Sorrow....

 How quickly our joy turns to sorrow....one of the newly hatched chicks on the Arboretum cam nest has died. We dont know why.

It was reported earlier today that one chick kept falling over and missed a feeding. It has been raining this afternoon so Mom was just brooding them and they could not be seen. She finally stood up and it is clear that one chick is motionless, mom has poked at it. The other is moving around, his head bobbing and looking for food. Its a very sad situation....and now we will see what the parents do with the lifeless little body. Think good thoughts for the remaining chick. 

The chick on the right appears to be deceased....

Watch the hatching at the Arb

Here is a link to watch the video of the hatching at the Arboretum osprey nest cam....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3kIH5SuxkbRp8PLImOWLY6ZYwNVV6ZsX_q0xskeVFqbrmb27s6Wslv6Fw&v=eXxygHqxk0s&feature=youtu.be 

Hatching at the Arb

 Well we had a momentous day on the Arboretum osprey cam nest! As most of the viewers know, the eggs were laid about three days apart, and usually eggs hatch sequentially. But it’s not uncommon for them to hatch closer together than they were laid. In this case it was just a few hours apart! I had just posted about the first hatch,  and I went back to look and there was the second chick! And big eggshells lay on either side of mom. I guess the second chick just thought, I have a lot of growing to do and a lot to learn, so let’s get on with it! The chicks can’t thermoregulate at first so they really need good care from their parents, with frequent fish deliveries to keep them hydrated and providing shade for them. We had newly hatched chicks a few weeks ago when the temps soared into the upper 90s with very high dew points, and tho many ospreys looked miserable, it appears that all the chicks have survived. I was a bit worried when the Arboretum male came with a fish and the female stood on the edge of the nest and ate it all....without providing any shade for the little wigglies. It’s a hot day here! The female ate very quickly because she knew she had to shelter them. The chicks at this point couldnt even hold their heads up long enough to be fed. They will gain strength very quickly and will be eating soon. I have watched other males in the metro providing shade for chicks, wings out,  while the females fed them during this unusually hot month in Minnesota. We hope that MS will learn these finer points of being a Dad! 

We had another nest hatch in the past five days also, so that brings an end to hatching season here in the metro, as far as the nests I know about. These are late hatches, but we have had chicks arrive this late in the past and they survived fine, with their Dad staying into early October to care for his offspring. However, he was an experienced male....we hope MS will have as good instincts about caring for his first family.  

So pop those champagne corks! Stay tuned as we welcome these newest little ospreys...

Counting heads!

 This is my favorite part of the breeding season....when I am visiting nests to count the little guys. I usually start this when they are about two weeks old. This is when they start to get up and crawl  around the nest and we can finally see them with a spotting scope. Still little tho! It takes some patience, cause if it’s siesta time, they can’t be seen at all. ( Tho the little poop squirts coming out of nowhere are pretty cute too!) Suddenly, the number of nests I can visit in a day drops precipitously. I literally can’t tear myself away! I pretend it’s because I want to be sure I am getting an accurate count.....but it’s really because they are so much fun to watch!!! I have few worries about them at this time, unlike when they are approaching fledging and all kinds of mishaps can occur. And at this stage, Momma can still brood them, shade them, protect them from predation. It’s when their awareness starts to expand beyond Mom, Dad and food....and they start crawling to the edge of the nest to look at the world around them, they start to watch other birds flying by, planes flying over. And, the cutest, is when they start moving little sticks! I saw that today for the first time. You all can officially worry about my sanity.....as I am often sitting in a parking lot, a park, or some public place....quietly watching and trying not to call attention to myself....and I suddenly yell out “THREE”! 

I know you osprey monitors know what’s that about! Or as I watch I suddenly burst out laughing and say “moving sticks!”.  I talk to myself too much. 

There is a stage at about two weeks when they can get into squabbles with their siblings and some pecking back and forth can occur. It usually is a stage that passes and pecking order is established with no harm. Sometimes it’s more serious, and siblicide can happen. I think it’s pretty unusual, especially here in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, where fish are abundant. In my 28 years of watching ospreys I can only recall seeing a very aggressive attack between chicks once,  that I believe resulted in death for one chick. 

But for the most part this stage of monitoring is the most delightful, enchanting phase...and it fills the heart with warm fuzzies. And if it happens to be nice weather too....it’s really hard to leave. This is the reward for the long, boring incubation period. I can easily spend hours at a nest now. And this stage passes so quickly....it won’t be long before they are preparing to fledge and I have to hold my breath as they jump and flap....or I search endlessly for them post fledge. But that’s another story...

Now I indulge in long visits, watching the subtle behaviors, waiting for another head to pop up (cause Mom keeps looking in that direction) or waiting for Pop to come with a fish....and watching as some males either feed Mom or feed the chicks or both! So precious, these wee ones are! Enjoy each moment with them! 

Hot, Hot, Hot...

 We have had a miserable 9-10 days here with temps soaring above 90 every day, sometimes close to 100, with dew points often in the  upper 60s. Truely miserable, and dangerous. It finally started to cool down a bit yesterday and today was lovely. I checked nests almost every day thru that heatwave....leaving home around 6:30 in the morning so I could quit around 12-1:00....a few days I was out longer than that. It totally drained me. And it was not easy to watch those ospreys struggling, panting, eyes closed, wings drooping. I was terribly worried that we would lose some of these newly hatched chicks, since at that early stage of development they cannot thermoregulate. I watched a few experienced and devoted Dads, standing right next to the female, wing to wing, to create a bigger area of shade for the wee ones. Every time the female moved, he would move with her to keep that large block of shade intact. On some nests, I saw him shading while she fed them. It’s enough to bring a tear to the eye, to see them caring for their offspring in these challenging conditions. (And remember, the only fluid they get is from the fish they are fed.) Today it’s only in the mid 80s and the dew point has dropped into the upper 40s. Whew! I was amazed and very happy to see all the nests I checked doing very well....chicks bopping around on the nests, parents both present. No panting, everyone perky and hydrated. I am starting to be able to count chicks on many nests, and it’s such fun to watch the youngsters as I can finally see them, watch their movements,  their sweet faces looking up at Mom and Dad with an open beak. We have more heat coming, but I know that they do fine when they get a little older, are beginning to lose some down and grow some little feathers. We still have some nests that are behind, where eggs were laid quite late....and those parents seem to be doing alright and continuing their incubation duties. Fingers crossed for those eggs. This has been an unusually long and intense heat wave for this early in the summer. 

These are some tough birds....unlike me!