Hatching!

Our long wait is being rewarded ....our chicks are hatching! We have a couple of nests for sure, and many more will follow every day. I am STILL plugging away at reading the difficult bands. The sad news is that we are also at that stage where nests are failing. And many times I don’t know why. Incubating one day, gone the next. The only real explanation I can offer is predation. One of our new nests this year has already failed. I was unable to find any adults and this is troubling. I hope it was just eggs that succumbed to predation or the pounding rains, and not the adults that may have perished. I searched for bodies, feathers, some clues.....but found nothing. The homeowner that lives near this new nest is heartbroken. I understand. And I love how people do fall in love with these birds. There is just something about ospreys. We still have a few nests, with a pair present, but no eggs laid. At this time, it’s probably too late and hormone levels are dropping. But sometimes this occurs because the female is too young to lay eggs and they become what we call “Housekeepers”...working on the nest, establishing a pair bond thru feeding, but raising no chicks..

The new volunteers are learning the subtle signs of hatching. When one reports that the male brought a fish and the female took it and started eating, IN the nest.....this is often a sign that she has wee ones to feed, tho we can’t see them for a while. Those little guys can’t stand up and are not visible above the nest edge for a little while, but we can observe the changes in the adult behaviors...restlessness, getting up to look down into the nest cup, eating on the nest and offering small bites to the little guys. Males also often stick closer by, and seem to enjoy watching the feedings....some will even help with the feeding. Can’t wait till I get to see the first bobble heads!