Land prices are so high here in Northern Virginia that you have to be creative. Yesterday I spotted this Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) couple building their tiny house on one of the boundary channel markers off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The osprey perched in the back, which I believe is the female, remained in place while the other osprey flew off to forage for building materials. Sometimes they were only small twigs, but occasional the male osprey would return with a fairly long branch, as in the second photo. In the third shot, the male osprey has successfully landed with the long branch, but has not yet let go of it.
Multiple osprey couples are busily constructing nests all of “my” wildlife refuge and I hope to be able to share some images of their constructions sites.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wow, comparatively speaking, Mike, that looks like an order I might get from the lumber yard. Maybe Home Depot should consider an avian division.
I think drones might work in this case, Dan. Some birds might be ok with prefab houses, but ospreys need custom-built houses, considering the range of places where they build their nests. I am amazing at the creative approaches that stores are using now. Michaels, the craft store, lets you order on-line and when the order is ready, the local store informs you, you drive to the store, and they bring out your purchases right to your car.
Yep, I bought some tools from WoodCraft that way yesterday.
Wow Mike! I never saw an Osprey bring a stick that LARGE to build the nest! But it is a Large space to build on!
Thanks, Reed. This stick is pretty large and the osprey had the additional challenge of carrying it a good way over the water. A couple of years ago, though I captured some images of an osprey carrying what looks to be an even larger branch. (https://michaelqpowell.com/2018/03/20/osprey-gathering-sticks/)
The series of photos tell the story beautifully Mike. I have seen Osprey nests in the weirdest of places, such as the side of the dome on a lighthouse!
Another breeding season begins!
Drones and Osprey! What an imagination! They build in the most unusual places. 🙂