Two ospreys can be seen hovering over two newly hatched chicks in this screenshot from a web cam installed by FortisBC over a nest on a nesting pole in Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ FortisBC
July 02, 2023 - 6:00 AM
A pair of ospreys who have made their home on top of a nesting pole in Kelowna are the new parents of two fluffy babies.
The birds made their nest on a platform on top of a pole installed by FortisBC earlier this spring and it includes a camera providing a livestream. Two eggs were laid around the third week of May. The adult birds could be seen taking turns looking after the eggs and leaving to hunt for the past few weeks.
One of the birds could be seen feeding the babies what appeared to be tiny fish mid-morning, June 30. The babies are difficult to see as the adult birds keep them close and often cover them with their wings.
The birds are on one of nearly 80 nesting poles across the southern Interior installed by the utility company since 2005 as part of its osprey management program. FortisBC didn't provide the exact location of the Kelowna nesting pole.
The nesting poles are higher than electric infrastructure to encourage the birds to build nests in safe places. The utility also works with power line technicians to relocate nests built on electric infrastructure.
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Ospreys are a popular bird in North America and live near bodies of water where they dive and fish according to Avian Report. They build large nests in the north in spring, and winter in the southern states along with Central and South America.
The birds lay from one to four eggs per clutch that take 36 to 42 days to hatch with both parents taking turns sitting on them. The chicks will stay in the nest for around seven weeks.
You can watch the baby ospreys grow up on the livestream.
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