Unusual Osprey Nest

This is the 2nd year in a row I noticed an Osprey nest in this old,  broken and battered remains of a small tree along the Wildlife Drive. It probably is only 4 feet off the ground, the lowest ever Osprey nest I have seen. They usually seek out a high position to protect the nest. They usually are high in trees, utility poles, towers, streetlights, almost any high structure that has enough space to put a nest. In Florida I remember seeing a street with almost every street light along the street occupied with Osprey nests.

I do not know if this is the returning Osprey from the previous year or just any easy place to put a nest.

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Views of the nest

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A Series of Horizontal Images to Compose a Vertical View Of The Surrounding Area

Osprey Platforms Along Wildlife Drive – Full Occupancy

There are quite a few Osprey platforms for building nests along the Wildlife Drive in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville, NJ. Usually for some reason there are one or two that do not get used each year. But this year they seem to all occupied. There are also other nests throughout the Refuge that you do not see, except for the large amounts of Ospreys flying in the Refuge. The platforms along the Drive are a good place to wait for interesting photos. Everything from the Ospreys defending their nests and young from other Ospreys, hawks & other intruders, to seeing them mating or bringing fish to feed the young Ospreys. Also early in the season you will see them bringing sticks and branches to build the nest. You can get great flight shots as they leave or return to the platforms. You need a long lens, since they are not real close to the road and it is forbidden to go off the road. (But I have seen a few do that which is not a smart thing to do) Quite often there are times of a lot of action you can get photos of right above you on the Drive. Most platforms have a post nearby where the mate waits near the nest, sometimes eating a fish. While you are waiting for action from the Ospreys, there is usually lots of other subjects flying or wading by. Egrets, Herons, Terns, Gulls, Shorebirds, Cormorants, Bald Eagles, Swans, the list is endless. Also while you are waiting the landscapes and Cloudscapes are great there. A usual day there I can easily have 5,000 shots or more to go through especially if you are tracking the flying birds, shooting bursts to get the best wing positions. Or if you come upon a bunch of shorebirds in a feeding frenzy, with hundreds of birds going at it.

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Osprey With Baby Green Heron Meal

I photographed this Osprey flying at the Brigantine Division of The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey in the Summer. I had not noticed until now it was carrying a young Little Green Heron in its claws, bringing it back to the nest.

Osprey Diving In…..

I photographed this female Osprey diving in to grab a stick for the nest. The nest was already built, but I guess it was for repairs. I shot this series earlier this Summer, but have been busy with work. I liked the out-stretched talons and the look of concentration as it was going after something.  Canon 7D, 400mm f/4 DO lens, Canon 1.4x Series III Teleconverter.

Osprey stick brig 2016 v1_MG_7440 hp v2The Osprey kept picking up sticks for a while, returning to the nest, where there were a few chicks.

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Osprey FlyBy

On our last visit to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville NJ, there were a lot of Ospreys.They were on Osprey Platforms, on posts, on trees, on the ground and busy fishing so it gave quite a few opportunities for photography. This male Osprey flew close by when I was photographing another one on the ground in the grasses.

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Ospreys Bringing Sticks to Their Nest

Osprey often keep bringing sticks to their nests even after they are built and there are young chicks in the nest. I do not know if it is for repairs or just what they do. It is fun to see them swoop them up from the water by the shore.

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Osprey Nests on Osprey Platforms

Along the Wildlife Drive are many Osprey Platforms. Most of them have active nests on them. There seems to be more platforms this year than last year. If you are patient you can usually get some interesting images of the birds interacting with the chicks or flight shots as they fly around the nest and eventually fly into the nest.

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Another Osprey nest

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Osprey Lookout

Usually around the Osprey Platforms is a post for the Ospreys to roost and keep an eye on their nests on the platforms. Many times you will see them eating a fish there or just hanging out keeping an eye on what is going on.

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Osprey Family

A family of Ospreys on one of the Osprey Platforms at the Brigantine Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. The front one is eating a fish.

Osprey Coming In