Which end is up?

Here we are in mid August already. Many of our chicks have fledged, tho we have a few  very late nests that may not fledge till late August! I am spending a lot of time visiting nests and searching for chicks to confirm successful fledging. It’s often a challenge but I rather enjoy these searches. Where’s Waldo! It’s also a time when I have to put together some pieces to solve a puzzle. We have one nest that I have visited five times since late June to early August. Each time I clearly saw two chicks in the nest, usually with a parent. Another monitor suddenly saw three chicks in this nest, on at  least two occasions. Now I know with my wonderful scope, and 26 years of experience, I did not miscount the chicks five times! So how do we explain this? Well, at this time of year, post fledge, it’s not uncommon for a neighbor chick to pay some visits to the kids across the street. As our population grows and nests are closer and closer together, these roving chicks have easy opportunities to stop by and perhaps steal a fish. A few years back, I found a banded chick visiting several different nests and stealing fish from those younger chicks. Pretty funny! That’s one way to survive! 

I have also spent some time this year at a nest with three female chicks which are very entertaining. As I observed one day, Dear old Dad dropped off a fish in the nest and all three chicks dove for it, and a hysterical fight for the flopping fish ensued. Finally one came up the winner, but she had the fish upside down and was trying to start eating the tail first! The problem was, it was still flopping! She turned around in circles as she struggled to keep it away from the others. They were both hollering (“you are doing it all wrong!). She did not dare drop it and turn it around because someone else might get the fish! She struggled for the longest time....trying to grab that flopping tail and get a bite out of it. I was laughing out loud. Finally, exasperated, she dropped the fish and walked away. “ I give up”! All three chicks sat there staring at the fish and crying, as if they expected Mom to come and feed them. Eventually another chick decided to give it a try. This youngster ALSO grabbed the fish with the tail first, and tried to start eating it, at which point I started coaching from the sidelines, out loud, sitting in my car. Turn it around honey! ( gosh I hope no one catches me talking out loud to the ospreys) But this juvenile took my advice and turned the fish around and started to rip and tear those yummy fish lips. Success! Every time I visit this nest I end up belly laughing out loud. The struggle to grow up is real! How can you not love these birds?