Introduction

This is Article 5 documenting the 2023 Osprey season along a section of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon. Osprey Season 2023 Article 4 has links to earlier articles from this year and from prior seasons.

We are lucky to have two nests to follow, about one mile apart this season.

Owosso Nest

The Owosso nest is next to gentle rapids in the Willamette River (on the right edge of the photo above). The best vantage point to view the nest is in the morning from near the location of the above landscape photo.

The Owosso nest is new this season, although the platform has been unoccupied for many years. Being new, the nest is still shallow, as the pair of ospreys hasn’t had much time to bring in sticks to build up the nest to the level of the Boulders nest (see below). The female has been in the nest for several weeks; we expect to see hatchlings soon, but so far have seen only the adults.

The Owosso adults have a favorite snag to rest on near the nest, where I photographed one of them (probably the female) on the 2nd of July.

On July 13, we observed one of the Owosso adults (presumably the female) opening her wings, hopefully to provide shade for one or more nestlings.

Boulders Nest

The Boulders nest has been in place for several years and is now very deep, such that it was difficult to see the female when she was incubating the eggs. Now that incubation is over, she is standing and much easier to watch.

In Osprey Season 2023 Article 4, I have a photograph of one Boulders hatchling, and wondered if there were more. Happily, I spotted a second hatchling on July 10. Last year there was only one.

We spotted an adult Osprey (perhaps one of the Boulders adults as it was near the nest) perched in a tree along the river, screaming out an alarm call at another Osprey flying overhead.

The hatchlings should soon be visible and begin stretching and exercising their wings in the nest.