Attention: due to the lack of visibility on the live stream, we are currently defaulting to a playlist of old videos and highlights. You can still go to the live view by clicking the button below.
OspreyZone Live Stream
•LIVE
OspreyZone Playlist
An Intro to OspreyZone
The Story of DDT
Osprey Rescue
2020 Clips
Bald Eagles Visit Nest
Ospreyzone Highlights: May 21-29, 2020
OspreyZone Highlights: May 15-20, 2020 - The Intruder
OspreyZone Highlights: May 7th-14th, 2020
OspreyZone Highlights: April 15-21, 2020
OspreyZone Yankee
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
Tip: If the nest is empty, use the red scroll bar to rewind the stream up to 12 hours
Please be advised that nature can be brutal – viewer discretion is advised.
Best viewed with Google Chrome.
Ospreyzone.com copyright © 2016 – 2020 Tax Reduction Services. All rights reserved.
Special Thanks to Tommy and Christina: George & Gracie’s Landlords
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.
IMPORTANT: Messages from osprey experts
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.
Paul 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.
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
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
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
2:45 Aug 27 It looks like Gracie was sitting on the perch when a stray fledgling arrived with a live fish. She fought that fledgling off the nest. The live fish was left behind, struggling, it eventually it fell off the side of the nest.
Really enjoyed the fight at 2:35 much needed excitement. Gracie says “No more eating in the nest IF you’re fishing on your own now!!” Idk that’s what I made of it. Could be wrong. I’m not really sure who all was involved. Anyone?
2:40 ish… Ronnie brought another fish. Sandy tried to take it from him… They had a knock-down-dragout then both flew off still fighting… The fish, left all alone in the nest with just a half fish that had been setting there for a couple hours, flopped over the side of the nest thereby committing suicide…
It looks like Sandy is being fed by Gracie, and there appears to be 2 headless fish under Gracie (she has her talons on one of the fish). I wish Sandy would grab one of the fish and feed herself.
I am sure that was Ronnie being fed. I haven’t seen Sandy all day.
AH poor Gracie, she has a fish but there is no one to share it with. It’s tough to be a parent and have the kids go off on their own. The desire to care for them doesn’t leave and mom has to just sit and wait for someone to come in and tell mom she is still needed. She has done such a super job with her chicks and now deserves her vacation in the tropics…soon the wind will be perfect and she will fly away and we too will be left with an empty nest tsk tsk tsk. Then April will be here and so will George and Gracie and a new family.
Then again maybe she wasn’t wanting to share that fish since one of the chicks has arrived and Gracie has turned her back and is eating the fish herself. Maybe she was just admiring herself (reflection) on the camera and dreaming of warm balmy days in the tropics…………….
can someone fill me in what happened to the third chick been away on a trip have not been at a pc for a while
He or she died.
It isn’t something that anyone want to bring back up so to be brief and compassionate to all chatters lets just say it passed away and siblings can be cruel. I think that’s all that needs to be said. We are remembering peewee but would prefer not to go back.
It perished after an intense day of sibling rivalry while food was scarce.
10:00 am EST Gracie one tired momma. Falling asleep with fish in talon. Think she’s waiting to feed Sandy?
One of the chicks caught a HUGE fish for breakfast! They’re growing up so fast…
9:35 ish AM Ronnie just flew into the nest with a whole live fish………He had to hold it down for a couple minutes, rest, then get it situated and start eating… 🙂
I think one of the babies caught a fish!
One chick just flew in with a whole fish! Good catch!
Around 7:00 a.m., George brought a headless fish to the nest and I think it was Sandy who took the fish from him. She was the only babe in the nest. She decided to take off with the fish. Hope she enjoys her breakfast.
Paul, cannot thank you enough for the wonderful website you have set up and shared with all of us. I noticed your comment on cleaning out the platform, and asked for any suggestions.
I also watch the Wetslands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey website of their osprey nest. They should certainly have the information you are looking for. Their website is
http://www.wetlandsinstitute.org. They only had one chick survive, born a little late in the season(July), but doing great. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.
I followed up on a suggestion by one of our bloggers (a while back) and my Connetquot Library loaned me this book by David Gessner “Return of the Osprey”. A great companion to my daily doses of thrilling Ospreyzone web cam watching. Like all of osprey-lovers, it is impossible not to want to spend time with the family, especially now, as they are leaving us soon.
I REALLY recommend this book – it is hard to put it down and it will enhance your Live cam time.
A second book by Nancy Henningsen I found in the children’s section. The illustrations by Carol Wilson are so well done, a study in itself. This might be good reading when the withdrawal symptoms set in. RH
Did the bees take over the nest
Saw one of our chicks perched on the edge of the nest with the moonlight in the background. I just had to take a snapshot. It was a perfect moment. I realize they won’t be around much longer and I am trying to appreciate every moment that’s left.
Can I have a copy of the photo? Thanks.
What a beautiful picture tonight; moonlit water, Osprey on the training perch, lights in the distance….would make a great postcard or notecard.
Beautiful night here! Sandy looks so cute out on the perch….just overlooking the water!
I watched a parent feed half a fish, presumably to Sandy this evening. After that the parent flew away & Sandy went out on his/her perch where he/she is still sitting all alone in the dark, in the nest. This one is still a baby. It’s interesting to see how he/she can attack for a fish feed, can even feed himself, but still wants mamma/pappa to feed him/her.
Just after 8:00pmEDT You can watch the moon rise as a reflection on the water grows behind ?Sandy.. Another sight probably never seen by any of us. Adding to the long list of thanks to Paul, Tommy and company
Hello to dear fellow osprey folks! Have been here 24/7 since just before the hatch. I know it has been said time and time again but looking at the chick hanging out on the famous great perch this evening, after the feeds, I have a Happy and Heavy heart! Many “regulars’have given us such eloquent comments and I love and respect them all.Just to let you know, our children, grandies, neighbors, have looked, questioned, laughed and embraced this incredible site, the little ones in our family having a new appreciation of Nature.This has been such a gift, thank you Paul, Tommy, all the family will wear the hats and tee shirts with love and pride!xoxoxoxoxoxo
With the water glistening behind our chick it looks like there are sparks bouncing off the back of the chick! Electifying 🙂
Hey Paul getting ready to place my order from the osprey store quick question any chance there will be 3x shirts for men available thanks again for the privilege of enjoying these magnificent birds all summer
Some of the shirts do have 3-X sizes available, but not all. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any way for us to add larger sizes to the others.
About 7:32pmEDT Beautiful shot of Gracie coming in to join one chick on perch. She had just left a few minutes before after eating the rest of her fish.
Great close up of one of them.. can’t figure out who it is .
my mistake – now Ronnie has the fresh fish…
5:55 PM EST Gracie brings wiggly fish to Sandy…Amen
5:51pmEDT Gracie in with a big whole fish. I think Sandy was the one waiting.
That may have been wishful thinking. .Someone is complaining on the perch.
Hooray for Dad! Partial fish @6:10pm. Chick drops down from perch to claim. Always happy to see two fish, two chick ratio! This kid is objecting to George hanging around. Someone got Mom’s manners!
7:09pm Chick that had the partial fish from George finished it and was lobbying for some of the other fish. The other chick flew around and up to perch, leaving the remainder of that fish for its sib.
And Gracie just dropped in @ 7:13pm with more fish-a partial one.
For me, this is the prettiest part of the day, the way the light falls on the birds as it sets. They just glow!
No interest in Gracie’s fish, as one was full and the other is still busy.
And that busy kid turns around and gets Mom to feed him some more! Kid finally heads out on stick perch…I think it bent under the weight (haha).
Scanned back to about 1pm and saw a long hungry afternoon. Chicks in and out with the only food a dried up fishtail one kid found between 1:30 and 2. Finally about 4:45pmEDT Gracie brought in a partial fish. One chick claimed it, leaving a noisy sibling protesting. That second kid flew off and when she(he) came back, flew straight in, screaming, feet extended, and grabbed the fish! Beautiful steal! @5:05ish if you want to watch. Of course I feel sorry for the other kid as he only had the fish 15 mins. or so.
So after reading earlier comments, that was probably Ronnie doing the flying grab…Poor Sandy at least had a few bites.
Thanks for that time reference – it was a perfect steal! Also great practice for grabbing fish out of the water!
I haven’t commented lately but have enjoyed reading all of the chat and, of course, watching this osprey family. This family has really progressed, as would be expected of a new osprey family. Through trial and error, George and Gracie have proven to be great parents who will hopefully continue to contribute to the overall osprey population. Just a few observations that I’ve noted from other nests. Not uncommon for Gracie to continue her “mom” role of feeding the chicks, whereas George, drop and fly off mode! Gracie will instinctively know when it is her time to migrate and George will continue to feed the chicklets until they leave. It seems that in many nests, the female chick tends to be more likely to want to be fed, and to hang around the nest longer. The chicks may not fish themselves before they leave but they are currently learning so many necessary skills by flying on and off the nest with the fish, mantling, stealing…all necessary to their future survival. With all of the sadness this season surrounding many of the other osprey cam families, this nest has, in the long run, (RIP to Peewee), been a joy!
Well said! I agree that Ronnie and Sandy are hard at work learning the skills they need to migrate and survive while at the same time having fun doing it. Perhaps when instinct kicks in and compels them to start their migration, instinct also tells them that it’s time to get serious and catch their own meals.
Thanks Karen. Haha! Instinct and hunger will get them fishing on their own. I’ve been impressed with some of the photos on facebook of fledglings fishing or at least attempting to. All in “osprey time”! 🙂
A lot of closeups of Gracie around 12:45 p.m. Such a good mom; I’m going to miss her. I, too, hope that she doesn’t leave until Sandy can catch her own meals. Don’t know how that works.
Paul, Tommy and all involved!
This is a thank you filled with deep gratitude for all you have done and are continuing to do for each and every one of us that immensely enjoy this wonderful family of osprey!
You are not only providing excellent live camera coverage, the addition of an Osprey-Zone store and who knows what else next season will bring, but you are offering an excellent site for comments to be freely written, read, enjoyed and shared by all! No accounts to open, no social pages to start and on and on! You all have made it simple and easy to enjoy and be part of two families! The osprey family and the family of viewers and potential friends!
Thank you and bless you all!
Katherine
That’s what I enjoy, too. I don’t do facebook, twitter, pintereest, or any of the multitude of social networks who’s names I barely recognize ! Paul has made this simple enough for even the tech challenged to enjoy!
Exactly! So glad to know there are others that feel as I do!
I have the technical savvy of a dust mote! But not only that, I am extremely uncomfortable with everything that’s going on in this sad period of humanity with identity theft, computers being hacked into and the sadness goes on and on, and so I do not wish to provide my birth date, address, the date I graduated, friends names, family member names and the list goes on and on! What in the world does any of that information have to do with visiting this wonderful site, commenting freely and politely, reading other’s comments and enjoying them as well as learning from them. And who needs the ritual of asking to be “accepted” as a “friend”? Yikes! I outgrew that sort of nonsense more years ago than I care to admit! I’m here for the osprey family and “chatting” with others who are doing the same is an added bonus, not the purpose!
Carol, I would also like to say I truly enjoy your comments! Thank you! (I’m willing to bet we are now “friends”!?)
Katherine
For those of us with “empty nest syndrom” …Cornell Labs just started a CONDOR cam from CA. Just peeked in, pretty cool. These are hard birds to see live as they live on the cliff sides. Check out http://www.allaboutbirds.org/condors
I’m gonna miss the “Burns” family when they go.
Kathy
10:00 am PDT Hey CarolV , did you see what Mom just brought to the nest :))))))) Take one guess.
Nope. Sorry I missed it…this working thing interferes with my osprey watching!
Around 12:43PM Very windy. Gracie very close to the camera. Can look right into her eyes; almost want to reach out and stroke her beautiful feathers.
If (since) she will be departing soon, this is some heartfelt one on one time!!
Good luck, Gracie. You are a good mom!!You worked hard for the benefit of your chicks. Be proud as you fly off.
xxxxx’s to you!
Hi Paul. can you post a clip of the fox news footage if you have it I missed out. thanks.
Your beautiful Momma. Close up of Gracie picking at camera/perch. She must be standing on sticks. 12:33 pm EST.
12:30 pm..Gracie in nest picking up. Ronnie just left. George been bringing in sticks.
Does anyone know: Will Gracie leave while she’s still feeding Sandy? Or will she wait till Sandy can pick successfully at her own fish? I scrolled back and it looks like Ronnie did catch a
fish…we’ll have to see if it happens again.
I think she’ll leave when nature or whatever it is tells her to. I don’t think it will be based on Sandy’s abilities. Hopefully, in the weeks that Sandy has left, he? will make the needed progress.
8:36 am PDT I’m not sure what time it was but in scrolling back , Ronnie flew onto the nest with a whole live fish. Very impressive if she caught it herself.
Regarding “Bob” the osprey who the news article was about this morning, since he’s found a mate, will someone build a platform for them next season so they can build a nest when they return, or are we not sure they will return to Long Island next season?
It is so exciting to see them catching their own fish now.
I think Ronnie got his first catch this morning. He flew in about 10:30 EDT with a whole fish, no parent in sight.
About 10:29 EST one of the babies brought in a live fish. Could it possibly be that he caught it himself?
Ronnie fly in the nest with whole fish. Seems like he caught it himself.
10:30am…Pretty darn sure one of the chicks (Sandy) came to nest with her own fish. It was a full fish and still alive (flopping).
Around 10:30 a.m., one of the fledglings with a wet head flew in with a whole fish. I’m guessing that it is Ronnie. He’s really providing for himself! Also, the view is so pretty. I always forget to mention that. So peaceful. Such a beautiful world. . .
I looked back to around 5:30 a.m., and no one was in the nest. Hopefully, Ronnie is catching his own breakfast. Around 7:20 a.m., George flew in with a fish which was grabbed by one of the chicks; I think it was Sandy, because she seems to study the fish before she eats it. I think Ronnie just devours it and doesn’t care if it looks delicious. A second chick flew in shortly and did not go for the fish; that makes me think that hopefully it is Ronnie and maybe he caught another fish this morning. George took off and the second chick left, too. About 9:33 a.m., one of the parents — I think Gracie — flew in with a fish and the chick grabbed it.
Hi, Paul, saw you on channel 5 also night. My husband had the news on and I was in another room. He told me to hurry up because our ospreys were on TV! Our ospreys have really grown in popularity, thanks to you. I know I’ve thanked you before, but I sincerely appreciate everything you’ve done. This is the first osprey nest I’ve looked at, and it’s so interesting. I always told my husband I wanted to go birdwatching when I retired, but this is REALLY CLOSE-UP. Can’t get much better than this. 🙂
Has one of the adults departed. Been a long time since both were in nest at the same time. I can’t see that spot that is referenced for Gracie.
great angle of birds flying to nest 715am
One of the kids front center in the nest eating a fish.
Everyone up and out early this a.m. And once again predicted rain missed us…At least the wineries will be happy this year. Dry weather makes sweet grapes and good wine.
Hummmm…..10:30 or thereabout and I’m watching channel 5 Fox 5 news, and Whoa….All of a sudden there is a story about our FAMILY, and Paul Henry, and I’m almost knocked off my couch in shock. I’m so happy with the press following this…..it really makes the entire viewing area aware of our birds and how important to our ecology they are! One thing I wanted to mention also is the documentary done by Clay Steell under “EVERYTHING OSPREY” in the first links above. Today was the first time I actually accessed this, as the nest was somewhat…..empty…..so I went exploring……Everyone MUST view this documentary! I NEVER knew the indiscriminate use of DDT that was used in the United States, even to the point of spraying pools full of children with it! I remember the trucks going down the street spewing clouds of this stuff while we were all playing outside, and thought nothing of it. The documentary is really impressive, and I hope everyone that accesses this site goes there to see this really shocking documentary that was done by Clay , with Paul also getting credits at the end, for assisting in production. Really opened my eyes to all of the pesticides that are currently being used and everyone wondering why the increase in cancer! Wow! A somewhat empty nest day turning around to be a huge explosion! (I do have to say that before darkness shrouded viewing, Sandy was still hungry and fishless. Poor Sandy, my heart goes out to her. I hope things turn around for her and she’s able to be a good angler! Her life depends on it!
Clay was a student of mine in my student film program that I ran for 5 years in Greenport, East End Student Film Project: http://www.eesfp.org
I believe he was 15 years old and this was his first film. Clay is studying Marine Biology up on the East Coast of Canada somewhere and I’m certain that great things will come from this amazing young man.
What a lovely legacy, Paul
Paul, Thank You for the link to East End Student Film Project, I just watched “Help Wanted” delightful! I can’t wait to watch the others. I’m also looking forward to what you have up sleeve for our extended family? Everyone should take a look, our host got game!
When I was a kid we would run out into the street behind the trucks and run through the fog. My parents were concerned we might get hit by a car, but evidently not concerned that we might be poisoned.
Early on I thanked the Osprey for giving us a heads up on DDT. We all need to think about the chemicals we use in everyday life. I wonder how many of us who watch OspreyZone( and have lawns), are harming our drinking water,bays,the sound and the ocean with herbicides. pesticides and over fertilization? How many who don’t have lawns yet use household cleaning products that are harmful, they can work their way into the waters. The lens was cleaned with an earth friendly product and we all know how well it did, put down the Windex you don’t need to use it. Baby steps lead to big steps just look at the size of the kids. Paul, perhaps we could use the forum in the off-season to better educate ourselves about the environment and the Osprey. I asked about El Nino because I heard it effects fish migratory patterns, I was wondering if this would impact the family. I thank you for all your hard work and would fully understand if you decide to a take a break.
Was able to scroll back to about 5pm when I checked before. Saw both kids each receive a fish from an adult. While the second chick was getting its fish, the first chick flew off . Later George brought in a 1/2 fish which he left in nest, as chick in nest was still working on his fish. The other chick came back and claimed that 1/2 fish. .A bit later,( prob.Sandy) was done with his fish when adult flew in with partial fish. The one I think was Sandy went to beg and got fed by adult while the other kid, prob. Ronnie, flew up on perch with her fish. After adult left and Sandy went out on his stick, Ronnie came back down to nest with fish. Both chicks were in the nest till a few minutes ago. One, I think Ronnie, flew to top perch.
About 10:30 Gracie dropped in to nest…could just make out that spot under her wing. Sandy moved out on his stick.
9:30 pm and both chicks just standing there…..do they hunt at night or will they just settle down & sleep ?
Baby (Ronnie) brings his second fish to nest around 9:00 PM.
Trinity I’m so glad your local newspaper had an article about ospreys I wish they would do that here in Florida we have so many osprey nest and people around here just take them for granted along with the hawks and baby owls. Most people don’t even stop and enjoy the nature around them it’s crazy . I don’t know if you remember but a while back I was taking pictures in the Publix parking lot of Osprey babies and mom and dad and people around me thought I was crazy ,there just birds like the Seagulls they don’t even notice what it takes for them to survive it’s a shame . Also if you haven’t ordered anything from the store get the T-shirts the material is awesome it is so comfortable . If I don’t talk to you again hope to hear from you next year .
Around 6:00 p.m., one of the parents brought a fish to the nest, which was grabbed by Sandy. Ronnie was busy eating his first catch! All is happy in Ospreyland right now.
June B and Phil K also Lyn no juvenile babies caught a fish today that is the fish that George brought in earlier and the baby flew off with it and just came back to the nest I have seen this two or three times already in the past couple of days but it wasn’t a catch from the baby wishful thinking. George brought in a whole fish then about an hour later brought in a fish with the head eaten off so each baby had their own fish then Gracie came to the nest with the fish and was actually feeding one of the babies
Lots of fish at the end of the day everyone was fed well .
Thank you Rjoneal, I won’t worry so much. But, I just popped in to view ospreytrax.com and saw that the usual migration of the parent osprey from this area starts around the 15th of Sept. These babies have A LOT to learn in a mere18 days or so.
Thanks to everyone for today’s comments. I was not able to log on today at all, and I can’t scroll back on my phone. I’m SOOOOOO glad that Sandy got breakfast, and I can’t wait to look back to where Ronnie caught his first fish. Maybe now he’ll let Sandy eat some of the fish that the parents bring. Better yet, maybe she will want to learn. I remember she fledged the day after Ronnie.
Around 8 p.m. Ronnie flies in with ANOTHER fish and munches down. Poor Sandy left with NOTHING ALL DAY! Both parents just don’t care anymore about feeding, and Sandy is left starving! Geez, I wish there was some way to help her!
Lyn,
Parents are still feeding and Sandy is getting fed. She is not starving. She may not get as much as Ronnie, but she is doing ok. Ronnie, is not catching his own either, just flying around with them when he feels like it. Learning to carry it.
About 8:05 one of the chicks landed with a headless fish. The fact that it’s headless looks like it was handed to him that way, not that he caught it himself.
There’s been a lot of fish and confused comings and goings this afternoon.
On 8/25 around 4:40 PM Ronnie got his fish stuck under the twigs so to untangle it, he finally flew up to the perch with the fish “in hand.” Then around 5:00ish he came into the nest
with the same fish. He didn’t catch it, but he has learned to “carry” it. That’s progress.
Paul, just wondering, will this nest be taken down after the Osprey fly south or be left as it is for them to come back to in the Spring? Or…is the weather bad enough that it will take of removing the nest?
We are definitely going to lower the tower to a more manageable height after they leave. That’s the only plan as of yet. I’ve seen other nests that the handlers will remove all sticks, branches, material etc. and let the Ospreys start over again. I believe that it’s done to clean out the nest of any insects, mold, mildew etc. but might not be necessary in cold climates. Anyone know more?
The only one I know that takes it all down is the Chesapeake family and they are certainly cold in winter. They mention doing it because of parasites but I also think the size of the pole and platform must figure into it. I don’t think the pole would support multiple year buildup.
TY for the info. After this year’s foot entanglement issue I can see why you might want to lower the nest height for sure. Hope the birds won’t mind their view being lowered 🙂
9:12 am PDT Paul, I am no expert but I guess I tend to look at these nests kind of the same way that you look at when to rescue a bird, Yes this nest is made by the Osprey on a man made platform with a camera to view them, but why should it be removed when all other Osprey nests that are not viewed by a camera are left for the Osprey pair to come back to year after year. It seems like all nest I watch you see the big adding onto at the beginning of the season with things added off and on through out, but now towards the end it’s almost like they bring more to ready it for the winter and hopefully their return next year. Just my take on it , but I say leave it :))))) And thank you for giving us this chance to watch nature even at it’s worst.
6:00 ish PM No Wonder Sandy gets so hungry. She dropped several blobs of fish guts over the side of the nest….. one big blob landed in the nest down under some twigs….. anyone walking under the nest needs to carry an umbrella……. With all the bird poop and fish guts going over the sides of the nest things could get kinda messy…..
I am wondering why Sandy is so behind her sister. Even though she was born only 1 day behind, it seems like she’s still very attached to the nest, being fed by Gracie, sleeping in the nest, etc. It seems that she’s really being neglected and the emphasis is on Ronnie only. I’m just wondering if anyone has seen this degree of immaturity in any other nests for a chick only born 1 day later than the sibling?
This past edition of the Sunday NY Times had an article about the summer entertainment of Ospreys, love the attention these magnificent birds are getting ?
One juvenile in the nest on the left, and just the tip of the tail of another one, but cannot tell if it is the mother or the other juvenile as not enough is showing.
I think today, 8/25/15 at around 5:00 p.m., Ronnie might have brought his FIRST personally caught fish to the nest to eat. He flew into the nest with the fish in talons, which is the first time I have seen that.
I saw this also and as much as I would like to think he caught it himself, I’m pretty sure it’s the same fish that was delivered to the nest about 20 minutes earlier. I think it was Gracie who landed with the fish and after a skirmish, one of the kids (Ronnie probably) took it the edge of the nest. Shortly afterwards, she got a good hold on it with her talons and floated straight up. I think she was just returning with the same fish.
Approx. 5:10 one of the babies brought a whole fish to the nest. If this was a catch by the baby, was it a first?
May have been the fish Ronnie took from the nest earlier today
No, George gave him that fish about a half hour or so before maybee less. then Ronnie split to the perch above the cam with it for awhile and then around 5 10 went back down to the nest.
Nice to see the juvie come to the nest with a fish in his talon. Fishing lessons must be successful.
Hoping you’re able to get pictures of the family on the store! They are such beautiful birds. Have always loved ospreys and my husband has always pointed out the different nests to our grandchildren. Thanks for this and everything else. Yo certainly have gone above and beyond to please soooo many people
This is another great website tracking Osprey migration:
http://www.jamaicabayosprey.org/
Also, if anyone has been watching the cam from Scotland, at the Loch of Lowes, one of their chicks has started migration, wearing a satellite transmitter, so they’re tracking too.
I’m still spotting Ospreys on my drive home from work on Ocean Parkway, Long Island. I saw 9 last night! So exciting!! I will miss them all when they leave next month.
I’ve also been watching 3 Osprey cams, and most of the time the nests are empty. So sad…………
1:34 pm PDT CarolV, I just came up to see how the day with this family was doing and about the first thing that caught my eye was that blasted black plastic . That made me think of your comment about it finding a new life. Why can’t the wind just rip it off the nest :)))))
Now for another question for who ever might know. What is the body of water called that we see in front of the camera ? And just past the dock that we see to the left seems to be where the boats go as well as the direction the Osprey seem to fly to. What is on the other side and is that where the Osprey fish also ?
You are looking at Peconic Bay. The other side is Long Island Sound.
8:44 am PDT Rich, Thank you for the reply. I live on the west coast so I’m not familiar with the area. Now I have a reference point.
Gamma, I have a feeling that @#*!!! plastic will be waving goodbye as they leave!
8:46 am PDT Carol, I’m afraid you might be right. Maybe by next year Gracie will have learned some better decorating tips and learn how to clean nest better. To bad when they leave, a cleaning crew couldn’t go in and clear the offending debris. :))))))
Has Mom been around today or has she gone already?