Fertile eggs perhaps.

[Trent Watts]

Near Slocan Lake the community has established a platform and each year Ospreys come to nest. I happened to be in Slocan visiting my daughter and partner so went to check out if the Ospreys had returned. Sure enough one was sitting on the nest and then I noticed another one in the trees some distance away. Just as I saw the one in the tree it flew off in the direction of the one on the nest. I had my camera set to take a photo and managed to capture a breeding sequence. The one on the nest (the female) raised her tail and the male rapidly lowered into breeding position. In birds it seems as long as the cloaca touches sperm can be transferred. The whole sequence happened in about two seconds.
I'm hoping for fertile eggs!

This is an overall view and the rest are cropped in for more detail.

 

[JimFox]

Wow! Now that's something rarely seen and captured I would think! Great job on this Trent.

 

[AlanLichty]

Nice sequence Trent. Hope for the best so you can come back for followups

That's must be a pretty old nest judging by the size of it. Don't they add to it each year? There are a bunch of these nest platforms scattered around the area west of the Cascades but I haven't seen any quite the size of this one.

 

[Trent Watts]

Wow! Now that's something rarely seen and captured I would think! Great job on this Trent.

Thanks Jim. It was pretty exciting.

Nice sequence Trent. Hope for the best so you can come back for followups

That's must be a pretty old nest judging by the size of it. Don't they add to it each year? There are a bunch of these nest platforms scattered around the area west of the Cascades but I haven't seen any quite the size of this one.

Thanks Alan... I think this one has been around for a few years. I don't live here so don't have the local knowledge as to whether they add to the nest. I didn't see any nest building activity but they may have done that days or weeks ago.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Beautiful series, Trent.

 

[MonikaC]

Great sequence!

 

[Trent Watts]

Beautiful series, Trent.

Thanks Douglas.

 

[Trent Watts]

Great sequence!

Thanks Monika.

 

[KevinA]

Great series and information Trent

 

[Trent Watts]

Great series and information Trent

Thanks Kevin. Much appreciated.

 

[Eric Gofreed]

Great read and a great series too

 

[Trent Watts]

Great read and a great series too

Thanks so much Eric... BTW.. Do you have any info on copulating in Ospreys? The cloacal contact time was so brief I wasn't sure if the male was scared off by something. The female was certainly in position and had her tail raised. 50 years ago since vet school is a long time to remember those details!!

 

[Eric Gofreed]

Osprey Copulation time is @ 15 seconds.