You may have noticed some changes to the Osprey Cam this year. The cam originally was placed on a nest platform atop one of two silos at SPI Pharma, Inc. (a company that extracts minerals from sea water located just outside the park). Due to mechanical reasons, the nest was moved last fall to the other silo, where the camera offers a better vantage for viewing the nesting ospreys.

Our nesting pair handled the slight move with no problems. The male returned on schedule (March 20) and immediately started gather new sticks for the nest. The female returned two days later.

The pair should be on and off the nest quite often for the next few weeks, working on the nest and fishing for themselves. If all goes according to "plan," the female should start to lay eggs and begin incubation (sitting on her clutch of eggs) by the middle of April.

On a side note, our satellite-tagged osprey, "Thatch," should be preparing to make his first migration north after establishing his overwintering site this past year and a half. Follow his progress on Dr. Rob Bierregaard’s website: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/Bierregaard/maps11/thatch2011.htm.

- Richard Julian,
  Nature Center Manager,
  Cape Henlopen State Park