Osprey

Osprey, 2019, Oil on Board, 16"x20"

We have 2 pair of Osprey nesting on our marsh. It appears the female is still incubating as she never leaves the nest.  This male is approaching the nest with wings raised and calling.  Early in March, he is building the next in anticipation of the female's arrival. Ospreys require nest sites in open surroundings for easy approach, with a wide, sturdy base and safety from ground predators (such as raccoons). Nests are usually built on snags, treetops, or crotches between large branches and trunks; Our nests are 1) on a man-made platform and 2) atop a telephone pole. Osprey nests are built of sticks and lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, algae, flotsam, jetsam, and just about anything the bird can grab and bring to lay.  At a program on Osprey we were shown a barbie doll and golf putter retrieved from a nest. The nest on our man-made platform is susceptible to high winter winds and never reaches the breadth and depth of long standing nests which can reach 10-13 feet deep and 3-6 feet in diameter.