So many interesting behaviors are being observed on the nests. Some surprise me or cause me to return over and over to try to gather a few more pieces of the puzzle. Yes, sometimes it's not clear to me what is going on! Some time ago I reported about a female whose mate from last year had not returned. Instead she mated with another male who I have watched on another nest for years, but he was somehow displaced from his nest. This new pair laid eggs and I observed that male incubating and bringing fish. All seemed to be going well with her new mate. However, there were repeated intrusions from another male. I realized that I had not seen the first male for some time and decided to sit and watch for a longer period to try to figure out what was happening. That is when I observed the female leaving to feed herself. She would food beg loudly for long periods but no one brought her any fish. While she was gone one day the new intruding male was on the nest "digging" and it appeared as if he had destroyed the eggs. The female returned and did not resume incubating right away....she sat on the nest perch and walked around the nest edge looking down. I assumed the nest had failed. On my next visit I saw no Ospreys. Another visit found that second male (the intruding male) working on the nest, bringing sticks. I have never seen the male who was on the nest at the start of the season. The female accepted this new males presence. The next visit I found the female incubating again! This newer male was there often but he would not incubate or provide food. At first I wondered if they had laid more eggs, tho I had never seen them copulate. So I just kept returning to this nest every few days and then I was surprised to see signs of hatching! I was quite shocked. Happy that an egg had survived whatever has happened there, but also saddened that the new male was not incubating or providing any food for the female. As time has gone on, I have determined that there is only one chick on this nest. The new male has started bringing fish and dropping it for the female, but he does not bring enough fish, nor does he share in any of the parenting duties...but why would he? This is clearly not his offspring. The female seems stressed and thin. But the chick is surviving! It's interesting to observe these behaviors. Why would this male expend any energy providing for a chick that is not his? What is really happening here is that this male is trying to acquire a territory. He will not care for this chick but his provisioning is an attempt to win the female and take over this territory. He is defending the nest as his own, working on the nest, in spite of that chick there!
I worry about the female, and have my fingers crossed for this nestling. This new male is helping the female by chasing away other males, and he does bring some fish. With as large a population of Ospreys as we have here now, there is a lot of competition among young males for good nesting sites. This is one strategy for winning a territory. I have seen this before and that male did win the territory for many years of happy nesting after rescuing a damsel in distress, and just tolerating the offspring of another male. He is investing in the future. I hope it works out this time. I keep watching to see how the behaviors are changing, hoping for a happy ending for all...except perhaps for the original male who disappeared.
On a happier note, I stopped to check another nest today and found a delightfully devoted male osprey feeding his whole family...a bite for each of three chicks and then a bite for Mom. He rotated around all the mouths on the nest and sometimes the female passed her bite onto one of the chicks. So endearing to watch. A family affair, all working together to care for each other. The chicks lined up and patiently waited for their bite. Awwwwww. Sometimes that is all you can say eh? Does the heart good!
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