Osprey nests in Florida on natural supports...
Though they prefer to build their nests on the top of dead trees, in absence of such, a live
tree like the one on the upper left will have to make do. That one is a recent, post
hurricane addition. These big birds of prey, as well as other bird species, saw many
of their nests destroyed by the recent hurricanes. The famous nest adjacent to
the Sanibel Lighthouse, depicted in the other 3 pictures went down with the tree...
The pair now nest on a much lower man-made platform. As hatchlings grow bigger, the
size of catches that Daddies bring in (see below) grow in proportion. Despite sometimes
adverse conditions, the Florida based osprey population seems to be on the increase.
Warm winters in Southwest Florida enable ospreys to mate from December into
January. Fledglings (further down) can be observed by mid April.