Tag: Osprey

It has been about two weeks since I noted they had returned, so I headed out to the Osprey nesting site today. I was hoping to find them on eggs in the nest, but when I arrived the female was sitting there alone. It was not long before the male showed up and I was in a good spot to capture the following series of photos of the Osprey mating.

After this he left to return some time later with a fish for her. After she finished eating it in a nearby tree, there was some more mating behaviour. Hopefully it won’t be much longer before they are on eggs and the countdown can begin for the arrival of young.

There is an Osprey pair I have been following for several years now. As this is usually the time they will show up, I made the trip out to the nesting site on the Fraser River this morning.

It was good to see they had returned again, this being the female.

This is the male arriving with a fish for her.

The pair together on the nest (female on the left, male on the right).

Here the male is arriving with another stick for the nest. This all being typical behaviour to see when they return for another nesting season. The only thing left,

… is mating activity to confirm things are well under way.

Hopefully things go better this year as they have been unsuccessful the last two.

I went to the Osprey nest last weekend, but was left wondering how well things were going.

Here the male arrives with a fish,

… which the female took and then left the nest to eat it in the usual tree.

A little over ten minutes later she returned with what was left of the fish. This is when you could see her attempting to feed young in the nest.

In this photo you can just barely make out the head of a chick above a branch. The concern being I did not see the chick take any food. The female made a few attempts, but finished the fish herself.

The female was leaving the nest unattended occasionally, but would return. It was all of this that left me wondering.

On checking this morning there were no adults on the nest when I arrived. About half an hour later the female arrived at the nest.

Here she is reacting to the male approaching the with a fish. After taking the fish from him she left to eat it. Not to the usual tree, but another set of pilings down stream. After that they both flew off with neither returning to the nest. So it would appear that none of the chicks have survived and the nest will be unsuccessful for a second year.