see this is the original George and Gracie from last year Lots of osprey nest have fishing line in them so many you couldn’t name and so many rescues have been done because of fishing line they don’t know better they don’t learn from it and they did bring the fishing line back to the nest this year. There are a lot of books on ospreys you can read or you can find a lot of information on the Internet about ospreys nest and you will see they continuously bring things that are unsafe from us humans.

    30. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 9:12 am - Reply

      I’m reading the paper … actually, I’m trying to read the paper! I’ve read the same sentence something like 10 times over now, ’cause every time I hear George, I look over at the screen and lose my place … OK, George just flew up to the perch … I heard some “activity” then Gracie hopped down for take her turn on the eggs … I hope she’s quiet so I can finish reading the paper!!

      • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 9:17 am - Reply

        George just flew in from over the water with a small twig … stood a minute to take inventory – or maybe just to take in the beautiful view! … and then he was off …

        • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 9:22 am - Reply

          And, then, he was back a few minutes later with some something and to relieve Gracie … I really have to finish reading the paper!!

    31. Kathleen May 14, 2016 at 8:56 am - Reply

      Is there a ‘concrete’ date for hatching? Forgive me if the question has been answered but I am having trouble viewing the comments.

      • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 5:48 pm - Reply

        5:42pmEDT No, Kathleen, not concrete…more fluid, like shifting sand…we”re taking guesses, which Rjoneal is keeping track of…scroll back to find a long list of names and dates…basing guesses on first egg laid 4/25 {#2 on 4/28..#3 on 5/1} Hatching usually occurs 36-42 days later….Why not join the fun?

      • Gamma Carolyn May 14, 2016 at 8:25 pm - Reply

        Kathleen, I’m sure someone more experienced will reply, but hatch date ranges from 36 to 42 days after they are laid. The first egg was laid April 18, second April 21 and the third April 26. Figure from the the first date for the first hatch. Sometimes it is not always the first egg laid that is the first to hatch. Strange !!! :)) I hope you get this . Many of mine are deleted.

        • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 12:05 pm - Reply

          Do you watch other osprey sites? I think you may have someone else’s dates….They look familiar….

        • Kathleen May 15, 2016 at 3:59 pm - Reply

          Thank you Gamma Carolyn

      • Leanne May 14, 2016 at 8:44 pm - Reply

        May 14- 8:40 pm- No real concrete date for hatching. rjoneal, who is also an avid fan of the Osprey Zone, is taking guesses for when we think they will hatch. In comments below somewhere close is her running tally. As far as I know anyone who is a fan of George and Gracie can have a guess 🙂

        • Kathleen May 15, 2016 at 4:00 pm - Reply

          Thank you Leanne.

          • Leanne May 16, 2016 at 2:06 pm - Reply

            Your welcome 🙂

    32. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 7:52 am - Reply

      While I was waiting for Gracie to come back, I was so busy trying to find just a simple answer (just a simple straightforward answer, that’s all I wanted!!) about how thick an osprey egg shell is after seeing Carol’s comment about their withstanding the battle, that I didn’t even hear Gracie come in almost 20 minutes ago! After sifting through lots of scientific articles with charts, tables, studies and stats (mostly about osprey eggs and DDT), I was finally able to come to the conclusion that an osprey egg shell today ranges from about 0.4 mm to about 0.5 mm, depending on diet and contaminants, a little thicker than the average chicken egg shell thickness of 0.3mm. [I also found this: “Eggshell thinning was determined as the percent change of eggshell thickness values in comparison to a reference eggshell thickness of 0.505 mm (determined before 1947 and the widespread use of DDT) for osprey eggshells from the eastern U.S. (Anderson and Hickey 1972). Eggshell thickness was also compared to DDE concentrations in eggs using simple linear regression. https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Contaminants/PortlandHarbor/Documents/Osprey_FinalDataSummaryReport11.pdf%5D Osprey experts, is that right?

      • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 8:08 am - Reply

        The link is supposed to be: https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Contaminants/PortlandHarbor/Documents/Osprey_FinalDataSummaryReport11.pdf … I don’t know where that %5D at the end of the link above came from!! – that takes you to “page not found”! I had pasted the address already with the end bracket and, before I posted it, it read fine …I guess once it was posted, it didn’t like the ] end bracket used! … Ok, I just heard George come back …

        • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 8:19 am - Reply

          Oh, and the point I was trying to make with the link, was that it sounds to me like the thickness of the osprey eggshell has recovered.

      • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 5:30 pm - Reply

        5:24pm 5/25pm Clear as mud, Betsy…
        All I know is that the banning of DDT caused thicker eggshell, in turn allowing the the osprey {and eagles} to recover…but thanks for the research…
        And you will make a fortune when you patent that self-cleaning bathroom !!! I’ll be first in line….

    33. Betsy May 14, 2016 at 6:03 am - Reply

      A little after 5 am (I scrolled back this time to see this morning!), George flew from over the water, chirping as he came, to land on the perch … Gracie looked so cute, resting on the eggs and looking up at him, softly chirping to him, and you could hear the occasional little chirp back from George. After several minutes, as her calls got a little louder and more urgent-sounding, George flew away off the perch. … I love the way everything looks blue at that time of the morning – I thought it was just the camera itself, but while I (and Gracie!) was waiting for George to come back, I looked it up: In photography, depending on the elevation of the sun, there is such a thing as blue hour: “Morning magic hours: Blue hour (from -6° to -4°) and Golden hour (from -4° to 6°)”.

      At 5:56 am George was back with a silvery headless fish for Gracie, and then, with the jumping camera, she was gone!!

      • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 6:19 am - Reply

        And, now, it must be the peak of golden hour! George is resting quietly on the eggs, awaiting Gracie’s return …

        • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 6:29 am - Reply

          I am truly sorry to say, but with the sun setting it ablaze, the fishing line still stuck on the upright twig actually looks pretty.

    34. CarolV May 14, 2016 at 5:11 am - Reply

      5:01amEDT 5/14 A shape slips out of the fog and flies up to perch..Gracie is quietly chirping to him,

      • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 5:58 am - Reply

        5:56am…George arrives with large fish body..Gracie noisily accepts and flies off in the glorious morning sun….

        • CarolV May 14, 2016 at 6:01 am - Reply

          and the Snarl……..less pretty in the morning light..I don’t like that some strands appear to be connected to other branches; seems like a tripping hazard…

    35. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 8:58 pm - Reply

      8:51pmEDT 5/13 Even in ugliness, there can be beauty…..The Snarl Topiary is glowing in the dark…..reflection from the lights below…….a night light for Gracie…..and Leanne….

      • Leanne May 14, 2016 at 12:19 pm - Reply

        May 14- 12:18 pm- And I missed it. We had storms here again last night so I wasnt on the computer. It never fails. I always miss the good stuff. 🙂
        I’ll have to check it out tonight for sure. 🙂

    36. rjoneal May 13, 2016 at 6:57 pm - Reply

      5/13/16 Friday evening about 30min to an hour I am guessing since I had to rewind I was taking pics and notice something so cute George was in nest w 3 eggs its raining pretty hard he opens his mouth and puts his head up to get some rain drops in his mouth it was precious. That wad of fishing line looks like it is now hooked on that stick I can only hope some angel above will come and take it away. Well looks like a long night for poor Gracie once again in the nest in the rain. Isnt the saying( April showers bring May flowers) for some reason it is raining a lot for May it seems. What do I know about weather I live in Florida and 98%its beautiful here. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

    37. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 6:44 pm - Reply

      6:39 pm: Gracie just returned, totally drenched. At least the rain looks like it’s lessening!

    38. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 6:10 pm - Reply

      Poor George, still on the nest and it is just absolutely pouring there!!

      Funny note – talking earlier about jumping video stream – at 12:16 pm, I hopped over to the link Phil K had posted to watch the falcons again (looks like the little one is doing okay) … as the website opened, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, the chicks went from lying flat to standing straight up in a row against the ledge!! I was wishing there was a scroll bar for the video stream!!

    39. sallyanne May 13, 2016 at 6:00 pm - Reply

      my poor Gracie. It is 5:59PM May 13 and hailing!!! Can’t believe the situations these creatures must endure.

    40. Helen May 13, 2016 at 5:58 pm - Reply

      Gracie is really getting soaked.

    41. June B May 13, 2016 at 5:51 pm - Reply

      obviously that is not the original George and Gracie, cause I just know they would have learned a lesson from last year and not be so dumb as too bring more of that fishing line into the nest.!

      • June c May 14, 2016 at 11:13 am - Reply

        Your kidding…right?

      • Leanne May 14, 2016 at 9:00 pm - Reply

        May 14-8:50 pm- Actually, they are the one and only George and Gracie. Anyone who was an avid watcher last year would agree with me.
        As for the fishing line,well, lets try to remember that they are birds. They will pick up anything they can find to build what they think will be a safe nest for their eggs/chicks. Plastic, fishing line, ribbons, windshield wipers, just about anything. They really dont know that these items can be a potential hazard. I dont blame the birds for picking these items up, I blame the humans for leaving them around where they can pick them up. I just hope the line gets blown from the nest and a kind passerby notices it and disposes of it properly.

        • CarolV May 15, 2016 at 12:01 pm - Reply

          AMEN!!!!! we are the birdbrains, not the osprey…

          • Leanne May 16, 2016 at 2:08 pm - Reply

            Exactly!!

    42. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 5:40 pm - Reply

      5:37pmEDT 5/13 It’s pouring….REALLY pouring…and I may be seeing things, but I think there is tiny hail mixed in….

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 5:55 pm - Reply

        By the way…it’s Friday the 13th….would blame the weather on that, except it’s just a repeat of the lovely spring days we’ve been having….. hopefully, this will stop by 10pm, as predicted…5:54 sleet…tiny hail hitting camera and George…

        • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 5:58 pm - Reply

          Betsy…are you working on the pop-up nest protector?

          • Betsy May 14, 2016 at 8:49 am - Reply

            That’s my next project … still trying to figure out a self-cleaning bathroom!!

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 6:27 pm - Reply

        6:25pm Poor George…if birds could groan,,,,,,,,,,,,, ;+{ ….

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 7:04 pm - Reply

        7:00pmEDT Just saw radar on C. 12 weather forecast..looked like all heavy rain cells are clear of the North Fork….and temps. to stay in 50’s so things are looking better…Gracie must have ridden out the storm in a tree…That is still George, isn’t it? He’s so wet, it was hard to tell….

        • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 7:31 pm - Reply

          I finally saw the switch about 6:40ish….Missed it before..Gracie was so bedraggled when she came in, she didn’t have much shelter either…A better day is coming..may hit 70′ tomorrow !

    43. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 5:16 pm - Reply

      At 4:53 pm, George came back with a large headless fish for Gracie that she started clamoring for as soon as she saw him approaching. The video was very jumpy again (!), and although it was freezing and jumping, I saw that after Gracie managed to grasp the fish in her foot, she also snagged the fishing line, and when she flew away, she took along the fishing line until it got hooked on the upright stick on the pile of branches at the front left corner of the nest. Now it’s poor George’s turn to keep the eggs warm and dry!!

    44. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 4:56 pm - Reply

      4:52pmEDT Good guy,George, brings home another headless fish and tells Gracie to hold on to this one..the snarl tries to go with Gracie but winds up on an upright stick, looking like a topiary tree….

      • Marge May 13, 2016 at 6:19 pm - Reply

        glad the fish line is out of the nest !

    45. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 4:31 pm - Reply

      George brought Gracie a half fish (at 3:30-ish pm). This time she didn’t have any trouble leaving — the video was jumpy, but I didn’t hear anything to indicate otherwise … It was George’s turn to sit in the rain. I love watching how he cleans off his beak … I heard little Gracie calls … Gracie was back and begging — she must have dropped the fish and was asking George to get her more. He looked surprised to see her back so soon — 8 or 9 short minutes after she left!! And, he seemed somewhat disappointed — as if he had been looking forward to some quiet nest time. After she landed in the nest, Gracie walked around George, picking a stick up out of the way and moving it to a different spot; then she stood, looking at him from time to time and begging. A couple of minutes later, she flew up to land in a different spot on the nest. George took off and she walked to the eggs to sit … Let’s see if he comes back with another fish for her!! … No, he came back with more nest materials (3:50-ish pm) — looked like some kind of grasses — then he did a little light housekeeping before taking off to bring Gracie back a … rather large unwieldy stick, that he placed like a bridge over her tail feathers — the ends of the stick were each resting on another stick. After looking around, George left again, almost taking the tattered black plastic out with him when his talons briefly snagged on it … Around 7 or 8 minutes later, Gracie stood up to change her position, and the bridge-stick rolled off and came to rest at the edge of the nest — narrowly escaping rolling right out!! And,somehow, the fishing line got moved more to the left side of the nest — I can’t say how because the video stream had become so choppy again. But, maybe, if the wind picks up, it will blow out of the nest after all — and, maybe, the little ant-people who come out of the house now and then can look around for it and put it safely in the garbage!! (Oh, is that you Tommy and Christina? Hi!!) … Well, George still isn’t back, and I really don’t have much to say about watching Gracie’s feathers blowing in the wind, so …

      • karen C May 13, 2016 at 6:38 pm - Reply

        Thanks for the commentary! I don’t get to log on often, thanks for letting us know what’s happening. 🙂

    46. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 3:49 pm - Reply

      3:30pmEDT George came in with a smallish headless fish..Gracie was gone with a Chris Angel take-off..She was back in 11 mins. George kept looking at her and looking at her feet as if mystified by the absence of fish in such a short time..He almost didn’t want to get up..Gracie flew out and in again before he got up…

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 3:58 pm - Reply

        3:50pm Stick flies in, followed by George, who likes it on Gracie’s tail….and takes off, leaving it there….

        It’s very odd, I have no other windows open, but I hear programming from HBO….Did the G’s get Optimum? Or a Dish? OK…stopped the voices, finally….no jokes, please, Betsy………….

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 5:54 pm - Reply

          I’m laughing too hard!! 😀

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 6:09 pm - Reply

          Oh, I sort of did like you did, Carol, I was on reply and posted my general comment here by accident! Well, ‘bye, now … I’m going to post it again where it belongs!!

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 4:00 pm - Reply

        And I stand corrected….Criss Angel

        • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 4:16 pm - Reply

          4:14pm Good to see that when Gracie stood up to get the “log” off, she also pushed the snarl towards the edge of the nest…now a good gust of wind needs to push it out…

    47. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 2:21 pm - Reply

      At about 1:50 pm, Gracie returned from lunch … A few minutes after making her way to the eggs and sitting, Gracie stood up and attempted to move that tangle of fishing line over, but her leg and talons got caught in it and she ended up pulling it back some before being able to lift her leg and foot out of the tangle. After moving over a piece of wood, she went back to incubating the eggs. … I wish, like GinaM , that the line would blow out of the nest, but unfortunately, it seems to be working itself around other objects in the nest … More than anything, I wish that this didn’t have to happen in the first place – that people wouldn’t just discard the fishing line in or near the water and that those of us who see it take a moment to pick it up to discard it properly!!

    48. Jara May 13, 2016 at 1:58 pm - Reply

      1:54 EDT – George was trying to rearrange the furniture and got snagged in the fishing line, but wiggled his way out. Around 12:40 Gracie was trying to take off with a fish and got caught in it. Took her a coupe minutes to disengage. Hopefully one of them will remove that fishing line from the nest or we will end up with the same situation as last year when the chicks got caught in the netting.

    49. Laura Pluta May 13, 2016 at 1:55 pm - Reply

      They keep getting tangled in that fishing line!!

    50. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 1:53 pm - Reply

      1:48pm..Gracie is back..I think George was getting impatient……
      Of course, she landed right in that %$*+##@!!!! snarl and dragged it with her into the bowl…Guess it’s the newest player in our ospreylife drama….

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 2:00 pm - Reply

        1:55pmGracie took exception to the snarl sharing her space..moved it away from her and, for good measure, moved some wood, too. At least we got to see that the snarl wasn’t looped onto her leg, which ,at first, I thought it was…

    51. Laura Pluta May 13, 2016 at 1:52 pm - Reply

      I’m concerned about the fishing line that is on the nest.

    52. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 1:24 pm - Reply

      Something to think about, everyone … We only see a STILL picture of what the tragic outcome can be from fishing line from the photographs on the Environment page … but, now, we got to SEE and HEAR an osprey (or imagine any of the other birds or wildlife) struggling to get free … to SEE Gracie struggling, to HEAR her frantic cries and to HEAR her frantic movement and beating of her wings as Gracie was trying to break free … yes, something to think about … and something to remember …

    53. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 12:51 pm - Reply

      George stood up at 11:24 am, backed away from the eggs – had a hard time, too, because of all those pieces of wood in the way – and took off, to apparently circle around before landing back in the nest … sideswiping the perch with his feet in the process of landing. A few seconds later, Gracie, who had been up on the perch softly chirping to him, hopped down from the end of the perch and George flew off again … Gracie looked as if she was ready for lunch at noon – as she would periodically catch sight of George as he circled and flew around, she would call to him … Finally, at 12:40-ish, George brought her a whole silvery fish, but when she went to fly off with it, her talon GOT CAUGHT ON THAT FISHING LINE, and she called with increasing frenzy as she was trapped. At last, she was able to get free and fly away … hopefully something can be done about it before either she or George gets injured.

    54. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 12:43 pm - Reply

      12:36pmEDT George brought in a whole fish with head still on..while trying to grasp the fish, she got caught in and held back by that line-ball..Sad to say, I’m coming over to the fishline viewpoint..I was hoping for some other outcome, but it really looked like mono-filament this time..She got out o.k. this time…
      Everything is kind of stop motion..the videostream still jerky…

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 12:52 pm - Reply

        12:50pm good thing those eggs’ shells are strong..they took a beating-no pun intended-in that struggle..!!!

        • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 1:16 pm - Reply

          I took a quick look @ the CCcam..their female was missing for 24 hrs. and even though the male did his best to incubate, he did have to leave, for obvious reasons, at times.The good news is that the blog writer has researched egg development while left in the weather(theirs has been as miserable as ours). What she did find seems to point to the probability of viability even when left for time during early development…so I guess we worry needlessly when “our” eggs get exposed for short periods.
          They still have no idea where the female was, but a large adult male eagle was spotted roosting in a nearby tree. Whether this was a cause no one knows.

          • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 1:20 pm - Reply

            It case I wasn’t clear, she did come back…

            • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 1:24 pm

              1:20pm Looks like the promised rain has hit the North Fork..Still dry but overcast here on the South Fork…

            • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 5:49 pm

              CarolV: I’m so glad you clarified … I wasn’t sure and I was just about to ask you if she ever came back when I saw your clarification. My hands are still shaking; I sometimes visit that site!

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 1:39 pm - Reply

        1:36pm I got some good pictures of Gracie’s fish&fila fight..since I have proven I do not know how to post these, I’m sure the more capable will have a nice video clip…

    55. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 10:46 am - Reply

      10:15ishEDT.5/13 Gracie seems restless today..she must have seen George in the distance as she left the nest before he got there..caught him as she went by and said”Babe, got an errand I forgot about..Hurry home…”

    56. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 10:45 am - Reply

      At 9:30-ish am Gracie took over from George. Then, about 50 minutes later, she just up and took off … it was around a minute before George could be seen flying back and then circle around over the water before he flew back to the nest and sat on the eggs … then he started calling and watching Gracie (sounded like different call from alarm … sometimes hard to tell) and then alarming while watching someone circling around as Gracie flew back and landed on the perch to add her voice to the fray … eventually Gracie took off from the perch – probably on a quest to find something outrageous for the nest … and that’s where we’re at …

    57. GinaM May 13, 2016 at 10:30 am - Reply

      Hopefully that wad of fishing line will blow off the nest. THIS is the kind of hazard that is so very dangerous for our ospreys and other sea creatures.

      • June c May 13, 2016 at 3:06 pm - Reply

        I agree major hazard. It can easily get hooked on their talons. People don’t realize when the cut their fishing lines and toss how dangerous it is for birds, as you say our sea creatures..

    58. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 10:14 am - Reply

      I’m sorry about the mix-up with the video and that people were not able to view it at first! 🙁 Let me tell you a funny little story … I had to record the video 3 times before I got it – and, as you know, it’s a long video!! – the first 2 times that I recorded it (and this was after I had already watched it as it was unfolding), I gasped (and it was really audible!) when Gracie got her foot caught on the plastic and almost went over backward out of the nest … like when you’ve seen a movie several times and you still cry or scream at the same part even though you know what’s coming!! And, then, having never posted to YouTube, I had to figure out how to do that … how to upload, and then there was a message from YouTube that the video was too long and I had to verify my account(??!!), I went to the linked page “Upload videos longer than 15 minutes” … I thought I had gotten it on YouTube and then later I saw “private” next to the video … OK, so now what do I do to make it public??!! … Video Manager(?!) … Peeped at Leanne’s channel for any hints (Cute videos, everyone … you should go watch [left you a message, Leanne, on the Gracie yawn video]) … and voilà (I hope!!)

      • Leanne May 13, 2016 at 3:42 pm - Reply

        May 13- 3:38. You could try Video Manager. I use Screencastify and when I click to upload from there it has to be marked public or it wont upload to youtube. I actually had my daughter set everything up for me as I am tech dumb so the only thing I do is hit upload and basically its done. Wish I could have helped more.

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 5:32 pm - Reply

          Unfortunately, I don’t have a daughter (or a son) to help me out … just nieces and a nephew — 3 nieces in FL and niece and nephew near by. My niece near me has helped me in the past … but I try not to run to her every time I get stumped! (Or, she would be living here!!) 🙂 But my kitty, Brady, did teach me how to rotate the computer screen when he sat on the keyboard!! 😀

    59. cheryl May 13, 2016 at 8:58 am - Reply

      Thank you to Betsy for your video. When I finally tuned in yesterday it was too late to scroll back. After watching it I was so upset, proud and exhausted for Gracie. Just amazing but now the intruder can go elsewhere.

    60. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 8:50 am - Reply

      8:45 am George brought a stick back … Gracie’s talon got caught in that fishing line(?) when she was returning to the eggs from moving another stick over … Video jumping … I didn’t see if she got her talons loose before sitting on the eggs.

      • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 8:55 am - Reply

        Gracie took off a couple of minutes after sitting … video stream went black, then George was suddenly on the eggs … fishing line is still there, but slightly moved over …

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 9:18 am - Reply

          Thank you … video stream seems to be good for the last 10 or so minutes … no more jumping, head-snapping ospreys!!

    61. CarolV May 13, 2016 at 8:37 am - Reply

      about5:50amEDT George arrived..off in the blindspot, but he did hand over a fish to Gracie, which she thanked him nicely for…Gracie was back about 6:15..
      Gracie was there about 10-12 mins. when George came back with a twig and Gracie took off again..Must have remembered her morning fitness class ……almost took some plastic with her but it stayed in the nest.would have made a good yoga mat..
      George is not a patient sitter..aside from a couple “cat” naps, he fidgets and pokes and rearranges, himself and the eggs.
      Gracie is back just after 8:30. I found it hard to believe that Gracie was gone almost two hours but I scrolled back and didn’t see any switches….

      • CarolV May 13, 2016 at 9:28 am - Reply

        a little before 9, George came in and Gracie took a break; gone about 20-25 mins. The scrollback and video seem a little “jumpy” this morning, so times may be a bit iffy….is that file of snarly stuff packing excelsior, maybe?

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 1:52 pm - Reply

          CarolV:Had to look it up!!
          Definition of excelsior: fine curled wood shavings used especially for packing fragile items

          Everyone: On a serious note — Unfortunately, no, not packing excelsior. Fortunately, it looked like only Gracie’s talons got caught in it when she went to leave with her fish an hour ago (her talons had also gotten tangled in it this morning).

    62. Rjoneal May 13, 2016 at 7:30 am - Reply

      Ann H I added you to our list for egg hatch guess thank you for participating. This is going to be so exciting as the end of May approaches we will all be glued to the tube. I am glad to see you’re still with us this year. This year should be even better than last year we will be able to witness how much Gracie and George have grown as parents. They have already bonded so well together.

    63. Betsy May 13, 2016 at 5:53 am - Reply

      I was concerned about Gracie – if that is fishing line, I wanted to know that she was OK. Hence, the noting of the early time! A couple of minutes before 5:08 am, Gracie was looking up at the perch at George and making quiet little chirps to him, then George flew away off the perch. At 5:38 am and again at 5:40 am, Gracie gave a few short alarm calls as something flew overhead … I hope this is not a foreshadowing of what today will bring … and then the power where I am went out for a couple of minutes! … Power is back on now. … George returned at 5:48 am with a headless fish that Gracie then flew away with. I hope it’s a good day weather-wise and intruder-wise! Just as I typed these words, George started alarming at something flying directly overhead! …

      • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 6:27 am - Reply

        The video stream was briefly interrupted at 6:20 am; when it came back, George was just moving that large scrap of black plastic over toward the center of the nest… must be getting prepared – possible rain is in the forecast for out east. Gracie is now back. The video has been jumping – Criss Angel moments … Gracie is here and then, puff, she’s there (right Carol?).

        • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 8:20 am - Reply

          Wow, Gracie’s taking an extended break, since George came back a few minutes after 6:30 this morning with a long thin twig for the nest — she doesn’t usually take this long! Didn’t hear her land on the perch … maybe I just missed it with all the head snapping … or, maybe she’s out looking for something long and plastic to top her find yesterday!! Well, at least George is having an uneventful shift and can catch some Z’s!

          • Betsy May 13, 2016 at 8:35 am - Reply

            Aahh, Gracie’s back. I’m kind of disappointed that she didn’t return with one of her “special” finds. A minute after Gracie was back, George just disappeared … there and then just feet!!

    64. d fonda May 13, 2016 at 4:33 am - Reply

      thank you, oz community… unfortunately, this season i’ve not been able to visit live cam during daylight hours and so have missed a lot. the detailed descriptions you all have provided, along with the time stamps, have created a sort of ‘word video’, keeping me up-to-date. thank you, betsy…your actual video has allowed my ‘re-connection’ with m. & mme. george; plus, the links you have provided are much appreciated.

    65. Marlene May 12, 2016 at 11:17 pm - Reply

      Betsy, thanks for the video re the intruder. He was bothering them again last evening. Wish he would find his own nest! And rjoneal, thanks for posting that the intruder osprey will not eat the chicks. I was also concerned about that. Such drama for these wonderful parents. George has been so attentive to Gracie, and yes, it was so cute yesterday when he was feeling her. They are a special couple, doing a great job this year. I started watching ospreyzone right after July 4, 2015. Actually, it was the day after PeeWee passed, and I am glad I did not see that. I read about the website in the local paper, and have been drawn to it since then. Hope there is plenty of fish this year, so that all three babes have a chance for survival. Once again, Paul and Tommy, much thanks for allowing us to get a close-up glimpse of nature.

    66. Arthur May 12, 2016 at 9:34 pm - Reply

      Hate to see it, but there’s a big tangle of nylon fishing line in the nest (I see it at about 20.00 Thursday evening.

    67. Bre May 12, 2016 at 8:51 pm - Reply

      OH NO! Please tell me that’s a ball of some sort of moss grass and NOT FISHING LINE in the nest!?

    68. CarolV May 12, 2016 at 8:47 pm - Reply

      8:07pmEDT 5/12 When I first logged in, my reaction was..”Please ,tell me that is not a huge snarl of fishing line right at the front(camera side)of the nest!!” After scrolling back, I’m hopefully thinking it’s some kind of grass…In the afternoon light, it looked more grassy..Will be interested to see what others think…
      On scrollback..saw George in nest around 4-4:15, with Gracie coming in maybe 4:25..She settled on eggs; George came back about 25mins later with reeds and Gracie slipped back out.
      About 5:35ish..George went from the nest to the perch and the camera started rocking..a minute later, Gracie dropped in to nest..hanky-panky on the upper level?
      George came in about 6:40 and Gracie took about a 20 min. break…she kept playing with that long piece of edging? she had brought in..she loves to chew at those things..she fidgeted with it until it wormed its way over the edge just after 7:30..
      About :15, Gracie was very interested in what was going on off to the left..then she was staring towards the perch..I heard faint rustling and scraping, so I think George is probably up there…keeping her company, sweet boy…

    69. Betsy May 12, 2016 at 8:30 pm - Reply

      I had seen it there earlier, but not being a fisherman and not being familiar with fishing line, I didn’t pay much attention to it. Just now, while I scrolling back, maybe it was the afternoon sun or maybe because of all of the day’s activities fluffing it, but is that a huge tangled wad of fishing line on the left lower side of the nest? And, if it is, is there any way to remove it at this stage?

    70. barbara May 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm - Reply

      Oh no…..do I see fishing line in the nest?!?!

      • Donna May 13, 2016 at 5:30 pm - Reply

        glad to see the fishing line is out and away for now.

    71. Donna May 12, 2016 at 7:37 pm - Reply

      Gracie is once again surrounded by plastic and twine. I hope there are no problems like last year. Is it possible to get the twine out, before the babies are born?

    72. JP(K) May 12, 2016 at 7:08 pm - Reply

      A large ball of line or monofilament in the nest…7pm 6/12

    73. Rjoneal May 12, 2016 at 5:05 pm - Reply

      Guess For 1st Egg Hatch ? meaning complete release of egg. The babie out enough were parents have to feed.

      Update as 5-12-16 PM
      more osprey viewers added

      Ann H
      May 31 at 1pm
      ————-
      Lessa
      June 3, 7am

      Donna
      May 30 afternoon 2 pm ish

      Tucker
      June 5th 7am

      Mary Y
      May 30

      Marlene
      June 2 in the morning

      Isobel
      2nd of June between 3 and 5pm

      Lyn D
      June 8th between 6 a m. and 2 p. m.

      Margaret
      6/5 between 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

      Leanne
      June 01- early early morning

      Kathy B
      May 31st. 11:13 am

      Lucie Pecor
      June 2nd 2am

      Rodee Hansen
      June 3rd – Friday – between 9 am and 3 pm.

      Jara
      June 4 at 12:01 am

      Bobbie
      Tues, May 31st, between noon and 5pm

      Redkayak
      June 5th morning

      Bre
      May 30th, Monday morning around 9am-ish..

      Patty
      June 2nd afternoon

      Rjoneal
      June 3 am-12noon

      June C
      June 2 AM

      Carol IV
      June 4,between 5am and 11am for first hatch…

      Betsy
      Jun 4th at 1 pm for first hatch.

    74. Betsy May 12, 2016 at 3:09 pm - Reply

      After all of the excitement of the morning, things remained pretty quiet. Gracie was able to return to the nest to sit on the eggs in peace and George came to the nest a few more times with supplies for the nest before switching with Gracie at 8-ish am to do egg duty while she took a 10-minute break. George brought Gracie a headless fish at ~9:25 am that she flew off to eat, returning a little before 10 am. About 40 minutes after Gracie’s return, she must have been feeling pretty warm from the tattered black plastic in the egg bowl, so she decided to move it. She pulled it up from under the eggs, but after she moved it over out of the way, as she was returning to the eggs, she brought it back with her when it snagged on her foot; so she carried it in her beak to try moving it away again and, this time when she was returning to the eggs, not only did the plastic get snagged on her foot, but the wind helped blow it back! Finally, she very determinedly she moved it over to another spot from her original plan and firmly poked it down into the nest. At 11:10-ish am, Gracie upped and flew away, having apparently spotted an addition for the nest. George hopped down from the perch to sit. Within a few minutes Gracie was back, bringing a black plastic strip to replace the one that she brought on May 7th and which had subsequently blown away the next day – a new strip longer and better than ever!! (And George gave her the same look of “really?” he had given her when she brought a strip the few days before!) George took off, and a few minutes after resuming sitting on the eggs, she began to play with the plastic. George returned some 10 or so minutes later, staying only a couple of minutes to watch Gracie and to warn off any intruders, then he left, leaving Gracie to play with her new-found strip … which she did for the next almost 13 minutes until it flipped out of her beak, landing out of beak’s reach. Then she turned her attention to other things in the nest and to napping. At 12:05-ish pm George came with lunch – a headless fish – which he, after taking a few more bites for himself, fed pieces of to Gracie for a couple of minutes before they both stopped to warn an intruder away; by then the spell had been broken and George flew away, taking the fish with him. A few minutes later, Gracie shifted her position, and then focused on pulling out the black plastic bag she had so doggedly re-positioned before. A little before 1, George landed on the perch and then hopped down with the fish he had flown away with earlier; Gracie eagerly took it and flew away.

      • Betsy May 12, 2016 at 3:17 pm - Reply

        My laptop has been acting wonky today and I just noticed that while I was thinking I had posted my comment (novel!), apparently, to use CarolV’s expression, the “#%*+@>?+ computer know-it-all !!!” didn’t!! 😀

    75. Ann H. May 12, 2016 at 1:05 pm - Reply

      Rjoneal My guess for first egg is May 31 at 1pm

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