Bird Cams Around the World

I'm going to be in Sanibel next month, so hopefully you can see this nest from the ground!

Comments from Mark "Bird" Westall:

Founder of the International Osprey Foundation

"For those of us that have been keeping tabs on the osprey nest here at Ocean’s Reach, you might have seen some behavior of the parents lately that made you a little nervous. And I agree with those concerns, but I am not willing to say this season’s nesting attempt is finished quite yet.

My main concern is that the eggs have been left unattended a few times during the last few days and with the unseasonably cool temperatures we have had lately it is possible the chicks inside the eggs have died from exposure. The parents may be aware of this and that may be why they are willing to leave the nest occasionally.

On a good note, the adults continue to return to incubate the eggs so I think we have to wait, at least, a week and be patient and see what happens. If we do not see any signs of hatching during next week or the parents begin spending more and more time away from incubation, then the nest has probably failed this year.

There are a few factors that could have caused the nest to fail. First of all, it looks like the male lost his mate during the off season and it took a while and a little competition before a new mate was accepted. The old pair usually began incubating by the end of December and this year the first egg was not laid until February 7. This type of delay is normal when a mate is lost as it is not a simple task establishing a new pair bond and developing a smooth, coordinated relationship with a new mate so they can become successful parents.

Second, since this was the first mating of a new pair, it is possible that the eggs were never actually fertilized. Also, we have had some unusually cold temperatures recently and if the female is a young bird, she may not be as disciplined as a more mature bird. After a long thirty-five days of spending most of her time incubating the eggs, if the weather gets exceptionally uncomfortable, a young female can sometimes lose focus. I always say that, “Teenagers CAN become successful parents, but they are not ALWAYS the best parents when times get difficult because, after all, they are STILL teenagers!”

So, let’s hope for the best that the eggs are still alive and soon we will all be able to enjoy watching the parents raise their young. But we should also prepare ourselves for the possibility that this nesting season may be over. There will always be next year. The osprey-cam gives us an intimate view into the family life of ospreys and it is wonderful to watch, but Life does not always have a happy ending; especially in the wild, natural world.

Understanding and accepting the harsh realities of the natural world makes nature’s successes just that much more of a thrill to watch!"

Thank you Mark!