Feed courtesy of Grand Lake resident Kent Roorda
JUNE 15 UPDATE
We have chicks! One baby hatched in the early morning hours of June 14 and the second one hatched on June 15. Dad has been coming around checking on mom and the babies as well as providing food. Both chicks seem healthy. The third egg should hatch in the next day or two.
MAY 16 UPDATE
Roorda gave a Monday morning update to the egg watchers. “We still have three eggs in the nest. Three has been the most, as well as the average number laid each year. However, it is still possible that another egg could be laid. If no more eggs have been laid by Wednesday of this week, then there won’t be any more.
MAY 10 UPDATE The second and third egg have been laid. On the morning of May 8, viewers spotted the second egg in the nest. Then on the evening of May 10, a third egg was laid. Roorda said “The third egg was laid this evening at 6:15 p.m. It was laid only one day after the previous egg. Normally, the eggs are laid 2 or 3 days after the previous egg.”
MAY 5 UPDATE Roorda shared the news with his global following that the mother osprey laid her first egg. “Mother Osprey cleared away the snow in the middle of the nest and has settled in on the egg that she laid,” he wrote. “Up until yesterday, she was not in the center of the nest. However, starting last night (around 8 p.m.) she moved to the center.” “There is open water on the nearby lake, so (the osprey pair) are able to catch fish and eat. Each year, they normally lay two or three eggs. In past years, the resident pair have been very successful, and all hatched chicks have survived and fledged. As the season continues, watch closely as…they…hatch and raise the chick in this egg and possibly others.” He also shared some details on the gestation of the eggs, “Now, that the first egg has been laid, it will be 35 – 40 days of gestation before the first egg hatches. When the eggs hatch, they will hatch in the same order and frequency that they were laid (approximately every 2 or 3 days).”
APRIL 9 UPDATE A few of your fellow Osprey Watchers, let me know that OUR birds have arrived and were seen in the nest. It is always so good to see them at the beginning of each season. This is the third year that they arrived back at their nest on April 9 th . It is amazing how accurate their calendars are, and also how they are able to fly to/from their nest from thousands of miles away. In the next few weeks, they will be preparing the nest for another season, and they will be very busy mating. We wish them and their families the very best. I also want to thank all of you for your participation and input. — Kent Roorda
APRIL 8 UPDATE
The osprey camera is back online and the much anticipated return of the mating pair is upon us. Watch this feed for updates on the pairs journey this summer.
It won’t be long (around April 15) before the Ospreys start arriving from their migration from the South to their nesting locations in the North. Like many birds, the migration of the Ospreys is amazing. As long as both the male and female are still living, they will return to the same nest each year and they will raise a new family in the nest. Each year, they normally lay 2 or 3 eggs. In past years, our Ospreys have been very successful, and all hatched chicks have survived and fledged. When the pair returns, start watching closely as many behaviors and things take place as the Ospreys prepare the nest, mate, lay eggs, hatch the chicks, and raise the chicks. There is much to see and learn! The Ospreys provide all of us with a lot of entertainment, appreciation of nature, and knowledge as they raise their annual families. Please note that I recently upgraded the camera so that you will be able to hear audio from the nest and area around the nest. — Kent Roorda
