Chesapeake Bay Osprey Are Back
On schedule, my neighbor’s Osprey pair have returned to their man-made nest platform, the male on March 12, female March 20!
Our warming Spring temps dropped again since and it’s been quite windy. Neither is even thinking about bonding or nest building as yet. It’s probably more like, “Why are we here, this is not pleasant.”
No photos of the pair together yet, I haven’t had time to gear up and run over each time I catch a sight; but here’s a cropped poor shot from my front porch of the female when I saw her the morning of the 20th.
Female Osprey returned March 20, 2026
You can see only a few sticks remain from last year’s nest. So far, she’s been recuperating from her 3,000-5,000 mile journey to here from her winter grounds in Central or South America. But I’ll soon be hearing her demands for sticks! Get ready and onboard, Mr. Osprey!
To celebrate, here’s a few Osprey shots I hadn’t shared from last year to get us excited for the Chesapeake Bay Osprey breeding season!
Bay Photos by Donna 
So wonderful to see them. Thanks for sharing, Donna. I hope there is enough menhaden for a good nesting season.
So pleased they are back. The last shows a great setting for these two to return to.
With the arrival of this Osprey pair, spring will be celebrating. Thank you Donna for sharing the news. I need to return to a nearby nature park to see if their nesting pair have made it back.
So glad they’re back. 😊
👏🏼