Osprey Nests

One of the things we find so very interesting here at Pea Island is the number of osprey nests and the ability to get very close without disturbing the birds. Poles with platforms have been set around the refuge and osprey build nests and apparently return to the same nest year after year. These very large, colorful birds are often mistaken for bald eagles since their heads are white.

A local restaurant, Basnight's Lone Cedar, has an osprey nesting platform at the back of the restaurant, and it is possible to sit in the restaurant and watch the osprey parents tend to the three chicks in the nest. You are sitting on the same level as the nest which gives you a "birds eye view" (I feel so clever)of the proceedings. By the way the food is quite yummy and we give it a four out of a possible five for scrumptousness. Patty was almost as giggly as a teenager eating the she crab soup (recommended) and watching the ospreys.
By the way, when viewing an osprey nest and the rear end of a baby pokes over the side, beware, because they projectile poop.