I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see the nest from my usual vantage point yesterday morning: it was foggy and misting and the nest is about 100 feet above Great Cove, atop a broken off spruce. I also didn’t have high hopes for Harriet’s annual return from the south in such thick weather. But, I went to see out of concern for Harriet’s being late.
And there she was!
She was lying flat in the nest while Ozzie stood. Yesterday apparently was Harriet’s first day at her summer residence. As you can see, she and Ozzie were gazing through the murky morning like an old, settled couple enjoying the airs on their porch. (A curious thing: although ospreys usually are monogamous, it is thought that they return to the same nest out of territorial fidelity, not attraction to their mate.)
If all goes well, “our” pair will do some courting and mating for a short period, with Ozzie feeding Harriet as part of the ritual. She’ll lay one to four eggs and incubate them for up to 40 days, with Ozzie feeding her and sometimes doing a little incubating, himself.
The young hatch sequentially, usually one a day, and grow fast. This gives the first born (hence biggest) an advantage. It is not unusual for one or two of the hatchlings to be bullied to death by their siblings. (Last year, Harriet brooded three youngsters and two survived the competition.) (Brooklin, Maine)