VIDEO: Osprey nest life
Image from webcam captured by Bea, LK forum
Translation Liis
Family photo from Irma and Joosep’s nest; their three chicks are one week old
On Saturday the little chicks of Mai and Mikk are one week old. The chicks in the two osprey nests were all hatched within a few days of each other and so we will follow their progress together.
Video recorded by Uta, LK forum
One egg was probably unfertilized. Osprey females lay 2-3 eggs, rarely more.
Osprey nests are nearly always located in pine tops. Thus they often have to build a new nest in spring but this is energy-consuming and takes much time.
We have seen in the webcams how different the nests of birds of prey look. Ospreys have no moss or similar material for the chicks to lie on. In case of danger the chicks know to hide themselves by lying motionless on the nest bottom and in the middle of the bark and branch assembly they become almost unnoticeable.
The abundance of ospreys has increased significantly in Estonia during the last 25 years: there are about 70 breeding pairs. No surprise if you might see them in action at the seashore too.