Osprey chicks are here!

Osprey chicks are here!

Rosie and Richmond, the pair of Ospreys featured in our live nest cam along the Richmond shoreline, hatched two chicks over the May 1st weekend and the third is likely to hatch any day now.

Watch the nest live, via our two hi-def video cameras, at sfbayospreys.org. Or view daily highlights on our SF Bay Ospreys Facebook page or YouTube channel. Or if you just want a quick (adorable!) peek, click here for a video of the first chick shortly after hatching.

First chickFirst chick, at about 12 hours old.

 

“The emergence of these chicks inspires hope on so many levels,” said Glenn Phillips, Executive Director of Golden Gate Bird Alliance. “It was just a couple of decades ago that Osprey numbers were dwindling because of the pesticide DDT. Now, thanks to environmental protections, Ospreys are raising families along the Bay shoreline. Nature can be so resilient—but it’s up to us to give it a chance.”

The number of Osprey nests alongside San Francisco Bay is growing. While Ospreys weren’t known to nest alongside the Bay before the early 2000s, by 2016 volunteers documented 37 active nests that produced 51 fledglings. Last year, they found 51 active nests with 99 fledglings.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance launched its live video stream in 2017, bringing over 70,000 viewers to a nest 75 feet above the ground on a decommissioned World War 2 maritime crane in Richmond, next to the Red Oak Victory Museum ship and near the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. Each year since then, the adult Osprey pair have returned to raise chicks together.

Rosie and pipping eggRosie tends nest while first egg starts to hatch Rose and Richmond on the nestRosie and Richmond on the nest Hatch graphicGraphic by nest cam volunteer Craig Griffeath showing expected hatch date of third egg, based omn observations of the past four years

This year the pair has taken turns sitting on the nest since March 24, when the first egg was laid. Once the chicks have hatched, Rosie will spend nearly all her time at the nest and Richmond will bring fish to feed her and the young.

Ospreys are fierce fish eaters with adult wing spans of up to six feet. Newly hatched chicks weigh less than two ounces and have a wingspan of about three inches.

Over the past four years, nest cam followers created descriptive (though not scientific) names for the life stages of Osprey chicks—starting out as “bobbleheads,” then “dinosaur phase,” “feathers growing in,” “wingercizing,” “hovering above the nest,” and finally, fledging. …

Osprey nest cam news

Osprey nest cam news

Thank you to everyone who has been following our Osprey nest cam on the Richmond shoreline! We had sad news on Saturday, July 9. Whirley, the older chick, was not able to survive the injuries sustained before s/he was fished out of the Bay last week.  We are reprinting excerpts from WildCare’s letter to the Osprey cam community below.

Meanwhile, Rivet — Whirley’s younger and more cautious sibling — has started taking short flights with lots of parental supervision and is doing well. If you don’t see Rivet or the parent Ospreys on the cam for a few minutes, don’t worry! They are probably flying, perching, or resting nearby. Check the “Around the nest” camera — one or more of the family is often perched on the crane’s beams near the nest.

Thank you so much to everyone who tried to help Whirley — WildCare, of course, but also the Dutra barge crew who fished the bird out of the Bay, our Osprey volunteers, and all the well wishers whose hearts were with Whirley. It is a rare privilege to have such an intimate view of a family of wild creatures, but with that privilege comes all the risk and pain of a wild life.

At Golden Gate Bird Alliance, we are committed to giving Bay Area wildlife the best possible shot at long, healthy lives and survival as species. Ospreys and other birds will always face natural threats such as diving accidents and predators, but we can minimize the risks added by humans such as trash, pollution, building collisions, and destruction of habitat.

Want to help make the Bay Area a better habitat for Rivet and other wild birds? Come to one of our habitat restoration events. Join one of our conservation committees. Or tell your friends about simple steps such as recycling their fishing line and properly disposing of trash and household chemicals.


Letter from WildCare

Dear friends:

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news that Whirley did not make it. The CT scan confirmed the multiple fractures that we had feared on x-rays and also clearly revealed even more structural and muscular damage beyond those. The severities of her injuries are consistent with a high velocity impact which could’ve been with a structure of some kind but due to the absence of external wounds, it is also a fair hypothesis that these were sustained from a water impact during a fishing attempt.

Our nest cam Ospreys hatch their second chick!

Our nest cam Ospreys hatch their second chick!

Now we have two Osprey chicks!

Richmond and Rosie, the Osprey pair at the center of our live video feed in Richmond, hatched their first chick on Friday morning, May 12! Then their second hatched on Sunday, May 14, Mother’s Day. Osprey fans suggested and voted on names for the two youngsters — Whirley (in honor of the Whirley Crane where the nest is sited), and Rivet (in honor of the nearby Rosie the Riveter memorial).

Here’s a clip of the first chick and parents shortly after it hatched:

And here are some photos from the video feed of new the new arrival:

The new chick is already holdings its head up and demanding food! Shirley, the older chick, receives bits of fish from one parent while the other stands watch on May 12. Note the second egg nearby, which had not yet hatched.

“Ospreys are successfully nesting along the edges of San Francisco Bay for the first time in recorded history,” said Cindy Margulis, Executive Director of Golden Gate Bird Alliance. “The presence of these charismatic raptors highlights the environmental progress that’s been made in our region, and underscores the opportunities for people to help Ospreys prosper here. We believe that witnessing the life of an Osprey family along our urban shoreline can inspire the whole community to protect Ospreys and other Bay Area wildlife.”

Nest and wildlife cams have become a media phenomenon in recent years: Last year, a nest cam focused on Bald Eagles in Washington D.C. drew over 63 million views. The Bay Area’s Peregrine Falcon cameras have been popular for a while too. However, the unique vantage point of the Whirley Crane nest will thrill wildlife watchers as the Ospreys are raising their family on historic real-estate, with a commanding view of the Bay and the S.F. skyline from the nest camera.

Night image with infrared camera

Ospreys are one of nature’s wildest raptors, yet they are now choosing to breed near people – even using human-made structures like the Whirley Crane. While Ospreys historically nested along Northern California lakes, none had been documented nesting on the Bay’s edge before the 1990s. Their numbers started growing in the 2000s, and by 2016 there were 42 known Osprey pairs nesting and 51 new Osprey fledglings joined the summer population last season.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s new Osprey nest cams operate 24/7, with infrared cameras allowing night viewing without disturbing the birds. …

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