TT and JW faired well with Tropical Storm Elsa last night. We were a bit concerned as only one was on the nest this morning when we checked the camera, but thankfully both juveniles appeared on the tower a little later on. Bea and Jasper are also doing fine.

Both juvenile ospreys, TT and JW, have fledged - taking their first flight. JW was the first to go which occurred on June 27th. It took TT, the oldest chick by a day, about one week longer. The communications tower located at our Hilton Head office is 100 feet tall, so taking the first flight is no easy task. JW fledged in 58 days and TT fledged in 65 days. The juveniles will stay dependent on their parents for food until they learn to fish for themselves.

TT and JW are the 15th and 16th successful juveniles that Bea and Jasper have produced since their arrival at our tower in 2011.  The juveniles will not reach maturity until age 3. As the juveniles mature their eye color will change to yellow and their buff-tipped feathers on their back will change to brown.

Photo of TT (foreground) and JW (background)