​With his family flown and Rosie down South, Richie spends little time on the nest in the Winter. He spends his days on various perches, watching and fishing. He spends some nights on the Richmond Yacht Club nest and other nights in parts unknown.   But he does keep an eye on his nest. When an intruder comes to the nest, Richie is there to chase it away.

A camera was first installed on the Whirley Crane nest on February 14, 2017. (It had been installed earlier but needed repairs). The ospreys had already built a nest atop the crane in earlier years, however. Now, with the camera, their lives could be observed 24 hours a day. A website was set up on March 29 for the public to watch as well, and a chat group formed. Many became regulars and eventually called themselves the WWOC (World's Worst or Wackiest Osprey Chat) for their tendency to wander from subject to subject. Many others were lurkers, watching but not joining chat. 

Rosie arrived at some point. I do not have the date or a photo. She and Richie mated and spent time together. 

In 2018, the chat was  already established. The GGAS was kind enough to leave the cam and chat site up all Winter and the chatters were eagerly watching the nest. Richie roosted offsite, but made occasional visits to the nest to establish proprietary rights and then to watch for Rosie. The lighting was spectacular that season, with sparkles and halos. 

The nest was rather dilapidated at that point. Richie began bringing sticks, as he awaited Rosie's return. 

Then on March 2 in the early evening, Rosie arrived, heralded by a rainbow.

Richie, who may have been having a little tryst with the female (named Eileen by chatters) at the Richmond Yacht Club nest and who had dealt with a female intruder (Theda) at the Whirley nest, lost no time in reconnecting with his Rosie. He immediately began to help fix up the nest (nestorate), bringing sticks, eelgrass...and various other items. 

And Rosie got right to work, using the materials he brought to make a comfortable nest bowl and a nest railing. 

​In 2019, Richie didn't visit as often in January, possible due to more rain or because there were no serious challengers. In February, he has been coming regularly, usually in the morning. We do not have many good photos since the close-up nest cam was down for a while. 

On February 23, at 2:22 pm, Rosie arrived without fanfare and a week earlier than last year, catching chatters by surprise. Luckily, the camera was now reinstalled, with a new self- washing mechanism. 

Richie lost no time bringing her fish and a gift. 

At first, there was  less action. Richie was not been seen much on the nest. Perhaps he was spending time at the Richmond Yacht Club still. Rosie sat all day  Feb. 25, in the driving rain. She finally flew off later in the day. 

When the weather became warmer and sunnier, the couple upped their game. Richie finally began bringing fish to Rosie and both brought sticks and grass to make the nest bowl. And they began to copulate.

Some things remained the same: together on the nest watching the Bay, the big car ships and the famous pivot, Richie bringing fish, Rosie demanding and grabbing her fish, nestorating..

But every year has its differences and surprises: there is a new ferry, the chatters have upped their game, with some stunning caps, especially of flight, and with gifs and videos. And Richie has changed his color preference in gifts. Teal is the new deal. 

The couple was also a bit slow to get started with copulation. But when the weather improved, they got to it. This year, the chatters are not only logging fish brought to the nest but also the CK's (cloacal kisses aka copulation). Osprey sexual organs shrink during off season. They must both be receptive for copulation. This year, despite her earlier arrival, Rosie was not receptive at first. But that soon changed. By egg-laying time, chatters had reported-- and Robin charted-- 100 successful copulations. 

Egg laying is a peaceful time. After a successful CK(cloacal kiss, i.e. copulation) Rosie lays an egg about 25 hours later. There is little fanfare. This year, longtime watchers learned to recognize the signs and were ready when Rosie laid her eggs.. After one egg, there must be another successful CK then another egg is laid. Rosie laid 3 eggs in 2017,  2018 and 2019. Three eggs is common. The eggs are laid about three days apart. The female may sit less on the first egg, in order to slow its growth, so that all three eggs hatch closer together. A chick hatched much later than its siblings does not fare as well. 

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For videos of egg laying, see:Videos
Most videos are on GGAS YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gn6yIRa_cBKExVmHdg3jQ
Some older videos are on Tony\'s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/ajbrake48/videos
Some videos from 2017 are on the Archives page: www.sfbayospreys.org/archives
2017
Egg 1 laid: https://youtu.be/skHiNDkxy-g
Egg 2 laid: http://sfbayospreys.org/170404-second-egg-laying-slo-mo-kcrt/
Egg 3, storm just before power outage: https://youtu.be/R8L7T229K94

 Egg 1 laid: https://youtu.be/nm7_-UioZK8
 Egg 2 laid: https://youtu.be/SVaLGUisDwU
 Egg 3 laid: power was out

2019
​Rosie laid three eggs in 2019, on March 31, April 3 and April 6. These dates were very close to the 2018 dates, despite her earlier arrival to the nest. Once she lays her eggs, she spends most of the time on the nest. Richie's role is to bring her fish. Both ospreys continue to bring nest material, especially soft grasses for the nest bowl. 

However, in 2019, Richie requested and received more incubation time. He seems to love scooching onto the nest to keep the eggs warm.The scooching is to position the brood patch (a bare patch on the chest).  Perhaps he likes the warmth too. This led to some humorous episodes, with Rosie nudging Richie off the eggs or Richie bringing a fish to Rosie then hurriedly grabbing his place on the eggs while she flew off to eat the fish. Rosie, in turn, began to catch more of her own fish. 
The teal gifts disappeared gradually, but a grinning monkey took their place. Rosie allowed the monkey to stay, although she pushed it to the edge of the nest, where it lay waving to the passing boats before being obscured by a large tuft of grass. 

Rosie appears to be doing more of her own fishing lately. She has been seen with a fish only a few times, but she is often wet and does not beg for fish. So Richie is nesting more and Rosie is fishing more. An interesting twist. 

Not often, but sometimes, both ospreys are on the nest. Richie is always on guard, whether on the nest or nearby. The moment an intruder flies by, he chirps a warning and flies to the crane or the nest, ready to defend his new family. Richie is proving himself to be a good father this year. 

Week 1: Bobblehead/Downy stage
The chicks hatch after 36-40 days of incubation. The first chick may have a longer incubation so that it hatches closer to the others. The mother accomplishes this by sitting on the egg less and thus it is not as warm. A chick hatching too long after the others will be at a disadvantage, may not get enough nutrition, and may not survive.

Week 2: Rock 'em Sock'em Stage
By week 2, the chicks' necks are stronger and they have learned to feed. They spend more time out from under Rosie but still sleep under her. They begin to make peeping noises and they begin to develop dark down. They also may compete a bit with each other, by bopping each other. This has varied by the year. Whirley, the elder, bopped her baby brother. The three chicks in 2018 engaged in some of this. In 2019, the two surviving chicks were surprisingly docile towards each other, even sharing at feeding time. 

 Week 3: Reptile stage

In week three, the chicks begin to develop pin feathers, causing them to look a bit like little dinosaurs. They become aware of their large wings and often stretch them. There is no more fighting. They have grown too large to fit under Rosie, so they sleep next to her. And they are more immune to the vagaries of the weather. They poop dramatically, not yet having learned to control the direction. They still mostly sleep and eat but are beginning to take an interest in the world around them. They begin to walk around the nest, on their knees. Their legs are not yet strong enough to walk on their feet. Rosie feels comfortable leaving them on the nest alone for short periods of time.

Weeks 4 and 5: Becoming an Osprey: feathers and eye focus

In week 4, the feathers come in. The chicks are very itchy(presumably) and preen a lot. They move around the nest on their knees and  watch the world off the nest more, moving their heads from side to side to learn to focus. (for information on this, see Poole).They begin to stretch their wings.But they still sleep a lot as well. They still poop indiscriminately but are beginning to learn. (In 2019, miraculously, the POG disappeared, thanks to our new screen washer). And their parents continue to feed them, tearing off increasingly larger pieces of fish to place in their beaks. 

Weeks 6 and 7: Growing Up

By this time, the chicks are growing up. They have reached much of their body weight and are hard to tell apart from the adults, except for the white on their wing tips and the different colored eye. They walk on their feet now and stretch their very long wings. They practice flapping. And they begin to self feed, grabbing bites from under Rosie as she feed them, or grabbing the entire fish and dragging it off. They are banded in mid-June and receive their initials (USFWS) and their permanent names, suggested and voted on by chatters and Facebook enthusiasts. (Banding is not photographed, so no pics here of that) A few days before fledging, they begin to hover over the nest for brief periods. 

Fledging is a watershed moment for the chicks and a time of anxiety and pride for those who watch the ospreys. A rite of passage into adulthood. The almost adult ospreys are now on their own, expected--with encouragement and help--to fly around the Bay and to fish for their own prey. This does not happen all at once. First there is the practice hovering the week before fledging. The adults watch protectively at this stage, and some chatters think they see the adults demonstrating proper flying behavior. One day, a hover turns into a short flight as the wind catches the osprey's wings and it learns forward movement. Usually, it lands very close to the nest, either on the platform below the nest or on the crane's cables. An accidental fledge is when the bird is caught by the wind and lands inadvertently. Fledge has happened between days 51 and 55 for the chicks of years 2017-2019, around the first week of July. Chatters always hope for fledge before the fireworks on July 3 and 4. The fledgling sometimes has trouble getting back to the nest and stays on the platform or cable a while, making various attempts until finally succeeding. The adults will position themselves near one or the other chick, offering support. Sometimes, a fledgling on the cable will walk its way back to the nest. 
Subsequent short flights occur soon after, but landings are still a bit unsure. Within two days, the fledgling is flying quite adeptly, using the wind, positioning its wings properly. Flights become longer and soon the fledgling appears back on the nest only to sleep and to eat. Gradually, they begin to sleep and sometimes feed elsewhere as well, but they come back to the nest when hungry. 
It is not entirely known when they begin fishing. One study showed that ospreys are hardwired to fish and do not have to be taught. But it appears to observers on this cam that the adults do provide some support and/or demonstrations. The young osprey will return to the nest wet but without a fish, and start begging.  And some have observed in the distance a young osprey inexpertly diving into the Bay and coming up without a fish, to appear wet on the nest a bit later. At any rate, the adult ospreys continue to feed their offspring as long as they're around. Richie ups the ante at this point, delivering over 40 fish a week .Rosie also pitches in now.  The young ones come to the nest when hungry and watch, then scream, for a fish. They tend now to insist on their own fish and will mantle to protect their meal. Often two fish are delivered in a row, to appease both chicks. A final, touching sight of the osprey year is  Rosie on the nest with a fish but no young ones around to eat it.  

Rivet had not shown as much interest in fledging and he was two days younger than Whirley. But he fledged on time after all on July 5, 2017 in the late morning.  He fledged to the crane cable and had an easier time than Whirley had. He also elected to return to the nest, first taking short flights then longer ones, That night, he returned to the nest. While watching his fledge, chatters had become aware of human activity below the nest. Later that afternoon, they were informed that Whirley had been found and transported to WildCare. 

Rivet stayed around until mid-August. He was last seen on the nest on August 18 but might have stayed in the area.
Les BB posted on August 20:Yesterday around 4 p.m. I saw the most beautiful sight from my deck in Brickyard Landing. I was thinking about Rivet and reached for my phone to log onto the cam. We heard an osprey calling from way above. Three ospreys soaring high above circling together going higher and higher. One continuing to call. Finally one broke off and headed South while the other two went higher and higher until they were out of our sight. I was filled with emotion thinking this may be the last time I see my beloved Rivet.

2018

In 2018, there were three chicks and a different dynamic on the nest.The chicks interacted quite a bit and often argues, as siblings will do. They loudly yelled for fish and fought each other for possession.  The two boys, Roemer (VW) and Victory (VU), both fledged on the same day, Roemer at 9:40 in the morning and Victory at 11 am on July 1. Brisa, the female and the youngest,  followed five days later, on July 6 at 2:36 in the afternoon. There was little drama. They flew to the crane then back and practiced this subsequently, returning to the nest each time. Gradually, they learned to fish for themselves and soon left the nest. Brisa hung around after the two males left. Then she flew to the nearby Richmond Yacht Club nest and began to beg there. Finally, she seemed to be catching her own fish, and one day she disappeared, either to fly around or to migrate. 

The year 2019 brought yet another dynamic. With the early demise of the third chick Gamma, there were again only two chicks on the nest. This time, one male and one female (as determined by weight at banding time). As usual, the oldest Peace-up (WP, male) was the first to fledge, with little fanfare. Also, the chatters were more adept at taking caps and even making gifs, thus throughly documenting the process. And the new cam washer allowed a clear view.

Kiskasit's (ZK) fledge was a bit more eventful. She fledged on July 3 but ended up on the lower platform and had trouble figuring out how to exit. Finally she managed. Then she ended up on the platform again. But within a day or two, she was flying expertly to and from the nest. 

Richie and Rosie were kept busy bringing fish to the two chicks. Richie would sometimes bring two fish one after the other. Peace-up seemed to be catching his own fish fairly soon and he left the nest. He was not sighted after that. Kiskasit had more trouble fishing. First she just screamed for fish at the nest. Richie took to just dropping a fish to her and flying off right away. Then she began trying to fish. She had trouble pinning down a still live flooding fish and lost them overboard. At one point, she began to bring bat rays to the nest and appeared to have been stung several times. But she learned and begged less and less as she brought her own fish to the nest. Finally she left the nest. Her departure was the latest to date of any fledgling. 

Last seen in the area: Peace-up (WP): Aug. 15, 2019; Kiskasit (ZK): Sept. 11, 2019

The Empty Nest

After the chicks have left the nest for good and become independent, Rosie and Richie hang out together for awhile until Rosie migrates. They also fix up the nest a bit, presumably to assert ownership. Then one day, Rosie migrates and Richie is left alone. He now spends time on the sand spit and elsewhere, making occasionally visits to the nest. 
​

After egg laying, hatching and growing, it is time for the ospreys to fledge. Learning to fly is a big part of the birds' life. For flying means independence. They can now fish for themselves, they can find new places to roost and meet other ospreys, and they can migrate. First the fledglings practice hovering above the nest, then they take short practice flights. They are not considered fledged until they fly from one point to another, away from the nest. They quickly learn to fly farther, taking practice loops out over the Bay. But then they return to the nest as they have not yet learned to catch their own food. Each day, they fly farther afield, strengthening their wing muscles and learning. They may spend all day away from the nest but usually return to spend the night and to beg for fish from the parents. Then one day, they don't return. And when the humans who watch them haven't seen them for a number of days, either on the nest or perched elsewhere in the area, it is assumed that they have migrated.
​
2017
In 2017, there were two osprey chicks. Whirley, the oldest and the restless one, fledged in the early morning of July 3, after the fireworks at the pavilion. She was probably not fully ready and she was found in the water by a barge crew several days later. She was taken to Wildcare in San Rafael but they could not save her. She could have injured herself while diving for fish, as she was not yet practiced. Or there could be other reasons for her injury. At any rate, her demise was not uncommon. Rivet was less restless. He liked to stay around the nest and be fed. He fledged July 5, 2017 but often returned to the nest, even when his parents were not about. He migrated around August 20 and returned in the Spring of 2019. He wears a blue band ZR.

2018
The 2018 chicks had a different experience. They interacted quite a bit on the nest and often argued, as siblings will do. They loudly yelled for fish and fought each other for possession.  The males fledged on the same day. Brisa, the female and the youngest, fledged later.  Gradually, they learned to fish for themselves and soon left the nest.  

Brisa  hung around after the two males left. Then she flew to the nearby Richmond Yacht Club nest and began to beg there. Finally, she seemed to be catching her own fish and one day, she disappeared, presumably to migrate South.

Rosie and Richie hung together for a while, roosting at night on the ship cable. They seemed to enjoy each other's company. Then Rosie left, without fanfare. Richie continued to sleep on the cable for a few nights then moved to his fishing spot on the sandspit and we don't know where he spends the nights. He is alone, but he knows his Rosie will return in the Spring. Meanwhile, he will visit the nest occasionally, just to assert his ownership.