August 1, 2015: A dismal report:

Maybe it was the early and continuing hot weather, maybe it was global warming, maybe it was El Nino, maybe it was just the odds, but the usual happy reports from Osprey nests on the peninsula are sad this year.

The very reliable Purdy spit nest on the power tower there seems to have failed after what looked like a successful effort to rebuild that nest after winter depridations. At this writing, an Osprey or two are often seen perching on the towers, using them to eat their prey and look down into the water for interesting prey fish swimming by, but no sign of chicks at the nest. Both Laurel Parshall and I watched this nest on an almost daily basis at different times of the day, and we have both done so for years, so we know the signs. This nest has been used (often having to be rebuilt) for at least 25 years, probably longer. Now more bad news: The power company has designs on tearing down those towers, as they did with the towers in the same line at Allyn. At least 15 years ago they put up a nest platform on the Purdy side which continues to be spurned by the birds. We’ll have to see what happens.

Speaking of Allyn, this is the second nesting season since the power towers were torn down. Those towers rising up out of North Bay held usually 2 Osprey nests as well as a very funky Heronry where the herons had 6 to 12 nests built on the lower rungs of the towers, probably finding some protection from the Ospreys from those nasty eagles. No idea where the Herons went, but a single mitigation platform was erected on the Victor side of the water which was immediately used by one of the pairs last year. This year they used it again, and it’s successful! At least 2 young. It’s hard to see while driving, but if you pull into the WDFW “park” on the west side of the road where the power lines come across from Allyn (a single pointy tower in the water now), there are 2 toilets (Discover Pass required), you can look up to the east and see this very tall nest platform.

Moving east from Purdy, you can find the cell tower at 156th St NW & Peacock Hill Road. John Riegsecker lives on this road and sees it daily. Although a pair of Osprey have been hanging around, there has been no evidence of young. They do bring in fish and use the tower as a dining table. Last year, John reported the same result. The birds that “own” this tower have been successful at fending off Bald Eagles who nested there previously, but there are still a few things they need to figure out on making a successful nest. Last year, John ran across the term “frustration eyrie,” which is still the descriptive terminology this year.

No nest at the Little League park this year, which is a good thing since the last time they nested there on a light standard, it shorted out, burned down, and the young were all killed.

Moving down the peninsula, the nest on the cell tower behind JMS Wood Sculptors and Budget Truck Rental, clearly visible on the east side of Highway 16, was removed and not rebuilt this year. Another cell tower nest, this one in Port Orchard rising east of Bethel Road in a subdivision just off Silvis Lane, was also removed and not rebuilt this year.

Meanwhile, the cell tower on Wollochet Bay with the WDFW camera trained on it seems to have produced just one chick this year according to the camera, one which was been wildly successful in the past usually with 3 chicks. Unfortunately about the 3rd week in July this chick appeared dead on camera, almost full grown, and the camera was turned off, just keeping the last image on there. Both adults were in the area, one perched on the camera riser and one flying overhead. They were talking back and forth, and it didn’t sound like happy talk.

The Inn at Gig Harbor seemed to have a successful nest for most of the summer, but several visits in July did not reveal the usual cacophony of young, and the adults were visiting infrequently. It sounds like another frustration eyrie.

This is the worst report I can remember in 26 years on the peninsula.

Pictured below is the nest platform at Victor, about the only young Osprey I was able to observe this year. Photo was taken July 23, 2015. Click to enlarge.