Oprah and Oscar have returned to Palmetto Dunes near the DVC HHI Resort

[RobDoc]

Oprah and Oscar are back home again on top of the Palmetto Dunes water tower across the road from the DVC Resort.

https://pdpoa.live/
Enjoy!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Thank you! This is awesome!

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you, @WebmasterDoc! It’s good to see that life goes on!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Cool! I never knew about that web cam. Do you know exactly where it is in Palmetto Dunes? I know you said water tower, but where?

 

[RobDoc]

Very near the Fire Station as you go down to the Beach House.

https://search.yahoo.com/local/s;_y...XPNYEKqpF4OfC5vT&_guc_consent_skip=1585334529
The red dot on this map is Dunes Real Estate just as you go enter Palmetto Dunes on the was to the beach. If you click on 'Satellite' view at the upper right, the water tower will be the white round object below and to the left of the red dot. If you zoom in, the water tower is #14.

Enjoy!

 

[RobDoc]

We are a few miles from Palmetto Dunes and also have an osprey nest visible from our back yard across the lagoon . Hurricane Matthew tore off the top growth of this pine tree in 2016 and the tree died, but now serves as the basis for the nest for this pair of osprey.

This is the third year for this pair, who have again been busy renovating the same nest by adding more branches, sticks, and spanish moss to the nest.

 

[RobDoc]

Sad update from this morning.

We had a line of strong storms move through the area this morning. Looking out our window at 9:20am I heard a loud CRACK!! and our osprey tree (pictured above), toppled over into the lagoon. I did not see an adult escape.

Upon close inspection, the nest had separated from the tree floating in the lagoon. There is an intact egg still on the nest. Under the tree's former location was the partially destroyed remains of a 12" bass. The tree (which had its top ripped out by Hurricane Matthew in Oct., 2016) had termite damage close to the ground which finally caused the failure.

A short while later, the male osprey began circling the are where the next should be and calling out.

I checked the recording on a security camera which covers that area and found the sequence leading up to the tree going down. Less than a second before it hit the ground, the female took to the air. She did not return for a couple of hours, but now both parents are circling their habitat.

Osprey mate for life and usually return to the same nest each year. This was their third year nesting in that tree and our first hope for nestlings since the past two years proved fruitless. They usually choose dead trees, lighting or power towers, or high-off-the-ground man-made nesting boxes. There are no other dead trees nearby, so we will not likely see them nest in this area again.

The male came back and retrieved his breakfast bass a little while ago.

Osprey tree/nest down

Breakfast bass

Osprey egg on the remains of the floating nest.

 

[Simba's Mom]

That is sad for them. Hope they'll be back next year.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Oh my. Sad to see.

 

[RobDoc]

Fortunately, Oprah and Oscar seem to still be doing well down at Palmetto Dunes!

https://pdpoa.live/

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Wow, what a sad turn of events. Let's hope they pick a better nesting spot next season and wouldn't it be great if it were still in your view?

Thanks for your posts--my kids and I have enjoyed checking in with O & O. It is helping pass some time in quarantine!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Well, I've been stalking Oscar and Oprah and there is at least one baby! Here is a screenshot.

 

[RobDoc]

That photo offers a way to tell Oscar from Oprah. Female osprey have a 'speckled' necklace around their neck. You can see that clearly in the photo above. (Oprah is on the right.)

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

A couple more pics...looks like there are two hatched and one egg left. These aren't the best pics--all I could get with screen shots.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Still just two babies and an egg...

 

[cm8]

awww!! How cute!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Growing up.....3rd egg has not hatched.

 

[RobDoc]

Growing up.....3rd egg has not hatched.

The eggs incubate for 38-42 days. Even if that egg was the last one it may be beyond the usual incubation period and may not be a viable egg. The other two have certainly grown quite large in a short while.

At this point both parents are busy daily catching fish to bring back to the nest to keep those youngsters well-fed! Another 6-7 weeks and the fledglings will be spreading their wings too!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

The eggs incubate for 38-42 days. Even if that egg was the last one it may be beyond the usual incubation period and may not be a viable egg. The other two have certainly grown quite large in a short while.

At this point both parents are busy daily catching fish to bring back to the nest to keep those youngsters well-fed! Another 6-7 weeks and the fledglings will be spreading their wings too!

Yes, I was thinking the same thing about that last egg.

I can't believe how quickly they are growing. So fun to have an up-close view!! They are beautiful birds and I am looking forward to watching the fledglings grow.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

The two are getting HUGE!