June 27 update...

It’s been a busy few weeks trying to keep up with all the changes on our nests. Sadly, I believe we are heading for a record year regarding nest failures. We already have about 36 failures, probably more as I write. Last year we had 40 and the year before we had 37.....but this is still only June. One day last week I checked 24 nests and 11 had failed. Many of the failed nests are near each other. It becomes a real thrill to pull up to a nest and see three chicks motoring around on the nest...a real cause for celebration! Some surprises have occurred also tho. There was one nest that was clearly being  horribly attacked by black flies, with the female flying off the nest over and over. I watched that nest one day for 90 minutes and I believe she was on the nest for approximately 15 minutes during that visit. I thought for sure that nest was headed for failure....but it did hatch successfully! I have come to the conclusion that eggs may survive longer periods without being incubated than I originally believed, if the weather is warm. But most of the nests where we observed adults struggling to shake off the black flies, have failed. There are many other nests where I cannot say what the cause for the failure is. Since the failures occurred during the time when we observed swarms of black flies on other nests, it may be related to that issue.  I wish I could visit nests more often. Many nests are only visited every couple of weeks. One week they are incubating, or caring for newly hatched chicks, and at the next visit, the nest is empty. When I do the annual report, I will try to separate the failures into nests that failed to hatch and nests that failed after signs of hatching were observed, but without more frequent visits, I may not know for sure on many nests. I am continuing to find new nests, with two found this past week! I wonder how many there are that I dont know about! At any rate, having said all that, the black flies seem to have died off and many ospreys that survived the swarms, are much more comfortable now. This year has raised a lot of questions in my mind. I watched one nest, which has failed for five years in a row, and wondered why they stay at this site. Would moving to a new territory improve their chances of breeding successfully? Well my answer to all questions is to just keep watching, keep taking notes. Clearly this is going to be a tough year regarding our productivity rates, but as I keep saying, this is why we keep going. So few long term studies exist and being able to look at the data that has been consistently collected for 26 years maybe very useful in helping us understand this planet and the changes it is experiencing. On a happier note, it is such a joy to watch the developmental stages the little guys go thru...I was noticing how interesting it is when you see the chicks move from being entirely focused on a very small world which consists of their siblings and their parents, and each little bite of fish, to becoming aware of the world that surrounds them. Suddenly they are toddling off to the edge of the nest to look around at their world. They begin watching other birds that fly over, or even planes above. Their little worlds are expanding. They will move out into that world sooner than you think!  These little friends of ours  grow so fast. 

Nest failures....

I am back in town after seeing Paul McCartney in Madison....and very sad to report that it appears that the Arboretum cam nest has failed. I believe the newly hatched chicks may have succumbed to the swarms of black flies, or buffalo gnats, that we have been observing. There is an article on the front page of the Star Tribune about this very issue. They refer to the issue as approaching historic levels. The MMCD, who usually treats the black fly larvae, was unable to this year as a result of floodwaters. I have never seenanything quite like this and it’s disturbing. Another nest in the area of the Arboretum has also failed, and we suspect for the same reason. I will be checking nests this weekend....as many as I can, to see if others have failed.
(There are many more comments and conversations about this topic on our Facebook page). 

I also hear that the Raptor resource project is observing black fly problems with eagles nesting in Iowa. Hoping for some dry, windy weather. 

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Hatching at the Arboretum cam nest

The first chick has hatched on the Arboretum cam nest...yesterday, In spite of the torment caused by the black flies. The cam lens is already covered with poop so it’s bard to see much, but I could tell by the adults behavior that hatching had begun, right on schedule. They are restless, sitting high and slightly hunched over, protecting the chick but trying not to squish it! I have not seen a feeding yet....and have to go to work....but will tune in later. We may get another chick today or tomorrow! Kind of creepy watching the black flies crawling on the cam lens! They look huge, but are really tiny. Hoping the chicks survive the onslaught. The adults have heroically withstood the torture to hatch their offspring.