One Osprey....

 I am hanging on till the bitter end...and so is one osprey. I have checked nests the past three days....focusing on the ones with late fledging chicks. I came upon some sad sights....I stumbled across a nest I didn’t know about (PLEASE report new nests to me!) and it had a dead adult Osprey hanging near the nest. I have no idea what happened. I could not see a head, and that always makes me suspect Great Horned Owl predation...but I just don’t know. Yesterday I visited the second to last nest to fledge and the one chick who had been there, constantly food begging was gone. The nest was empty except for the sad remains of one of her siblings who died just before fledging. Again, I dont know why. It was right after a big storm went thru in mid August. Hail? There was something so poignant about that empty nest, with the still visible fluttering juvenile feathers on the edge of the nest, left behind. Today I drove past that nest again and was surprised to see the Dad of those chicks, perched nearby, looking in all directions. No food begging heard, so I think he may be the last Osprey! I also checked the last nest to fledge.....empty, no ospreys seen or heard nearby. It was good to see that final adult.....it’s always a Dad, waiting around, in case. This fellow is a first time Dad, and earlier in the season I didn’t think he was such a great Dad....yes, Mom had to leave and get a fish as he sat nearby eating and his three chicks hollered for food. But his devoted care for that lingering female chick, and his noble posture today, gazing all around, has made my evaluation improve dramatically. He done good. I was so happy to see him. Winds shift again tomorrow, and the north wind may be his ticket to South America. You know I will check!

September 26....still here!

 September 26.....and we still have a few ospreys around. On Thursday I watched a chick at the second to last nest to fledge....she was eating a fish and as soon as she swallowed that final tail bite, she started food begging and in less than 2 minutes, Dad dropped another fish and she kept eating!!!! Ha ha, non stop eating at that nest!

I checked her again today and she is still here, food begging but I did not get to see Dad. Today I also drove up to check the very last nest to fledge in late August. On the way, I drove past a lake and saw an osprey perched in a dead tree eating a fish. I was on a busy hiway so couldn’t stop....so I proceeded to that nest I was headed to. I found the chick sitting quietly on that nest. Her siblings have both dispersed / disappeared. I wondered if it was her Dad that I drove past, so I went back and searched for a place to be able to view the Osprey. I pulled over on the side of the hiway and could see it was a juvenile! I knew I couldn’t stay there long before the police would tell me to move so I started searching for another place to observe. I found a small dead end road with some houses. I was acting suspicious, as I usually do, trying to see thru the trees and homes and a sweet young boy named Ivan came up on his bike and asked if I needed help. I explained what I was trying to do and he said I could park there because he knew the guy who lived there. Ivan left and came back shortly with a tomato for me! I found a hole thru the trees where I could see this bird quite well. A young female with a silver band. I was even able to read her band and know where she is from. She caught two bullheads as I watched! Ivan and I chatted about ospreys and I took some photos by holding my iPad up against my scope. Ivan asked why I didn t use my phone....cause I dont have a smart phone! Within a few minutes Ivan came back with a phone for me! He said he gets used phones and fixes them up to give away. He said it was unlocked and ready for me to set it up! He also gave me some more tomatoes! Then I proceeded to another nest where I found another chick sitting quietly, waiting for food to be delivered. 
What an interesting day! So good to see four chicks still here, and to see this young female successfully, and quickly, catching her own fish. Even these late fledges have now had a month of being fed by their dad and at least some have developed the needed skills to survive on their own. These Dads have done a great job. And meeting Ivan was a little added delight! Many thanks to Ivan, if he reads this, for his kindness and generosity!!!!
Winds are expected to shift on Monday and become quite strong from the north....so these may be my last visits with my friends. I will check a nest on the opposite side of town tomorrow. Oh how difficult this transition will be this year.

Update and plea

 

Just a little update. Over the weekend I visited a handful of the nests with the late fledging chicks and saw one chick and some Dads on four nests. I spent over 90 minutes at the nest where I witnessed the chick catch a fish last week....and she was still working on her fishing skills. Perched in a dead tree over the water, rubber necking, staring into the water and she made one dive, tho it was unsuccessful and she came up empty. . It’s such a treat to watch her or him. She has light spots on her breast so it actually could be either sex. I did not see her Dad. He is a first time parent so may be lacking some of those super parental skills! This morning I returned to check two nests near each other and I was lucky to not only see the remaining chick, I saw both Dads deliver a fish! One chick continued to food beg for a good five minutes after the fish delivery, with a fish in her grip! I guess the food begging machine is hard to turn off! Made me laugh out loud! Each moment with them is treasured. I am sticking with the notion that I am collecting data.....but I am really just a junkie getting a fix. 
I also spent some time this weekend with one of the volunteer monitors, Barb, hiking out to a nest that fell apart mid season, causing eggs to be lost. We are trying to figure out how to fix this nestpole. The pole itself looks good...and the support arms also look good, but it was built poorly many years ago and had no actual nest box.....just a circle of wood set up there, which rotted away. This is a call for help and ideas.....the site is inaccessible with a truck. I believe the pole is about 30 feet tall, (not certain tho) and we wondered if a tall ladder might get us up there to just add a nestbox on top of the arms, bolt it in place and add some sticks. We would need a box, some strong folks to help us carry a rented ladder out there, and some one to climb up and bolt it in place. Thoughts? Volunteers? Photos below....

And another huge thanks to Barbara Pierson and Paul Patton for their ongoing financial support which means more than words can express. These donations not only pay for gas for checking nests, but also allow for some repairs to old poles to be done. A million thanks!

She caught a fish!

 I revisited some of the nests where I saw chicks and their dads last Sunday....and with the strong north  wind that blew across Minnesota today , I think we have lost some of our friends. I did see a few lonely dads, sitting near their nest, snoozing....no food begging heard at all. I am always so touched by the way they stick around until no one is asking for food. In recent weeks, they have been unable to remain near the nest for long because of the incessant hollering! That behavior is called hyperphagia....when the chicks are SO hungry and eat so much more than they need, as an instinctual preparation for the trip ahead of them. But when the chicks begin to disperse, things get very quiet. I love to see these males, waiting, in case someone appears that needs food. Silently preparing for their own long journey. I watched a few of them closely for far too long today. So many nests were empty today , even those that held several chicks on Sunday. I made my way to one final nest where I had grown particularly attached to the single female chick. This nest had gone thru some upheaval when the regular male was killed last year, so a new one stepped  up to fill the vacancy.  He was a male that had been goofing around in that area for several years, never raising chicks tho. This was his year. It took  a little time for a pair bond to form, for that female to accept him, so the eggs were laid a little later than some other nests and only one chick hatched. It seemed to take her a long time to fledge. I had some concerns, but I know chicks are like little kids....some walk at a very young age and some just take a little longer. Doesn’t mean that anything is wrong. Well we had a particularly bad storm go thru in mid August and that night as I watched tornado and hail warnings, my thoughts were with the unfledged chicks. I zoomed out to this nest first thing in the morning.....no chick. I felt sick. But I waited, talked to some neighbors, and then suddenly a bird landed on the nest and it was the chick!!!! So happy to see that she was alright and had fledged....maybe because she had to! So I have watched her quite a bit in recent weeks.....and today when I arrived the nest was empty. All the favorite perches were empty. Sigh. I sat in the car answering emails for a while and then suddenly I heard an osprey! I could not see it at first, but it eventually came flying in from behind some trees and splashed right into the water in front of me. I grabbed my binoculars to see if this was a chick or adult. The bird got lift off out of the water and banked so I could see the feathers on the back.....yes! It was the chick! And she zoomed around and landed back on the nest....WITH A FISH! I almost cried. Many juveniles may never catch a fish until they begin their migration.....tho some do. It’s just not that often that I get to see it. I see them practicing their water starts, dragging their feet thru the water, but actually catching a fish right in front of me just doesn’t happen that often. I was thrilled! And also a little sad. She is ready to go, to start her great journey. I may never know what happens to her,  because of the lack of banding (very frustrating to me)  but I send each one off with instructions to be very careful, and to please return to those of us who will be waiting. 

I will keep checking a few nests in the coming days....but I can feel the end of Osprey season looming. I will really miss them this year. 

Still here!

 I was pleasantly surprised by how many Ospreys I found over the weekend! Quite a few young ones, and a few adult males....but it is amazing how hard it is to find those Dads. I know they are around or those chicks wouldn’t be hanging around food begging. But they do keep their distance. I remember a few years ago I spotted an Osprey fishing in a very small pond near my house. He got one and went to a tree to eat and I saw that he was banded. I read his band and learned that he was about 9 miles from his nest, where two loud chicks were hanging around demanding fish! Why would he be so far from the nest, and he had passed by many lakes that contained fish to get to this small pond. These males also need to prepare for the big trip ahead. I think they fly about to build some strength and perhaps, primarily, to be able to eat a fish in peace, the WHOLE fish without some one begging for it! I saw him there for several days in a row, but also caught him at his nest supplying the food the kids were demanding. So when I have trouble locating a Dad at a nest, I think of that male. They are around, but can be hard to locate. I did see several males yesterday and was able to find one chick because of her endless food begging, while perching right next to her Dad in a tree. 

The weather has been so nice, finally....not too hot, dew points low and suddenly it’s damn pleasant to be out there watching these birds. I am savoring as much time as I can with them......finally allowing myself to just hang out and watch and listen....instead of rushing off to the next nest. I sometimes wonder when some chicks have disappeared but a few are left at a nest, hanging out till the very end of the season....are these chicks the ones that we have to worry about....seemingly unable to feed themselves? Or are these the survivors....the ones who spent more time packing on those extra calories, watching Dad fish, building some skills. With a mortality rate in the first year of 50-70% according to some scientists, I have come to suspect that the ones who disappeared early are the ones who probably didnt make it. The more time they spend with their parents, the better. 
When I pulled up to one nest today, I just started laughing out loud....tho she had a semi empty crop, her belly was very fat! But this will serve her well on the trip ahead. 
I have seen some interesting dramas also.....there seem to be a lot of Bald Eagles around these days, and it amazes me when a young chick gives that distinct bald eagle alarm call and flies towards the eagles to defend this territory. This usually attracts the Dad also, if he is in the area, and seeing these young ones muster the courage to stand up to an eagle is inspiring. Just like an adult! Again, I think to myself, this is a tough chick who might be one of the survivors. During every day in the field, I always say my goodbyes.....not knowing if I will see them again....stay safe, be super careful, please find your way back to Minnesota to grace our skies again. To those banded ones I say, April 1, I hope to see you safely return to your nest. I will be waiting for you! 
I treasure every day I get to spend some time with them...and the predictions call for more northerly winds on Wednesday. Will that be the end? I hope not. In this troubled world, I fear that when the last Osprey flies south, my sanity may go with them! I know my love will.....

Changes coming....

The weather predictions are calling for a switch in the wind direction tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 3....with strong winds coming from the north. This may be a day that we lose some of our ospreys. I visited a bunch of nests today and was happy and relieved to find a few missing chicks. There was one chick that I had not seen for several weeks, since it fledged successfully, and I was getting very worried that something terrible had happened, but today I found her perching in her Dads favorite perch! It was fun to watch her in the golden sun, at the top of a tree. She was a bit of a late hatch so maybe she will stick around a bit longer. 

On another nest I saw an adult male on the nest with a fish, looking around. It was so quiet. He waited for quite a while and no one came to claim the fish, so he went to one of his favorite perches and ate about half the fish.....and then I heard, far off in the distance, that endearing whiny sound of a hungry juvenile Osprey. She came to the nest, and he let her cry for a little while before he delivered the remaining half of the fish to her. 

On yet another nest,  the chick has also been scarce, which has caused me to worry. I have seen so little of this one right after fledging. However,  I have always seen Dear old Dad in the area, waiting, watching, eating. This male is so dependable.

Today I finally saw them together....chick on the nest food begging and Dad perched on a nearby cell tower preening. Eventually he headed off towards the lake to get the youngster a fish. 

I love these males and how they stick around after the females are long gone....such great parents they are. Some of these are banded males that I have been watching for many years and this time of year, I wonder if I will ever see them again. It’s really quite a wistful feeling. I love to just sit and watch them carefully. What are they looking at, responding to....I notice their markings, their coloring, their crop, how they close one eye to rest half of their brain, while the other half remains alert. I can still be so captivated by an Osprey, just sitting there, doing nothing. 

Some nests are empty now.....but I was pleasantly surprised by how many ospreys I did see today....ones that I needed to see before they depart. 

The ospreys have kept me sane thru this pandemic, and I am fearing their absence like never before...they kept me focused, active, sometimes exhausted and worried. I am not sure what I will do without them....my place of employment still closed, art fairs all cancelled. But I will keep checking nests until I am unable to find any ospreys. Ospreys have always been a source of healing for me. I treasure each day that I get to spend with them and share their magic.