Ospreys

[Scuba1]

Here at the marina is a pair of Ospreys that had been trying to build a nest on top of one of the piles. But as there is no place to jam a couple of twigs into, to get started, they did not have much luck and all it took was a windy day and all their efforts went falling into the river and they had to start from scratch. So I made a frame and scewed it down on top of said piles and now they are having a lot more luck building their new home.   



ATB

Michael

[dsquire]

Michael

Good job there. I'm sure that they appreciate the help Michael. They may well bless you with being the godfather of their young. On top of that I'll bet that you will have ample opportunity for many fine photos. You may have to mount your camera on the end of a long stick so that you can get a birds eye view of the new brood as they develop.
 

At least it will give you somethibg to do to keep you off the streets. 

Cheers 

Don

[Scuba1]

As the nest to be is only a few yards from my boat and by going up a few mast steps, I can take pictures of the inside of the nest, I am planning to keep this thread open and update it with new pictures as things happen.

[Scuba1]

Here is the build after a couple of days. The pic was taken yesterday.



 

[ausdier]

Well done Michael.
It is good to see someone go to a little effort to help wildlife live with us.
 
 

[Scuba1]

Thanks for the kind comments folks. Some boaters have been complaining in the past that ospreys had tried to build their nests on their boats. My take is , that it would not be their first choice for a nesting spot and as long as one provides them with a suitable alternative, they are going to take it as this case has proven. lets face it, it only takes a few minutes and next to no money to kock a frame up out of some scrap wood and a hand full of screws and that way both are better off, boater and ospreys alike. There are a whole bunch of old pilings that are not in use anymore up and down the rivers and creeks here on the chessepeak and if people would just put a few of those frames up, close to where they keep their boats, they would never have the problem of those birds building nests on their boats.

ATB

Michael

[Scuba1]

Well, no pictures of the eggs but here is one of a mother to be sitting on them in her finished nest.



Ever since she has been sitting on them, the male keeps a little bit away on a near pile and as soon as a bird of any size " threat" comes close to her and the future offspring, he goes into full attack mode ane even gets the bald eagles to take a detour around his bit of the bank to go fishing in the river, if they want to keep their feathers in tackt. he is also providing her with fish, that he catches, then takes the heads of them and drops them either to her in flight or at the edge of the nest before resuming in watch position at the pile next to the nest.

ATB

Michael

[sbwhart]

Well done Michael.

 

Osprays are a fantastic Bird,

Great pictures

They were hunted into extinction her in the UK, then in the 1950 a pair from main land europe nested at Locgarten Scotland after some trials a tribulation they sucessfully reared a chick, slowly over the years they have reistabilshed them selves in many parts of the UK.

Keep up the good work

Stew

[Fergus OMore]

Ah Hummm??? Well, the Ospreys and (correctly) Loch Garten was all a bit of a highly successful 'cover up'.
There were MORE ospreys  in Badenoch but if those in the know kept hammering the existence of the Loch Garten nest, the rest of the birds could get on with their thing.

Oddly, I know the Cairngorms quite well. I used to ski with the late Karl Fuchs, ex German Jaeger Korps and the guy that brought skiing as we know it to 'The Hill'
It was all quite jolly stuff- hard men and women of two countries. I got engaged in 'Struan House' and just across the old A9 in the pine woods, another pair 'got engaged'.

We're quite old now- our wings clipped. Our own chicks get up there from time to time to the bhutt an bhein. My old RAF Squadron still flies the Lairig Ghru and the instructions are for their GR4's to avoid the Loch and the-- fish farm!

It was all a nice con. Now they- whoever 'they' are talking about re-introducing wolves. Not quite the Wolf of Badenoch- but that is another story.

[pebbleworm]

There are actual specs for building osprey nest platforms- one of many is at:
http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/EL86_21.pdf
Not that the birds really care,but they come back year after year and can end up with a 200 pound nest.  A pair moved onto a light tower at the abandoned shipyard i work at and are also sitting on eggs.  Good for them!

[dsquire]

Well, no pictures of the eggs but here is one of a mother to be sitting on them in her finished nest.



Ever since she has been sitting on them, the male keeps a little bit away on a near pile and as soon as a bird of any size " threat" comes close to her and the future offspring, he goes into full attack mode ane even gets the bald eagles to take a detour around his bit of the bank to go fishing in the river, if they want to keep their feathers in tackt. he is also providing her with fish, that he catches, then takes the heads of them and drops them either to her in flight or at the edge of the nest before resuming in watch position at the pile next to the nest.

ATB

Michael

Michael

How did you make out with the Osprey's last year? Did they ever hatch? Inquireing minds want to know.   

Cheers 

Don

[Scuba1]

Ohh they did great, all 3 young ones came through fine. The thing is that making that platform and the starlings got me banned from that marina in the end. The manager there did not have much in the way of love for mother nature and wanted me to shoot the beavers in the pond and the muskrats. I trapped one of the beavers for a BBQ and she was not happy about that either ....... well I told her what it was after it was all gone and she thought it was venison. Tasted fine and I liked it. Thing is that my missus was the assistant manager in that place and we just upped anchor after that and left. Way better here and the folks are more friendly as well in this part of the world. And the fishing is pretty good to boot.

ATB

Michael

Funny enough, there is a pair of ospreys in a tree within sight of where we are anchored now.

[tom osselton]

Probably her first go at beaver!