Last chick fledged!

 Another long day in the field....a lovely day actually, after so many hot, muggy uncomfortable days. Dewpoint finally dropped, as did the temp. I am happy to report that the last chick to fledge in the metro area has done so successfully! The one who was jumping and flapping last weekend, is now flying quite well, tho when I first arrived she was perched right where I left her a week ago....and I thought, oh oh, is something wrong with this chick? Then off she went....and I totally lost her! I moved to a spot further away where I could see a more expansive view of the area, and I saw two ospreys flying quite high above the nest. I watched until they both returned to the nest, and I went zooming back to my closer view and could see it was two juveniles. So there she was with her sibling. There was a third chick too on this nest, but I have not seen that one for two weeks. I cant always account for them all post fledge, but I will keep trying. I saw no adult females today, but a few adult males were perching around. I observed a few very loud chicks jockeying for position on a nest, to be the first one to get a shot at the next fish delivery! Some nests were empty too. Keep your eyes on the winds....this time of year the ospreys could take off any day, but they usually wait for a day with some strong winds from the north to make their travels quick and effortless. As long as winds are from the south, we are unlikely to lose them. 

People often ask me how to tell the difference between and chicks and adults at this time of year .....since the chicks are adult size. Here is a great pair of photos from Ann Merritt that shows the different plummage...juveniles have a light Buffy colored tip on the edge of every dark feather on their backs, giving them a scalloped appearance (to serve as camouflage in the nest)....these light tips will fade as the edges wear away and some of our older chicks are starting to lose the dramatic contrast, but if you look closely, this may help you identify the young ones. They also have a different eye color.....rusty read when they are quite young, but these days they are lightening to a pumpkin orange to a rosy gold color. The adults have bright yellow eyes. I know that many of you know this, but because it’s a question I am asked so often, I thought I would share these photos!