And Osprey Makes Two

So far, that’s all I’ve seen at this nesting site . . . two diligent Osprey, bringing each other fish and taking turns sitting. The structure of the cell phone tower obscures the interior of the nest, so I see only what happens on the rafters outside. To date, it’s been just a male and female Osprey with no visuals of eggs or young. They have their favorite dining area, on a girder to the left of frame. They have their “taking a break from the nest” stretching post to the right of frame. And they share use of a cell phone tower across the way, where one will do its post-meal preen while the other preens closer to home.

This particular nest was completely destroyed in winter storms. It was intact during the fall, but was demolished to a few flapping twigs following the seasonal torrents. They rebuilt after returning to Seattle from their wintering grounds.

If they do have eggs or young, hatching is about four weeks from the time the eggs were laid. And chicks will fledge about two months after they hatch. It’s during the fledging that I’d be most likely to see the young testing their wings on the perimeter of the tower. I’ll keep making my weekly camera visits to see if new life emerges from the bundle of sticks they call home.

The pics may look as though they were taken on separate days. But the clouds were moving in and out over crystal blue sky, accounting for the varied lighting and backdrop. I’ve identified the birds by male and female, based on the more pronounced, speckled bib (female). These IDs are not positive, as I’m not 100 percent sure this is an accurate gender delineation.