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2018 Osprey Highlights

April 9, 2018, 2:00 p.m. - Hello Osprey!

A male osprey first made its appearance on April 9. Female osprey usually show up a little bit later. Hopefully this guy will start working on the nest!

April 15, 2018, 4:30 p.m. - 3's a crowd!

A female osprey first made its appearance on April 15. However, shortly after there were 3 osprey in the nest! We noticed 2 different males hanging around over the last few days. 2's company, but 3's a crowd! Nest construction has begun in earnest as sticks are brought up to the platform and meticulously arranged. As the season progresses, the female will hang out at the nest and the male will go fishing.

April 19, 2018, 9:30 p.m. - Where do the osprey go at night?

Maybe you've been keeping tabs on the osprey, but you've noticed an empty nest at night.
The female osprey will stay at the platform when there are eggs or chicks in the nest, but both parents often sleep away from the platform when it's empty. Osprey seems to prefer to sleep or roost in nearby trees, much like eagles. When the female osprey is close to laying the first egg, she sometimes spends the night in the nest.

April 23, 2018, 8:00 a.m. - Nest Construction Site

Osprey nest construction is in full swing with changes to the arrangement and the addition of new materials daily. The male usually fetches most of the nesting material - sometimes breaking dead sticks off nearby trees as he flies past - and the female arranges it. This stick that he's delivering is about 5.5 feet long! You'll also notice several various mosses, which all seemed to de be delivered to the nest at about the same time. Nests on artificial platforms, especially in a pair's first season, are relatively small- less than 2.5 feet in diameter and 3 to 6 inches deep. After generations of adding to the nest year after year, osprey can end up with massive nests weighing up to 200 lbs.!

April 25, 2018, 3:30 p.m - The Battle for the Nest Continues

As the male osprey work out just whose nesting spot this is, they take turns chasing each other off. They can get a little aggressive! Our view is limited to the perspective the camera is fixed at, so sometimes we only get to see half the battle!

Mother's Day 2018, 7:30 a.m. - Osprey really knows how to treat mom right on Mother's Day!

Females get the benefit of courtship feeding before laying eggs when their mates take on the full-time job of bringing home the bacon, errrr... fish. Females use body language to send the message. Aha! says the male, she says it's time for me to do the grocery shopping.
An Osprey's food of choice is fish. As for the site of their nest, just like anyone who buys a home, it's location, location, location. That's why their nests are built within a mile of water.
Before hatching, the menu involves 2 or 3 fish per day. Once the chicks hatch, and become bottomless pits of hunger, the meal for the entire family grows to about 5 fish each day.
During courtship, the male Osprey returns from hunting with a dramatic display flight (sometimes called the fish flight) You can't see the flight on our camera. You can see the end results, with these few pictures of the female snatching her courtship meal from her mate as soon as he lands.

June 2018 - Say Hello to Penny & Griffin!

As recommended by PUD 3 customer, Wendi K., we have named our osprey pair Penny (female) and Griffin (male) after the Seattle Seahawks 2018 rookie picks.
Rashaad Penny, running back, was the Seahawks first-round pick this year. Shaquem Griffin, linebacker, joins his twin brother Shaquill, cornerback, on the team.
We look forward to cheering on our Seahawks for many years to come... both the football players and the osprey!

June 11, 2018 - Empty Nesters...

Honestly, we're a little concerned that there aren't any eggs in the nest yet. We've had quite a few customers ask, so we inquired with our local ornithologist:

  • If females are inadequately fed they have to leave the nest for extended periods to forage for themselves and may not produce eggs. Penny leaves the nest often (most likely to forage) so maybe she is too malnourished for eggs?
  • Younger females typically have multiple candidates trying to court them. We are still seeing 2 males hanging around (e.g. 06/07/18 at 10:48 a.m.). This could be a good explanation because polygynous osprey is very rare.
  • Younger osprey returns to the nest site later and lays eggs later. Osprey typically returns from March to mid-April. PUD 3 osprey were on the later end, another indication they could be younger.
  • Osprey returning mid-to-late April typically lays eggs in May (peak time) to early June. PUD 3 osprey returned on April 9th and 15th. So you're saying there's a chance!?
  • New pairs lay significantly later. Most of this leads us to believe Penny is a younger osprey and/or they are a new pair still trying to figure it out.

August 21, 2018 - Farewell to our Fine Feathered Friends!

We haven't seen our Osprey friends, Penny & Griffin, for several weeks. We're pretty sure they started their journey south for the winter; just a little bit earlier than expected. Perhaps it was the dry heat? Perhaps it was because they didn't have any chicks this year (see above). Maybe they are still young and figuring life out. Either way, we're thankful for the time we got to spend watching their habits and getting a special view into the lives of our fine feathered friends. Until next year...