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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Osprey Nest (1 Viewer)

kestrell

Member
I was visiting my mom on the home farm near Ward in SC, USA, a couple weeks ago. We were sitting under the large Oak in the yard when I happened to notice a cluster of sticks in the the top of an approximately 3 years old 272feet tall cell phone tower located about 500+ yards from us on the farm. There were 3 vultures sitting on the tower frame around the nest. We have turkey and black vultures in this area. I watched them a while with my binoculars as they would move around on the tower supports and/or one or 2 would leave and another would approach and light. Although I knew it wasn't a vulture nest I was wondering if it were an Eagle nest. On a return visit with binoculars and spotting scope a few days ago I saw one bird on the tower frame. The binoculars showed it to be a large bird which I first thought was an Eagle. My spotting scope showed the tell tale black mask on the head of an Osprey that was eating a fish. During the couple hours we spent watching it it finished eating it's fish, moved around on the tower frame and nest and preened itself.

On my 100 mile journey back to my residence in Rock Hill, SC, I counted 6 more cell towers in the first 50 miles. One other had a cluster of sticks in the top of it. It also had a few vultures sitting on the tower frame around the nest. I surmise that this is a high and convenient place for vultures to perch. Apparently the Osprey do not have eggs or young in the nest so they don't bother to keep the vultures run off. I am wondering if the cell tower company is going to allow the nest to stay there. The tower has a 24/7 constantly blinking light on top of it to alert aircraft of its location. Apparently the light isn't bothering the Osprey.

There are numerous 1 to 4 acre ponds, with a few on up to 10 to 12 acres, scattered across the countryside in this area of the country. Most have a good stocking of various specie of fish that will provide good feeding areas for the Osprey. There are probably 8 or so ponds within site of their nest atop the 272 fet tall tower. Lake Murrary is about 15 miles from the nest and provides 78 square miles of water feeding area. Lake Greenwood provides another 18 square miles and is about 30+ miles away.

I am rather excited about the opportunity to watch these visitors as they raise their family in my family's "back yard".
 
This is common practice for the Osprey around here ;)

My daughter's work sea terminal in Charleston has erected many platforms for the Ospreys. Very kind you'd think but the real problem was the Ospreys were building their nests on top of tall cranes and backhoes which could not be utilized while the nests were being occupied. At least they are staying well within the law and that's a good thing ;) Guess some of my love of birds has been passed down ;) Enjoy your view
 
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