Things are progressing for the osprey family under the Arboretum’s live osprey cam. An egg was spotted on Thursday, May 11. Despite this great news, there are some concerns. Here’s a look at a couple of recent questions:
Q: This nest doesn’t look very deep at all compared to other nests I’ve seen. Will that be an issue for chicks? Is this nest maintained by the Arb in the off season? Just curious. Thank you kindly. — Stephanie
A: You’re right, Stephanie. The condition of the nest isn’t ideal. It’s nearly full to the brim with debris, which makes it harder to anchor twigs, branches and other nesting material. This was an issue last year as well and may have contributed to the nest sustaining damage in storms. Arboretum staff — who do not have work hours dedicated to the nest — had hoped to clean the nest last fall, but were unable. Then winter’s extreme conditions made it impossible. Now the nest is off limits because it is active.
Lori Arent, the Assistant Director of The Raptor Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota, said: “The build-up of organic material provides no protected depth for sticks to be anchored and/or a nest to be stabilized. It is probably too late for this year, but I would definitely suggest cleaning it out before next season.”
Q: Are the birds on track for a successful breeding year?
A: Maybe. The birds seem to be a bit late to the game, Arent said. “It is pushing it with time. Even if they were to build a functional nest in the next week, it may be another week (or more) before all the eggs would be laid.”
Arent said about 36-40 days would be needed for incubation, plus eight weeks to get the birds fledging. “That puts young just flying in mid/late August, super close to when they start their migration South,” she said.
Osprey fans: Let’s hope nature can give these birds a little luck this season.