Random Rants and Ramblings: Chambers Creek Ospreys

For the first time in months, I visited Chambers Creek Properties without seeing our local Ospreys. I’m sure that there will still be a few lingering sightings, but I think I can go ahead and recap the year in Ospreys.
My first sighting this years was on April 5. Several Ospreys were fighting over the nesting platform. These two took their fight to a light on the other end of the dock.

By the nesting platform, the confrontation involved three Ospreys at one point.

When not fighting, I snapped a shot just prior to one of the Ospreys fishing.

While the fighting would continue, one of the Ospreys was bold enough to bring a stick to the nest, perhaps making a claim.

When the Ospreys arrived, they didn’t exactly have the dock to themselves. Brandt’s Cormorants are wintering birds out there, but there is an overlap as you should be able to tell from this shot.

With the nest in development, I frequently aimed my camera at the platform. This made it a little easier to get shots of them landing.

Ospreys also returned to a nest on the BNSF bridge over Chambers Creek.

Eventually, I managed some shots of the Ospreys landing with nesting material.

Then I could watch them actual working on building the nest.

Not all action shots were focused on the nest. I would occasionally shoot at one of the Ospreys in flight.

Back at the nest, I managed to shoot this Osprey joining its mate with a nice fresh fish.

Here’s another shot of an Osprey in flight.

As well as an Osprey in flight with nesting material.

After some time had passed and numerous branches and twigs fell in the water below, the Ospreys’ nest was finally starting to look like a nest.

A few days later, I managed to shoot the nest with just one Osprey. Within a couple weeks, the eggs had been laid (My best guess is May 4 or earlier).

There’s a pole near the railroad tracks that the Ospreys seem to enjoy. This is one of the best spots to get up close with the Ospreys.

If you don’t like the Osprey turning its head away from the camera, how about this shot?

This is the same pole, but this Osprey isn’t quite so still.

Back towards the BNSF bridge, this is about as close as I can get.

Here we have one of our Ospreys feeding.

We have Bald Eagles in the area as well. Ospreys and Eagles are not exactly friends.

I also managed to shoot a bit of an altercation between an Osprey and a Red-winged Blackbird.

And a Crow.

On June 21, I saw the young for the first time. I found two in the nest, although someone had told me that there were actually three. Eventually, I managed to find the third.

I actually got a bit of a laugh when one of the young seemed to take over the parents’ jobs and started moving around one of the branches on the nest.

At times, the young would hide. This allowed me to shoot the parents on a completed nest.

With the young growing, the parents were more active in searching for food.

I also got a shot of one of the young being fed.

Periodically, I watched one of the young flap and flap and go absolutely nowhere.

Here’s a shot of an Osprey fishing.

And catching the fish.

And another shortly afterwards.

The Ospreys continued work on the nest. Here we have one of the parents bringing nesting material as one of the young watches.

Here’s a messy situation. An Osprey, a bald eagle, and a gull. These three weren’t exactly thrilled with each other.

Here we have one of the Ospreys landing next to the nest.

And here’s one flying with a fish.

The young were getting big, and I managed to shoot two of them facing each other.

Then they were kind enough to turn to the camera.

After a few days of some nice hops, one of the young got enough air on July 28 for me to say that they had definitely started to fly.

I managed to shoot one of the young nice and close to one of the parents.

Two of the young might have turned their back to me for this next shot, but I couldn’t help posting a shot of the third Osprey yawning.

Here’s another shot with all three young. This time, they were kind enough to turn their heads.

I was still shooting the parents as they carried fish to the nest.

As well as the more typical flying Osprey pictures.

There are some old support structures near the dock that the young seem to enjoy. That is as close as I have managed to get to the young once their flying became a little stronger.

Of course, I tend to prefer shots with their beaks open.

Here’s a shot with the young sharing the structure with one of the parents.

At one point, I watched one of the young take off from the dock.

Fly up to the nest.

And land.

Here’s a shot of feeding time.

I had not personally seen the young fishing (until August 19), but they seemed to have an interest in what was going on in the water beneath them.

This time, we have the same bird with its head up.

This is one of the young flying around.

I got another picture from that support structure of one of the young.

Two, actually.

I didn’t abandon the adults.

Especially when they had fish.

Here’s yet another close shot of one of the young.

This isn’t my best shot, but how often do you see a Bald Eagle flying upside down in order to evade an Osprey?

On August 19, I found a young Osprey near the dam on Chambers Creek. These birds were clearly willing to spend time away from the nest. This shot was taken four days later in the same general area.