Kim’s Naturalist Blog

March 31, 2025 This year's female is banded on the right leg - the same as last year's. It is likely that it is the same female. Today the osprey platform is swaying in the wind. Notice how the nest has changed in less than a week. It seems to have filled in with more sticks and the sparse floor is now padded with grass and other small material. #osprey #blockisland #blockislandutilitydistrict

At 5.5 weeks old, the osprey nestlings at the power company platform are ready to be banded. So many thanks to the company staff for gathering the young osprey (utilizing the bucket truck) one at a time to be banded. #ospreynestlings #blockisland #BIUD #osprey #ovfnaturalist Here Tom Brown operates the truck and Evan Carey takes good care of the young osprey. Thanks also to Tom Durden, Jim Stockman, and Jeff Wright for all their help and support on the ground and behind the s

These young osprey were 5 weeks old on July 1st & 2nd. It is always surprising how fast they grow. In this photo one of the nestling is "standing" - my what big feet you have. And the other is stretching and exercising its wings. It is almost shocking how long those wings are now. #osprey #BIUD #ospreynestling #blockisland #ovfnaturalist

Happy Memorial Day. We are celebrating with the observation that the 1st osprey chick has hatched. The image is a bit blurry - thus the red circle helping to highlight the new being. And hopefully the second egg will also hatch in the next day or two. However, in 2023 there were 2 eggs but only one hatched. The successful hatching of only one egg is not unusual for the first year of a pair's nesting. #osprey #blockisland #asri #thenatureconservancy #ovfnaturalist

Here the male and female are switching egg-sitting places. This pair has been taking turns on the eggs pretty regularly. It is getting close to hatching time. Osprey generally incubate their eggs for 36 - 42 days. It is hard to know when she started sitting in earnest. Taking a guess here: look for hatchlings around May 28. #blockisland #osprey #natureblockisland

The male (on the left) just delivered a small fish for the female. She hopped off the eggs and flew away with the fish, at which point...

When I first noticed that the female has a band on her leg. I automatically assumed that this bird is the same as last year's (2023)...