Just a few ospreys left...

I have gotten behind here...life gets busy for me this time of year. Last week I visited the young female who moved herself to another nest, where she was adopted . The other three chicks on that nest had become independent and the female has been gone for a while. The adopted juvenile was still sitting on the nest food begging, and the adopted Dad was on a nearby telephone pole. The youngster would fly loops around the male, while hollering for food vociferously. There was a strong north wind that day and when she flew back to the nest she was flying so fast, she zoomed right past the nest and had to struggle back against the wind. I can see why migration is so much easier with a strong wind ! She was still keeping her right eye closed a lot that day, as she has on previous visits. Today I checked her again and found no ospreys anywhere near the nest. So I guess she and the resident male are on their way. I will wonder about her for a long time. I also visited 13 other nests and found one nest with a single adult male, one nest with a single juvenile silently preening and at one of the latest nests to hatch and fledge chicks, there were still two chicks food begging loudly, tho I could not spot an adult. All the other nests were empty. One of my trusty volunteer nest monitors found a few chicks and adults present on her nests yesterday. So there are a few of our friends still in the area, but our osprey viewing days are numbered I am afraid. I will try to check on a few birds this weekend.