September 23…..

 I visited 17 nests today that I had not been to in a while….only one had some ospreys. I found one female chick sitting quietly in her nest, her crop quite full. Then she suddenly erupted into loud food begging and Dad flew in with a HUGE fish! He dropped it and flew off. I noticed that he had an empty crop, and yet, he delivered this very large fish to his offspring…the whole thing. I thought I heard him say, as he flew off, “ that should keep her busy all afternoon”. She grabbed it and really struggled with it…hard to drag it around the nest. She got up on the edge of the nestbox with it….but I waited for 30 minutes as she snoozed a bit, then pushed food down in her crop, trying to make room for more. She was in no hurry to eat! She limped around the nest, dragging this massive meal, and finally started nibbling on those fish lips.

This is my test these days….can I find an Osprey? All these empty nests make such a sad and empty landscape….but so far I have been rewarded with at least one fun viewing every time I go out. Those Dads, I tell ya…so devoted to their young, staying as long as necessary. I honor their steadfast parental care for each last chick that isnt quite ready to go. How lucky I am to witness what I do.