Very good series of photos, Joanne. It seems I never get tired of seeing good photos of our buddy, Duke.

YW, it is from a while ago but the last update that was put out. Hoping things will improve in the future and we can finally see some offspring here again.

Thanks Sylvia for a very detailed posting on the latest news on ospreys in NJ

https://conservewildlifenj.org/wildlife-cams/ospreycam/

I know it has been a while since my last update. As you can see, things have been a bit abnormal at the nest this season, with the previous female, Dixie, not continuing her pair bond with Duke. She did return and was observed on the nest multiple times through 5/11, warding off intruding females like Dot, Dash, and Miss T
She may still have been visiting the nest periodically to chase away other females.

The nest has remained active, with many different individuals stopping by, including both males and females, some with red auxiliary bands — 30/N, 91/M, 93/H, 43/N, 47/N, 35/N, and 48/N — along with one osprey with only a federal band: 1218-01198. The red-banded ospreys were all banded in the area surrounding the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam, mostly on Sedge Island. The osprey with the federal band was banded at a nest at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor (which also hosts a live cam) in 2020.

Otherwise, it is difficult to know exactly what is going on with Duke and the formation of a new pair bond. There are likely multiple factors involved, but some of it may be related to food stress. If females do not receive enough food during this time of year, they may not be able to get into egg-laying condition.

Some observations we have made this spring, along with reports we have received from others, include:

• Around 30–40% of nests surveyed early in the season along the coast were inactive (nests without eggs), indicating that food stress may be a significant factor this spring.

• More females are being observed along the beaches and away from nests, likely because fewer are incubating eggs.

Both of these observations align with what we are witnessing here in New Jersey and throughout the Chesapeake Bay, where ospreys have been experiencing food stress for several years. Researchers there have documented delayed incubation, fewer females laying eggs, and reduced productivity.

So far, this season is not looking very promising for coastal nesting ospreys in New Jersey, which we were already anticipating, though certainly not hoping for. Additional surveys of coastal nesting colonies are underway to help us better understand how widespread these issues may be.