First day out....

Such an interesting first day with my winged friends. Let me share some hilights and observations. I visited the nest where I released the adult male with the fractured keel last year. Many of you may have followed that story. After a month in rehab, I returned him to his nest and much to my surprise, his mate went after him as if he were an intruder. She was relentless in her nest and chick defense. She had struggled to care for three chicks alone and probably viewed him as an unfit mate who failed to provide. He kept trying to bring fish but she would not allow it. Eventually she left on migration leaving the three chicks behind and he stepped up and provided fish after she departed. I was so happy to see him this morning, working so hard to rebuild his nest, which had deteriorated over the winter. I am so curious what will happen this year. I am so pleased though to see that he recovered perfectly and was able to complete another migration. Hats off to the Raptor Center for the good care he received. The long term follow up on rehabbed birds is valuable.
I visited 12 nests today and found Ospreys on four of them. One nest had a pair of birds on the nest and I ended up spending several hours there. The female was quickly identified as the same one as past years. The behavioral clues made me think it was a different male though. He remained in the nest where I could not read his band, but the females constant food begging was ignored. When she finally moved into the nest, closer to him, he turned his back, hung his head and shook his wings. This is a classic defensive behavior. Old mated pairs do not usually act this way. That kept me there watching, wondering who he was. He was uncomfortable with human activity, unlike the territorial male, and he flew off frequently. But he returned each time. I could see a band but could not read it. They tried to copulate once, unsuccessfully. He finally moved to the nest edge where I could read his band. He was indeed a male from another nest, not too far away. But his nest had been removed from a cell tower so he was out and about, looking for a territory. This is the time of year that I observe the game of musical nests! Where will they end up and who will partner with whom? I love to document all the movement between nests. The territorial mate at this nest has often been a slightly later return, and his female often beats him back. She hooked up with another male last year at this time, prior to her regular mates return. He swiftly jettisons any new male who may try to take over his territory. We will see what happens! So there is the first chapter in the 2016 Osprey Watch saga! I hope to get out again on Sunday!