September 29!

 STILL HERE! This chicks Dad was seen also but he didn‘t land where I could get a good photo. Its a good day when you can still find an osprey at this time of year!

Still here!

 I ran out today to check the nest that had the latest hatch/ fledge……I was so happy to find at least one chick still here….and got to see Dad deliver a fish to this young one. Another nearby nest had a chick two days ago, but the nest was sadly empty today. We are having strong winds from the north today so this may have been the deciding factor for some of our remaining ospreys. Still, I savored watching that beautiful juvenile osprey sitting in a tree with yellow leaves fluttering in the wind. Suddenly the youngster broke into a desperate whine and flew to the nest and was able to see the Dad as he dropped the fish and then went to the tree where the chick had been perched. Gosh, at this time of year they seem so precious!

Devoted Dad…

 I stopped yesterday at a nest that had two of the latest fledges in the metro….a nestmonitor reported no adults, just chicks. As I stated in the previous post, those Dads dont abandon their young, so I went looking for him. I found one chick perched with a fish….eating quietly…..no other ospreys seen. I had an appointment to keep and then circled back to this nest. Chick was still in the same place with half a fish in its talons as it also food begged for more ( that hyperphagia thing!). When a chick is food begging, in fact whining desperately for food, you know that Dad is around! Sure enough I finally spotted him in a tree, watching over this apoplectic chick who needed ten fish ASAP! Ha ha. Those Dads are so amazing, tho he may not be seen all the time near the nest, as this particularly attentive male was earlier in the season….he is still there caring for this remaining chick.

Mid September…..

 I visited about 18 nests over the weekend and found young ospreys still on 7 nests. So as the leaves are beginning to change, our time with the Ospreys is coming to an end. We still have several nests that fledged very late and we will continue to monitor those nests as long as we see any ospreys. We are getting reports of “abandoned” chicks that are still food begging on their nests. Many of them are experiencing ”hyperphagia” or an extreme drive to eat, as these extra calories will provide them with the energy to migrate! We must keep in mind that the adult males have invested five months in their breeding efforts and they dont abandon their young at this time of year! These males are amazing in their committed efforts to care for their offspring….tho they do become a bit scarce at this time. They give their chicks some space, while still delivering a fish occasionally to keep them going. They do want their chicks to undertake their first big journey with a full belly, a good layer of fat to sustain them! The adult females are on their way by now, and the chicks will be the next to go. We often see a single adult male circling high above a nest with a fish as if to see if there are any hungry juveniles still around. We must remember that ospreys are motivated by two very strong instincts, the first is to survive and the second is to breed successfully.

Its a wistful time of year for those of us who have worked so hard to accurately monitor all known nests in the metro area….we have put in so much time, driven so many miles, and while some of us are ready for a little vacation, we also will dearly miss our winged friends who have come to mean so much to us. A million thanks to all the dedicated monitors who watched over so many nests, worked on rescues, and documented outcomes so carefully until no ospreys could be found. Osprey season is not totally over, but the end is in sight. Now we linger with those few remaining ospreys, relishing the sights and sounds which will sustain us over the winter. There have been some very sad losses this year, and we will also remember those birds as we contemplate how we can do better at rescuing them in the future.

As always, I will begin the overwhelming task of gathering all the data for analysis over the winter.

I will keep you posted as we search for those final lingering ospreys!