Unfortunately for the pair, Bea and Jasper, they will not have any chicks to raise this summer. The chicks should have hatched the first full week of April. Today marks the 59th day since the 3rd egg was laid and the 54th day for the 4th egg. This is a first for the pair to not have any chicks hatch. The last two years the chicks and eggs fell through the nest leaving the pair with no offspring. As you may recall the first and second egg were from a different male.
So why didn't the eggs hatch? Osprey eggs fail due to it either being infertile or nonviable. Infertile eggs occur when the ovum (egg) is not fertilized before it begins its journey down the female's oviduct. Ospreys copulate frequently before and during egg laying, which helps assure that sperm is present at the right time (when the ovum arrives). Incomplete, poorly timed, or insufficient copulations can result in unfertilized eggs.
A nonviable egg occurs when an embryo fails to develop properly and dies. This can happen for many reasons:
- Insufficient incubation. Eggs must be kept at a proper temperature and turned often. Temperature is vital for development to begin. Eggs must be exposed to temperatures between 99 and 104 degrees°F. Turning eggs prevents the developing embryo from sticking to the side of the egg and provides fresh nutrients for proper development.
- A cracked shell. If the egg shell is pierced or cracked before the embryo is fully developed, it will die. This can be from the egg being stepped on or jostled to vigorously.
- Bacteria or chemical contamination. Contaminants can make their way into an egg and impede or kill the embyro.
Bea and Jasper will likely cover the eggs where they will break apart and decompose. We are not sure how long the pair will continue to incubate the eggs. After so many years of successful osprey seasons, it's hard to believe we are in our third consecutive year with no juvenile ospreys to see fledge. It is our conclusion that the eggs failed due to infertility.
Today marks the 48th day since the 3rd egg was laid. Chicks normally hatch 34 - 42 days after being laid. It's very possible that these eggs are not viable. We keep watching and wishing the pair the best of luck.
We were just informed that our website was moved to new servers last night, so the osprey cam is down until we are given the new server credentials to send the osprey images. Hope to have it back up soon.
