Boulder County ospreys lay pair of eggs this spring
BOULDER COUNTY » Birdlovers celebrated as the resident ospreys that nest at the fairgrounds laid two eggs this spring, leaving osprey camera viewers hoping for smooth sailing for the new eggs after two years without chicks.
The first egg was laid at 6:26 p.m. April 14, and the second egg came at 1:53 p.m. April 18, documented by the county’s live camera trained on the nest.
“The ospreys have returned. There are eggs in the nest, and it’s fun birdwatching from home,” said Nik Brockman, the web administrator for Boulder County Parks and Open Space
Jasmine Finks, parks volunteer osprey chat moderator, said the resident female usually lays about four eggs, so watchers are expecting two more.
Boulder County Open Space has documented the osprey nest at the fairgrounds in Longmont since 2016, showing the cycle of a male and female osprey nesting in the spring and summer.
Last year, a new male appeared, as the previous male the female was mating with for several years did not return and presumably died.
“The chatters called him ‘Superdad’; he didn’t come back last year,” Brockman said.
Superdad was an older bird, well into his 20s that had nested in Boulder County since 2011. The resident female has been returning to the nest since 2013.
“They mate for life, and they’ll take another mate when the other mate passes away, which is what happened a couple of years ago,” said Finks.
In 2021, the female and her new mate laid four eggs. However, they did not hatch because of what Fink said is believed were complications caused by snowy weather, making this year very exciting for those hoping to see new chicks make the male osprey a first-time dad.
“The dad is a brand new dad, so he hasn’t seen chicks or anything yet,” Finks said. “Osprey, they don’t need to practice.
They have instincts that drive them. They know by instinct, what to do, like how to build a nest. You know, the male brings the fish to the female and feeds her and all the chicks when they arrive.”
After being laid, osprey eggs typically hatch in 36 to 42 days, with the babies able to fly approximately 50 to 55 days after hatching.
“Ospreys are here through the spring to the fall,” Finks said.
“And then they migrate to the south. We’re not really sure where our Colorado osprey migrates, but we think it’s Central or South America.”
The live osprey cam can be found at bouldercounty. org/open- space/management/osprey-camera/.