March 31

Today at 10:06am Duke, the resident male returned! He was identified by his behavior, unique iris and federal band: 788-04933. We were all watching and waiting to see if he would return. It is really amazing to see him return again.

He’s already been settling in by feeding on his perch, arranging sticks, interacting with the new female and resting in the nest bowl. We have witnessed him form a new pair bond with Daisy after his previous mate did not return. We’ll just have to watch and see what plays out. Daisy could still return. If she does, she will force the other female out. If she doesn’t return, we could possibly see other females try to take over the nest as well. April is the time of upside down ospreys, as many new/existing females return to find other females on their nests. Existing nests are premium real estate for ospreys in New Jersey.

March 29

Yesterday an unbanded female osprey landed on the nest. We can tell by her iris, that it was not Daisy.

March 26

Well, I think we’re all getting antsy for the return of Duke + Daisy. Here’s a quick rundown of when they both have previously returned in the last couple years.

Duke: 4/8/2022, 3/28/2023, 3/31/2024 | Daisy: 3/19/2023, 3/16/2024

Some south winds are forecasted for Friday, so hopefully we will see some more ospreys return to the local area.

On another note, a couple of weeks ago we did some maintenance at the osprey cam. The network wire going to the nest pole was re-attached after it came loose and the modem was replaced. Ants made their way into our equipment box after chewing through the silicone seal on the bottom of the weatherproof box. We have to figure out a way to keep them out (traps were set inside the equipment box) b/c they can ruin some of our network equipment..!

February 21

We have had some issues with the live stream lately. This is due to the camera going offline. We are not sure what is happening, but we are visiting the site today to check out hardware and do a hard reset. We will also look at system logs of the camera to try and see if there is any reason for that to fail.

April 9

Since our last update, Duke the nesting male here returned! He returned on March 31 at 4:23pm. Everyone watching could tell he was home. He felt very comfortable and this year had no challengers to fend off. He immediately worked to strengthen his pair bond with his mate, Daisy by providing her with fresh fish.

Since then they both have been working on the nest to spruce it up and copulating. Soon Daisy will lay her first egg. Milestones from last year: Egg 1 – April 22. Egg 2 – April 25. Egg 3 – April 28.

Edit to add: somehow my previous update and footer on this page was deleted and there is no backup.. Time to start backing up. I know I added some more text about Duke and him turning 18 this year.

April 28

By this time last year Daisy had already laid a full clutch of three eggs (first on April 22). It might seem odd that this pair isn't incubating by now as some other pairs have been incubating for a couple weeks. In 2021, Daisy laid her first egg on April 27, so we aren't too far off from previous years. Both birds have been perching on the platform at night, which is nice to see. When Daisy is preparing to lay her first egg, then she will remain close to the nest bowl for extended periods of time. Will Duke encourage her to lay her first egg, like he did in 2021?

May 10

By now, Daisy should be incubating a full clutch of three eggs, like most normal ospreys during this time of year. Something is amiss and we aren't sure what's going on. Both adults came back early and have had plenty of time to mate and spruce up their nest. Duke is old (soon to be 18 years old) but not TOO OLD to still be fertile. Since Daisy is not banded, we don't know her exact age, but she only showed up here in 2020 and when we see banded ospreys begin nesting they're usually less than 10 years old. Ospreys can live for over 20 years and still be productive, like [href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcv5D6R9jn8–]Iris in Montana[/a] or [href=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/22/osprey-webcam–]Lady of the Loch

Even if Duke was not fertile anymore, then Daisy should still lay eggs. They would just not be fertile and hatch young. As far as we know, Daisy appears healthy and is well fed. There is still time for her to lay eggs since we have observed many nests in the middle of summer have hatchling aged young. But, time is not slowing down. We simply have to wait and see what happens. It may be an off year for them and no young will be produced. This will be interesting to observe to see what they do when no young are here to care for. Will Duke stop providing food for Daisy? Will Daisy disperse locally until she migrates south or will both defend their nest? Time will tell.

June 3

This will be my last update for the season, unless something else happens to warrant one. Duke and Daisy continue to hang near their inactive nest. Like mentioned before, we do not know what is happening. We have heard from a few other osprey watchers that they are witnessing the same behavior. Adults present but no eggs or young this year. One pair on Mordecai Island and one on the Mullica River. We hope to learn more during our surveys.

December 4

Atlantic brant are beginning to congregate along the shoreline here in Barnegat Light for the winter months. Coastal waters of New Jersey (and New York) provide essential habitat for brant, where the majority of the population overwinter. As more gather here, we may see some that are banded with auxiliary bands, which is part of a banding and re-sighting project by NJDEP Fish & Wildlife to study the breeding and wintering ecology of brant. By reporting re-sightings of auxiliary banded birds, we can help waterfowl biologists learn more about their life history and the importance of wintering sites like we have here on Barnegat Bay.