Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Osprey!!!!

All of these pictures were taken on June 8, 2010........

here.....
a favorite place of ours for exploring nature!!!
We were just here a few days ago...


On June 8, 2010 we got to see this......
Osprey nest....momma with three babies!!!
We were told they were born a few weeks prior to this photo.


momma returns with food for the babies...


We learned that the mom and dad take turns feeding the babies.
Whom ever is not feeding, flies a few feet away from the nest
while their partner feeds them.

A few interesting facts we also learned. During extreme heat, mom and dad spread their wings to provide shade for the babies and protect them from the sun.

Every year on St. Patrick's Day the Osprey return to claim back the nest, that has been here at the Manasquan Reservoir for years. The brutal winter we had this year destroyed the nest.

When they returned this year, they had to start from scratch to build a new home. Apparently, they had difficulty finding a tree that would accommodate the type of nest they build. They are also having difficulty finding enough branches to build a proper nest. 

When we visited on April 14th this year we were able to find their new nest......

way out and very low to the water.
There was no sign of the Osprey!!

4 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

ooh. scary to be so low to the water. i hope there's not flooding this year!

Dawn said...

I like how it's both Mom AND Dad's job to get supper;)))

Julie G. said...

Viewing the adult Ospreys and their little ones last June must have been quite a delightful experience. My fingers are crossed for the Ospreys and their newly relocated nest. Let's hope that water stays down.

Tammy said...

A great sighting!