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)

 

The chicks TT and JW are growing up fast due to Jasper bringing in fish such as the flounder in the above picture. Juvenile osprey's normally fledge within 7 - 8 weeks from hatching. That timeframe will be mid to late June.

The two chicks, TT and JW, are doing quite well. Both are nice and plump and are starting to loose their darker down and are beginning to grow their pin feathers. Pin feathers or otherwise known as "blood feathers" is a developing feather on a bird. The feather is rolled and protected in a tube-like shaft that contains blood vessels, which nourish the feather's growth. 

The top two photos have JW on the left and TT on the right. 

The bottom photo is a close-up of TT. You can see the development of the feathers. In the close-up of TT you will notice the deep red eye color. As the osprey's grow into juveniles the eye color will change to an orange-yellow to yellow once they become adults.

The chicks TT and JW are doing well and have added much weight since their last photos, especially TT. TT has been a bit aggressive towards JW, but in the last few days that has eased up a bit which we hope that trend continues. The top photo has TT on the top and JW towards the bottom. The bottom photo is a close-up of JW.

It appears Bea and Jasper have lost their youngest hatchling, LT. Upon leaving work yesterday the chick appeared to be doing well. The loss of the one will give the two remaining chicks a better chance of survival.

 We now have three chicks in the nest: TT, JW and LT. 

We possibly have a pip in an egg. If a chick hatches today would mark 39 days since it was first laid.

Osprey chicks use an egg tooth on the upper beak to help break the inner shell which they repeatedly tap to free themselves.

Bea and Jasper continue to incubate their three eggs. Today marks the 20th day since the first egg was laid. We could see a chick around April 24th or so. 

 It appears the pair, Bea and Jasper, will have three eggs this season. The third egg was laid March 24th. Ospreys usually lay eggs 1 - 3 days apart. The chicks will hatch in the order the eggs were laid.

Along with the eggs is a photo of Jasper incubating the clutch. Jasper will continue to share the task of incubating the eggs until the chicks hatch, when he will then provide fish for his family.