Bella and Benecio have been on the nest for almost an hour now. During this time Benecio brought in nesting material and the two mated twice, quite encouraging. As of this posting no sign of the intruder. If they're mating has been successful, Bella could lay eggs by mid March. Benecio has a lot of work ahead of him to prepare the nest.
13 comments:
Great news MG-thanks!
The "B"'s are on track :-)
Perhaps the B's should quit all that mating and spend their time nest building. :-)
Actually, it looks like work on the nest is moving along nicely--as long as they keep it up, it should be ready by mid-march. Can't wait to see some eggs in there. Love the new pictures today, MG.
Vivian
Shouldn't we see more progress/improvment on
the nest MG?
Beth/Ohio
Good Morning Beth!
Yes, we should see more progress than one or two sticks every other day. I was reviewing photos that I took over the weekend and it may appear that Benecio is mating with both Bella and the intruder, though I haven't confirmed that yet.
At this point it's not looking very promising, but we're not giving up yet.
Are there any other sitings for a nest elsewhere? Which may explain why not much is being done at our nest. I sure hope not but time is running out.
Thanks,
Mary Pat
I know of the nest at the Cross Island Parkway by the Gum Tree Road exit and along the bridges to Hilton Head. I'm sure there are more scattered about the island, though none of them have cameras.
I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens. The intruder has definitely put a spin on the 2010 season thus far. As always we'll keep everyone posted on the events at our nest. Keep watching.
If Benecio is mating with "the intruder" what happens to Bella? I'm a novice at this and read that Ospreys generally mate for life.
D of Canada
Ospreys are normally monogamous. A male usually mates with one female, and mating pairs stay together until one of them dies. However, males occasionally have more than one mate. When this happens, it is usually in areas where nests are very close together, so that the male can defend and bring food to both nests.
Hopefully this is not the case with our nest, but the lack of activity suggests otherwise. Bella was on the nest yesterday, though briefly. The intruder quickly landed upon the platform then they both flew off.
Was that a "B" on the nest this am MG or the intruder? Didn't stay long.
Beth/Ohio
Hey Beth!
That was Benecio on the nest. Actually he was there a few times bringing in sticks. We're hoping the warmer weather that is approaching in the next few days will assist him and Bella with getting the ball rolling into the 2010 season.
I was SO looking forward to following our little family right from the start this year, but it's not looking very good, is it!
I live in Pinecrest which is at the intersection of Buckwalter and Bluffton Pky. I have a large natural lagoon behind my house and occasionally we have seen an osprey fish in it. Have you heard of a nesting pair in this area? Or is he just passing thru?
Hey Carol -
I'm not familiar of nests or osprey in the Buckwalter and Bluffton Parkway area. Maybe some of our viewers could elaborate on that topic.
MG, can you share with us what identifying markings you use to tell who is on the nest? I notice one has a very distinct V on the back of its head. Who is that? It would be so much more interesting if we could identify who is who.
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