As I mentioned in the last post, the past month has been a challenge for me....first several weeks of running myself ragged trying to get data collected before my surgery. Then spending the last ten days trying to recover from that surgery, and then a few days ago I started to revisit some nests, trying to take it slow, but finding that difficult when I would run into a nest where I felt something might be wrong....a chick alone for long periods with a very empty crop, or a nest where there was an adult with a silver band on that needed to be read ( a very challenging task as those bands are meant to identify a dead bird, not a live one on a nest. Nine little digits all around the band). I guess I pushed too hard and woke up today feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I had to abandon my plan for the day, to check many nests, and decided to visit just two and then come home and rest.
I started early at the nest where that chick was alone and hungry....and before 8 this morning I had confirmed he was ok.....eating a big fish in his own while the adult perched very close. Whew.
Then I proceeded to visit a nest that is sort of far from other nests, by itself, so often gets neglected during my usual rounds. When I arrived I found one chick on the nest. There should be two. They had not fledged before my surgery but I expected that they would have by now. I watched this chick food begging loudly which meant he could see an adult, tho I couldn’t see it. After a while this chick quieted down, which meant that parent had departed to get some food. I decided to drive around a little lake nearby and look for the other chick. I couldnt see or hear anything for the first 10-15 minutes.....then I saw an osprey flying low over the water....I got out of the car and grabbed my binoculars. As he turned I could see the juvenile plummage! He was dragging his feet thru the the water, dipping his toes, but not plunging in. I watched him for a while, and then he disappeared behind some trees. When he came back out he was followed by another Osprey. I tried to identify that one too....both looked like juveniles, but I wasnt totally sure I was zeroing in on different birds as they looped around. Then there was just one again. At this point I sat on a bench and just watched the amazing show this young male was putting on, practicing his water starts over and over....with such enthusiasm! Plunging into the water, practicing putting his feet out in front, even tho he never came up with anything. In these early days, they often are not actually trying to catch a fish, but just developing the skills that will be needed to catch a fish! Diving in, getting lift off out of the water. I found myself talking to him, out loud, “ good job!” , “looking good”, “oh ya gonna take a little bath?” as he splashed his wings in the water. Then I looked around....it was early Saturday morning, not many people were out, it was so peaceful and quiet, and yet the few people I saw had no idea what was happening and what they were missing!
I think about how often we all walk around lost in our own heads, or in a conversation with another person, lacking any awareness about what is going on around us. I was totally enjoying this amazing developmental stage of this young Osprey that I don’t get to see all the time. And to just sit there on this beautiful morning felt like such a healing gift from the universe. It filled me with joy. After many, many water starts, this juvenile must have seen Dad with a fish and he went screaming to the nest. I jumped in the car and returned to a spot where I could see the nest just as Dad dropped a big fish for this chick. Then I had to laugh as he continued to food beg as he looked at this big fish in his talons. It always cracks me up how they keep crying long after they have a fish and Dad has departed. Then I was going to leave, but thought, no I need to find that other chick. So I started driving down some residential streets, looking between the houses....this is usually when the police are called! Eventually I spotted the top of a dead tree and thought, THATS where an osprey would perch....and I finally found a spot where I could see the tree and sure enough, there was that missing chick. This one a girl! She jumped out of the tree and plunged into the water, came up empty, and did that a few more times before she started flying towards the nest....so I zoomed back there....nope she’s not there. As I headed back to the lake, I spotted her, sitting on a dead snag near the road, on the edge of the lake. She did another plunge into the water and then headed back towards that dead tree. What a delightful morning it was......to just relax and enjoy watching these
magnificent young birds that I love so much, on a perfect August day....knowing our days with these birds are numbered. I am so glad I got to fully enjoy some time with that family. Sometimes all the hard work is rewarded in the most amazing ways!
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