Yesterday, these two familiar-looking ospreys appeared separately and reclaimed their nearby nest, which I’ve been visiting daily lately in anticipation of seeing the first ospreys of the year.
(I’ve been photographing and reporting on this nest for four years and always call the adult occupants Ozzie and Harriet to avoid the he-she-it syndrome.) Ozzie arrived first and immediately began nest repairs.
Of course, I can’t be certain each year that I’m seeing the same two parents. However, ospreys are nest-loyal and these two seem to be very comfortable with the nest and each other – there has been no hesitation about occupying it and no challenges from other pairs. There also usually is little to no courting; copulation attempts usually begin right away in the nest and nearby, as they did yesterday.
Nonetheless, there is a concern about the safety of ospreys such as these that have been nesting along the Maine coast. Bald eagles are on the increase along the coast and they love to harass and rob hardworking ospreys of their fish, eggs, and even chicks.
There seems to be a correlation between the eagle population increases and coastal osprey nest abandonments. According to Maine banding reports and Vickery (Birds of Maine), it appears that significant numbers of osprey are shifting their nesting to inland lakes, where the eagle-to-osprey ratio is better for the ospreys as of now. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on April 17, 2022.)