On a sadder note, we have had at least five or six nests fail already. Sometimes I have no idea why....one week they are happily incubating, and then the next week there are no Ospreys on or near the nest. Sometimes we find both adults, but they are no longer incubating. On one nest I have been slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This nest had the same female as last year but the male from past years did not return. She hooked up with another male, who I have known for quite a few years. He was somehow displaced from his original nest by another male. The early part of their relationship seemed to be going well, they were copulating, working on the nest, and eventually eggs were laid. In late April I did see this male bringing fish and sharing incubation duties. But in early May he seemed scarce. Another male was seen here occasionally, sometimes two males chasing each other. This past week I spent some time observing and found the female leaving the nest, presumably to feed herself. The second male was perched nearby, even bringing sticks to the nest, but he would not bring her any fish or incubate. She did not chase him away. One day the female was gone and the male was messing around in the nest, sitting down and digging with his legs, a behavior that is often done to prepare the nest cup for eggs, but can also be done to destroy eggs. When the female returned she was all wet, but her crop was empty. Sigh. She landed on the nest perch, and took a long time before she went into the nest and walked around. I knew it was over. So sad. I have no idea what happened to the first male. The second male seems to be claiming the territory, and the last time I was there he was alone, working on the nest. This is the way of things in the world of Ospreys.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Chicks!
I have been so busy checking nests but haven't been able to muster the energy to write about all that I am observing. On the high note, I was able to see the chicks that hatched two weeks ago....so big, so fast. Watching them toddle around on the nest and looking out at their world is such a thrill, even after all these years. Of course I am a bit biased, but I think there is nothing cuter than a baby osprey! I am observing indications of hatching on many more nests now, but have only seen chicks on one of them so far.
On a sadder note, we have had at least five or six nests fail already. Sometimes I have no idea why....one week they are happily incubating, and then the next week there are no Ospreys on or near the nest. Sometimes we find both adults, but they are no longer incubating. On one nest I have been slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This nest had the same female as last year but the male from past years did not return. She hooked up with another male, who I have known for quite a few years. He was somehow displaced from his original nest by another male. The early part of their relationship seemed to be going well, they were copulating, working on the nest, and eventually eggs were laid. In late April I did see this male bringing fish and sharing incubation duties. But in early May he seemed scarce. Another male was seen here occasionally, sometimes two males chasing each other. This past week I spent some time observing and found the female leaving the nest, presumably to feed herself. The second male was perched nearby, even bringing sticks to the nest, but he would not bring her any fish or incubate. She did not chase him away. One day the female was gone and the male was messing around in the nest, sitting down and digging with his legs, a behavior that is often done to prepare the nest cup for eggs, but can also be done to destroy eggs. When the female returned she was all wet, but her crop was empty. Sigh. She landed on the nest perch, and took a long time before she went into the nest and walked around. I knew it was over. So sad. I have no idea what happened to the first male. The second male seems to be claiming the territory, and the last time I was there he was alone, working on the nest. This is the way of things in the world of Ospreys.
On a sadder note, we have had at least five or six nests fail already. Sometimes I have no idea why....one week they are happily incubating, and then the next week there are no Ospreys on or near the nest. Sometimes we find both adults, but they are no longer incubating. On one nest I have been slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This nest had the same female as last year but the male from past years did not return. She hooked up with another male, who I have known for quite a few years. He was somehow displaced from his original nest by another male. The early part of their relationship seemed to be going well, they were copulating, working on the nest, and eventually eggs were laid. In late April I did see this male bringing fish and sharing incubation duties. But in early May he seemed scarce. Another male was seen here occasionally, sometimes two males chasing each other. This past week I spent some time observing and found the female leaving the nest, presumably to feed herself. The second male was perched nearby, even bringing sticks to the nest, but he would not bring her any fish or incubate. She did not chase him away. One day the female was gone and the male was messing around in the nest, sitting down and digging with his legs, a behavior that is often done to prepare the nest cup for eggs, but can also be done to destroy eggs. When the female returned she was all wet, but her crop was empty. Sigh. She landed on the nest perch, and took a long time before she went into the nest and walked around. I knew it was over. So sad. I have no idea what happened to the first male. The second male seems to be claiming the territory, and the last time I was there he was alone, working on the nest. This is the way of things in the world of Ospreys.
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