We have our first chick of 2019. The chick, which is named AG, hatched Thursday evening. AG hatched within 38 days. 

We're eager for the other two chicks to follow suit. 

Update: The first chick is still pecking its way out of its shell.

The first chick is in the process of hatching. As we were observing the nest a few minutes ago, we noticed that Bea seemed a bit anxious and moving hurriedly over the eggs. Upon zooming the camera in for a closer look, we noticed a pip, a small puncture on the surface of the egg. This hole is an indication the first chick is working to break free of its shell.

Today marks the 35th day since the first egg was laid so we are expecting the chicks to emerge from their shells in the coming days.

We are also trying to correct the bandwidth issue with our camera, so thank you for your patience as we attempt to resolve the matter.

Bea

The pair, Bea and Jasper, continue to incubate the three eggs. Today marks the 30th day since the first egg was laid so we anticipate seeing the pair's first chick hatch in the next week.

Below is a photo of Jasper, the eggs and the pair, Bea and Jasper.

Not much excitement going on at the nest. Bea and Jasper are taking turns incubating the three eggs. The first egg was laid 18 days ago so we are about half way there until the first chick hatches, which should be the week after St. Patrick's Day.

Bea and Jasper now have 3 eggs.

Welcome to Palmetto Electric's 2019 Osprey Season. 

Our cam overlooks the nest on top of our 100’ communications tower. The resident osprey pair, Bea and Jasper, have returned for their ninth season. Bea returned to the communications tower on January 10^th and Jasper arrived on January 28^th. The first egg was laid February 11^th and the second egg was laid February 13^th. For those of you that have been following us you’ll remember that the last three years Bea and Jasper’s nest has failed. How many eggs will she have? How many chicks will fledge? We are eager for a successful season and to see juvenile ospreys take flight. 

Currently, our cam refresh rate is extremely slow (5 minutes) due to recent equipment added to our network that has consumed bandwidth. We anticipate to have that corrected in the near future. 

Thank you for joining us for another season and for taking part in our Osprey Blog.

Below is a close-up of Jasper, the two eggs, and Bea incubating the eggs.

Today is the first day that either Bea or Jasper has not incubated the overdue eggs. The pair continued incubation for over a month after the hatching timeframe. The chicks should have hatched the first full week of April. We believe that the eggs weren't fertile. 

The pair should remain on the platform to retain ownership of the site throughout the summer.