Gone With the Wind…..

 I went out yesterday, Oct 7, and visited the nests that I knew had ospreys last weekend…I hiked around, drove around and did not see or hear any Ospreys. It was so quiet. Leaves crunching, wind blowing, but no food begging. So I am declaring the 2023 Osprey breeding season over here in the metro. Sigh. Doesnt mean there wont be a sighting of late migrating birds…but the nests we have been monitoring seem to be empty now. It’s always a bit of a sad time of year for some of us. I appreciate those monitors who hung in to the bitter end and who are now commiserating with me about our “empty nest syndrone”. Planning some lunches, coffee, get togethers with those who I rarely see during the summer but who I communicate with via email all the time! A deep and sincere thank you to all the nest monitors….I couldnt do it without you. Thank you all for sharing my love for these birds. ❤️

Farewell…

 I believe that Lil Arb and g/b MS may have departed today. I last saw the chick at about 10:10 this morning….dad had delivered a fish about an hour before that. The winds picked up today and shifted around to W NW…and the nest has been empty since this morning. She was looking up at the sky a lot….perhaps seeing migrating birds. I had a feeling, when she looked right at the cam….

October 4! Still here!

 They are still here! Boy I am gonna miss this pair when they go….

at least we had a very happy ending on this nest this year. Is this their last day? Tomorrow?

September 30!

 September 30 and it’s in the upper 80s with a dewpoint close to 70…..awful. But none the less I went to check on all the chicks / dads I saw last week. Ha! only one pair was gone! I still saw two chicks at different nests, with one Dad delivering a fish….PLUS Lil Arb and her Dad, delivering many fish to her today! The past two weeks I watched one chick with her Dad who was always present, eating near her, watching over her…but those two were not found today. But two other nests still had a chick. One of those was the chick that was the very last to fledge in the metro area….so she has just been flying for one month now. I always hope for them to have a good month of being fed, and having time to learn stuff before migration. But as is often the case, this chick is always near the nest so probably hasnt learned to catch fish yet. And even tho it was pretty unpleasant to be hiking around with the scope and tripod, it was a joy to see these young ospreys….photos below. I noticed that one of them has eyes that are almost yellow now, with the younger one still having eyes that are that light pumpkin orange. I saw Dad deliver a fish to the younger one. Any day that I can still find an osprey to watch is a good day!

September 23!

 Fall is definitely in the air….leaves are turning /falling. Some trees are going from green to dead without stopping at “beautiful”. But I went out again today to check the same nests I have checked the past two weekends. Tho some nests I visited during the week were now empty(sigh), today I got lucky! I did see that chick which I believe to be the latest fledging youngster. I had to hike around to locate her. At first I saw a juvenile flying and I watched that one circling higher and higher, and then I turned a corner and spotted another one perched on a pole, eating a fish. Watched this one for quite a while until I was certain it was that youngest chick. I am not sure of the identity of the other one since it never landed. And I saw no adult here, tho this Dad is elusive….we know he is there, delivering the fish!

So then I moved on to another nest where I have been seeing one chick the past two weeks. Today there were two ospreys flying in circles, very low, near the nest…..not chasing, not vocalizing….just kind of playing I think! Then they finally both landed on a nearby roof….both chicks! I believe these are siblings from that nest! Photos below. Great to see them both!!!! Dad must be around here, but I didnt see him.

Then I moved on to a third nesting territory…this one has become a delight to me in these final weeks. This dad is always nearby! Thats not all that common….as most dads seem to be scarce, just dropping several fish a day but not sticking around for long. But this Dad was perched in the same dead snag as the juvenile. Chick had a fish, and still was crying for more. Dad flew off and returned in TWO minutes with a fish and he ate near the chick. So sweet! It was hard to tear myself away from these two. I headed back to the first nest, thinking about hiking back out for another look, but saw dark clouds looming. And since I woke up this morning at 3:30 and never got back to sleep, my energy was sinking. I did see Lil Arb this morning as Dad delivered breakfast.

Will I see anyone next week? I dont know. But every day like this, spending some time with a few ospreys in person, is a delightful, treasured experience. I remind them all to stay safe….

the sibs on the roof….and the Dad and chick together in the snag.

Reward!

 The daily fix! After going to the dentist, of course you always need some pleasurable reward eh? So I took a short swing past a few nests, different than those I visited last weekend (my dentist told me he saw an osprey on one of these nests last weekend) …and I got to see two chicks. So folks, they are still around. Just sitting sweetly, looking beautiful. I find myself just sitting there….savoring. Lil Arb still there too….always eating those tiny fish! So if you need to see Ospreys, you still can!

P.S. you may have noticed they are all females!

Hanging out…

 I have a problem. I inadvertantly spent the whole weekend hanging out with the ospreys….tho thats not what I intended to do! I kept heading over to the east side of the metro because, just like last weekend, there were at least four chicks, four dads at four nests, not far from each other that I could, ya know, hang out with. Somehow, just being near them is somehow uplifting to me. Did a lot of hiking, searching, watching, listening, educating tolerant and interested people. I spent time with what I think is the youngest osprey chick….fledging just two weeks ago or so. She was not on her nest, or anywhere near her nest, but I started hiking and it wasnt long before I had located her. She was flying around and exploring the area. Not far away was another chick waiting endlessly on her nest for Dad. I did not see him, but I knew from her crop that she had eaten recently and she was shooting some nice poop squirts. I also caught her flying over a creek and she came back wet, so either bathing or just trying to go in the water. With the cooler temps and low humidity, It was just so beautiful out, a pleasure to be out there. A few short weeks ago I was dragging my scope and tripod around in the heat and feeling so exhausted I was sure I must have a terminal illness! Not today! I drove a little further and found another chick, not in her nest but in a dead snag nearby….and as I scanned the surrounding area I was able to spot her Dad, in the distance, in another dead tree overlooking a lake. And just down the road at another nest was a chick in her nest, hollering for food, tho I could not spot the dad. I found myself just being fully present in the moment, feeling the sun, the breeze, taking in the sounds of the ospreys. Its interesting how even with people, bikes, traffic in the distance, other birds, planes etc….the osprey vocalizations pierce thru it all for me. I hear their voices above the cacaphony of other sounds. That is the sound I am attuned to. I just love these birds so much. I am finally able to let go of the stresses of the breeding season, the research, the rescues, the worry, and enjoy these final days, hours, moments with them.

Still here….

 You all have heard my story about the male who had a fractured keel way back in 2015. The male whose female would not accept him after a month in rehab…tho he tried to bring fish repeatedly.

I was driving down the road today , after leaving the pottery studio and he flew right above my car with a ginormous fish! So I turned around to check his nest. The remaining chick was on the nest…apoplectic, because she saw him with that huge fish but he had stopped to eat part of it himself! She was pacing back and forth on the nest and hollering desperately for food, in spite of her full crop. I located him and watched him eating the head of that family sized meal. Finally he delivered that fish to her Highness. As he flew off, over my car very low, I said…. “ I love you…..stay safe, I cant wait to see you next year… or maybe next week.” With the north winds expected this weekend….will I see him again? Sure was a good way to end the week, seeing him and his beautiful, rotund daughter. He is such a great Dad.

Will she stay or will she go?

 Its getting barder and harder to find any ospreys, but every day I go out I do find at least one chick, and I know that means her Dad is probably around to feed her. Yes its usually a female. It’s good to see Lil Arb is still around……we see less and less of her on the nest but she comes back for a fish delivery a couple times a day. I always like to see a fledged chick have at least a month between fledging and migrating, to build those skills and pack on the pounds for the trip. Lil Arb will be a month old on September 19. The weather forcast calls for the winds to shift Friday night, and over the weekend prevailing winds will be from the NW. Those are the conditions that invite the ospreys to begin their journey….if they are ready. All they have to do is put out their wings and let the wind carry them. Will she go this weekend? Or will she stay a bit longer? Winds shift back to southerly on Monday. This weekend I will also check the chick that just fledged during the final few days of August or first few days of September. She may need a little more time.

Sure hope I get to enjoy the presence of these special birds for a little longer….I am not very good at letting go.

Mid September….feeling wistful.

 I worked hard this weekend trying to tie up a few more loose ends. (some are still dangling). I hiked a lot carrying my tripod and scope but thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time with the ospreys….tho I had to retrace my steps on sunday after getting skunked and rained on a tiny bit on Saturday. Many nests are empty now, sigh. But I finally managed to find what I believe was the last chick to fledge. I had seen her fly away from the nest two weeks ago but had not confirmed that she made it back to the nest and was being fed. It was keeping me awake last night so today I finally did that. She looked so beautiful with her very full crop, flying about, on the nest and off to her dads favorite perch. I also visited another nest where there was a lingering chick who was also a pleasure to watch. Her Dad finally showed up, after she announced to the world that he was coming, and I was able to confirm his band number. It was a lovely day. It’s fun when I can relax and linger at a nest, rather than feeling like I have ten more nests to get to. Last wednesday the winds changed and the temps dropped and sadly we said goodbye to many of our ospreys as they took advantage of the perfect conditions for beginning their big journey. But I always enjoy savoring these last days with the remaining ospreys. The weather is lovely, rather than those tortured hot, muggy days we endured this summer. The light is different….just fun to listen to the chicks food begging, the breezes rustling some dry leaves, and smells of the prairie plants. I watched one young osprey chase an eagle away….what a brave girl! I love these last young ospreys that just dont want to leave. I am hoping I have a few more days like this to share with them. I visited one of my favorite males nests 7 times in recent days….no chick, and no Dad. Hoping to see him next spring but in this moment, I have to let go. I have run into a couple of the nest monitors in the last week, and its always fun to actually see them in person and chat about our winged friends and life In general. I also love to run into interested people in the public who will endure my endless stories about ospreys, as I did today. I love a chance to spark someones curiousity about these birds!

Below is a photo of one of these lingering beauties…

Labor Day….

 It’s been a ridiculously, miserably hot weekend, but I managed to confirm successful fledging on 7 nests….including one that had not fledged last weekend! I got lucky on Saturday and Sunday, but today, Labor day, I got skunked. The nest with the single female and Kisa remains totally empty. It’s now been two weeks since I saw Kisa and the male chick, and it will be two weeks tomorrow since I saw the female chick being pushed off the nest by her Mom. I have searched everywhere but have failed to locate them. I was so hoping to see some of them, or at least one of them, one more time...or perhaps the rehabbed male. Sigh.

I saw no ospreys at all at three other nests today as well.

I have checked in on the Arb chick and when she does show up, she whines so desperately it makes me laugh out loud. That hyperphagia is kicking in big time, instinctively causing her to pack on the pounds as she unknowingly prepares for a big adventure. As I looked at her and her Dad, she looks bigger than him now! She is a character. I am not seeing her Mom anymore….so she is probably on her way south. I am glad we have a happy ending at this nest.

Why is it that I feel so…..abandoned at this time of year?

Still looking…..

 I have not stopped looking for Kisa and the two missing chicks. Mom has not been seen since wednesday. Today I searched the nest area again, three nearby lakes, and even ventured 5-6 miles from the nest and carefully scanned the shorelines of several lakes. I did see one adult male osprey flying over the water at one of those lakes, but he took off over some trees and never landed where I could examine his feather patterns. No chicks seen or heard. Of course, its now a migratory period so many ospreys are moving thru. I will not give up the search as long as we have ospreys around.

At another nest today, I thought the area was empty, but then just as I was about to leave, I spotted the adult male perched in a hidden spot. He had a fish but was not eating….he was just looking all around. Finally he began eating, but after every bite he stopped and scanned the whole area. I love these devoted Dads, always looking for their chicks to see if they need food….even if they are watching from a very unobtrusive spot, not advertising their presence, but still, on duty!

Here is a pretty picture of a juvenile Osprey I hung out with a bit last weekend….they are so beautiful….they still take my breath away…

Searching….

 I spent four hours searching for the chicks and Kisa yesterday but all I saw was Mom staked out in the nest. I returned today for another four hour search ….but today mom was gone as well. I hiked all around the area, I searched the lake where I saw one chick on Monday, several times, but all I saw were eagles. I examined satellite images of the area, looking for lakes, ponds, any places ospreys might visit. In spite of all my efforts and explorations, I never spotted any chicks or kisa. The wind direction switched today , so now its a light north breeze tho only 5-6 mph….but maybe that is what caused Mom to leave. The weather has been horrible with dewpoints so high that my scope and binoculars were constantly needing to be cleared of condensation. It was not pleasant out there, and it was difficult not to weep at the silence, the emptiness. I will keep looking of course, but I am not hopeful. It’s hard to accept this deeply sad ending.

Oh no….

 Well the news on Kisa gets worse. I was at the nest by 6:30 a.m. and Mom was alone on the nest. I went searching for the chicks and kisa. I found the one chick that was missing yesterday….sitting in a tree, not far from the nest, occasionally food begging. I watched for a long time with no change to the situation, so I went to the other lake where I found the other chick yesterday. I found nothing but an eagle. I went back to the nest and now mom had a fish and was eating. Chick did not come to nest. I watched for a long time….talked to some great folks who were very interested in what I was observing. After they left, the chick got more desperate and she started food begging and flying in circles and finally approached the nest and Mom attacked her and pushed her off the nest. The chick flew off, over the trees and was out of sight. So that is why no chicks are on the nest and why Kisa is not delivering fish there. It’s so discouraging and baffling. I could not find Kisa or the other chick. I even examined sattelite maps and visited another nearby pond, as well as other lakes in the area. No ospreys. Maybe kisa has given up. Its so sad…..we have one adult who has surprising parental instincts tho he isnt a parent…..and another adult who IS a parent, but seems to have no parental instincts anymore anymore. She seemed to be a super mom at the beginning of this story. I can understand why the original males instincts may have been altered by the trauma of being in rehab for so long. Its hideously hot and humid today so I had to quit….and I have somewhere else I need to be this afternoon….but I will try again, early tomorrow. I am hoping the mom will start her migration soon, but that might take a strong north wind and there is nothing like that predicted anytime soon. Sigh.

Now what?

 Things are still a roller coaster ride at Kisa’s nest. I didnt get there all weekend because I had to check other nests, and I thought things were going well….so I got there this morning at 8:30 or so. Much to my surprise, MOM was on the nest! She hasnt been seen in over two weeks. No chicks on the nest. So I put my scope on the tripod and went searching. I did find KISA in a tree and the male chick nearby desperately food begging. I could not locate the other chick. Mom was also food begging occasionally. Finally KISA flew off and I thought he would return with a fish….but I never saw him again during my five hours there. The chick and mom had empty crops. Oddly, the chick wouldnt go to the nest but flew around landing in different trees, and he never begged for food from Mom! I kept checking on him, and he waited silently, as did Mom on the nest. Then I went to check another nest where a chick had been reported as missing. I found that chick very quickly, and came back to Kisa’s nest and went looking for the chick again and could not find him at all. So I headed out to some other nearby lakes. I did manage to find the male chick. ( I have a freakish talent for this) He was trying to fish, but not totally plunging into the water, just  trying to grab something off the surface, unsuccessfully. I could not find the other chick anywhere. I returned to the nest where Mom had been perching for five hours. I cant quite figure out what’s going on. The chick clearly sees KISA as the provider, not mom. And the chick did not want to be on the nest with mom. So, again,  behaviors are unusual, and hard to understand. Mom is able to catch fish. But somehow it seems like her parental instincts are turned off. Why would she not respond to food a begging chick? And why is she not even getting herself a fish? And is KISA staying away because she is there? He was doing a fine job or providing for these chicks the past two weeks. Sigh. I have no answers. 

I had to leave after five hours. I will check in again tomorrow morning, but I can’t stay all day as I have another commitment. I will also return Wednesday morning, a day that is predicted to be the hottest day of the summer, possibly 100 degrees. 

Sure hope somebody will feed these chicks, and I hope I find both of them. 

Home again, at last!

 Whew! Little stinker! Lil Arb is back on the nest after being gone all day! Scared me….especially after last year…..but now we can call this a successful fledge and a successful nest! Didnt look like we would get here, so many times this year. But this brave little chick has survived to fledge and this Mom learned the hard way how to be a good parent.

lil Arb was gone a long time on a very hot day so I hope she gets lots of fish this evening.

Fledged!

 The Arb chick fledged at about 11:36 today…..this is day 62 for her….a good age for fledging. I am still waiting for her to return! Unfortunately I have a committment today so cant go out there. So I hope people are watching for her return! Fingers crossed that she will do ok and get back home for food!

Just like a Dad…

 I spent time at Kisa’s nest again this morning and, as always, the behaviors are interesting. I have worried all along about these chicks, of course, and one by one my anxieties have been relieved. I initially thought KISA was really bringing fish to the female as a courtship ritual. Would he feed the chicks if she werent there? Well the answer we found was YES! So even tho we have not seen the Mom in almost two weeks, He is still bringing food. Then I worried that after they fledged and were not always in the nest, would he lose interest and perhaps begin his migration? This past week he has seemed to be more scarce. I would catch a chick eating a fish, but did not see KISA deliver it. The chicks are now spending time away from the nest and I have searched hi and low for them unsuccessfully. Several times this week I found the nest empty, and waiting, searching did not help me locate them. But if I returned several hours later, I might find them on the nest. This morning I arrived and there was one chick on the nest, apparently just finishing breakfast. After cleaning his beak, he flew off. Again, I searched for the chicks and found none. So quiet. Then as I was talking to one of the people I see frequently at this site, we saw an osprey flying very high. This appeared to be an adult with a fish, but it did not just fly to the nest…..it circled the area slowly for a long time and then finally dipped down low and I lost him. So I put my scope on the tripod and went out to look for him. It took a while but I finally spotted him in a tree, with a whole fish. Yes, it appeared to be KISA. He was just perched there, looking all around, but not eating. Then he flew a few loops around the area and landed in a different spot. Again, he was looking around in every direction, but wasn t eating. Many of you know, it’s quite common for a male to at least eat the head off a fish before delivering it to chicks. But he didn’t do that. He flew around, clearly displaying the fish before landing somewhere new and looking all around. It was very clear to me that he was doing, what I had seen so many Dads do later in the breeding season….looking to see if any chicks were around that were hungry! This is all quite normal behavior for a Dad, who has incubated eggs, cared for chicks that carry his DNA and has an investment in their survival. But this male is not the Dad! And yet it was so obvious that, even when the chicks have gone off on a little adventure, he is now looking for them and wanting to feed them! Then after about 30 minutes of this behavior he did start to nibble on the head of the fish….but when he heard the distinctive sound of a young osprey foodbegging he flew immediately to the nest where he was met by one of the chicks and he handed over the whole fish and departed.

These are subtle behaviors, but it was so heartwarming to see that even when the chicks are not around, he is concerned for their welfare. He has the instincts of a Dad, but he isnt the Dad! And he must know, he didn’t copulate with the female, he didn’t incubate the eggs, but still he feels the urge to care for them. Shortly after he departed the other chick showed up, crying for food as the other chick ate. I saw which direction KISA went so I headed that way, in hopes of seeing him catch a fish…..a long walk-about failed to spot him but when I got back to the nest, both chicks were eating! In every respect, he is behaving like a Dad. I now feel fairly confident that he will continue this pattern until they decide to begin their migration. So many times this summer I felt like these chicks were doomed, but even in the face of so many other tragic losses in our osprey population, this young male has risen to the occasion and lifted my spirits. He is a very unique osprey! I have seen so many single females struggle to care for chicks alone, and I would never have guessed this was possible. It’s been a pleasure to share this story with so many interested humans! There is so much going on in the natural world that we have little awareness of…so pay attention!!!!! Amazing things are going on!

Here is an unrelated photo….as I was driving away from a nest with a chick missing, I saw this one perched in a tree….and this is a spot where I have found ospreys perching for the entire 30 years of my osprey life….so I just thought I would share this image. I know you all like pictures!

Updates…

 A few updates for you all. I have been visiting Kisa’s nest most days at least for a short time. I have not seen mom since Aug 6….the day the first chick fledged. Both chicks have fledged now. I was worried that if the adult female left, KISA might discontinue his visits and fish deliveries, but he hasn’t. I don’t see him as often now, largely because he drops a fish and leaves. He is not hanging out there on the nest at all now and I am not sure how many fish are delivered each day. 

Previously, the  chicks spent a lot of time just waiting on the nest for the delivery man to come! But in the last few days they have begun spending more time away from the nest. I have searched all over for them and have not found their favorite hang outs. Today when I arrived there were no chicks anywhere. I hiked all over and drove around looking but did not find them. When I returned to the nest I saw a flurry of flapping wings and as I got my scope up I saw an adult flying off, leaving the chick on the nest with a big fish. Shortly after, the other chick arrived. I watched them for quite a while. I noticed that their bodies are changing, in a good way! 

Prefledge they looked so thin….I could see their sharp keel bone. But now they are starting to look a little….pudgy! That’s the way most chicks look as they pack on the pounds to prepare for a big journey ahead. I have not seen the rehabbed male since that possible sighting two days after we released him. All in all, this whole story is a bit of a miracle….I still hope to see and positively identify  that rehabbed male but just to see these two chicks surviving and making the steps necessary towards independence is heart warming. My fingers are still crossed that KISA will continue to bring enough food for them. It will be hard to see these chicks go tho, as we will not know them if and when they return. They have become very precious and important to me. Sometimes I feel sad that their Dad isnt there to watch them grow up, and their Mom sort of bailed out, possibly because she began to think of KISA as her mate…and expected he would care for the chicks as her instincts told her to prepare for migration.

I am spending less time there because I have to get the data on other nests. And that is not always a happy experience. Chick numbers continue to drop and we have to assume that chicks that disappear and are never seen again at this time have probably perished. Sigh. Flying away from a nest and never returning to be fed is not a successful fledge. We look for explanations….storms, Eagle nests nearby etc…

We still have some chicks that have not fledged at this late date….and I will keep checking them, but it does cause concern. 

I stopped at the Arb cam nest today to take a peek in person. Lil Arb was sitting tight on this windy day, and mom was perched on top of the camera! But I also noticed that the eagle nest that is a short distance from the osprey nest seems to be collapsing! Sorry Eagle lovers, but I think this is a good thing in this situation. I hope they have found a better place to nest next year, and we will have less concern for the welfare of our Ospreys. Look below the osprey nestbox for the pile of tumbling sticks in the pine tree behind.

Richmond the Osprey brings a hat….

 I was talking to someone today about how Ospreys are known for bringing weird stuff to their nests and I mentioned this video. It still cracks me up every time I watch it! So here it is, just for a good chuckle….This is Richmond and Rosie, the SanFrancisco Bay Ospreys….https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiI-7LxqtiAAxWxlIkEHUbRA3gQwqsBegQICBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbayospreys%2Fvideos%2Frichmond-brings-a-hat%2F668313660030083%2F&usg=AOvVaw3twvU8B96N59OHWCibX2yL&opi=89978449

Home again!

 I have been at Kisa’s nest (no it’s not really his nest) every day…. Crazy long hours this past week. After the first chick fledged on Sunday I have searched and waited for him to return. They don’t commonly disappear on their first flight…. They tend to get into all kinds of trouble a bit later. I was pretty certain that we had lost him yesterday but I just couldn’t bring myself to write that post. Most chicks cannot feed themselves this early. Just learning their water starts, going into the water and getting liftoff out of the water, is a skill that they typically practice over and over before they begin to even try to catch a fish. Facing the truth of the situation was hard. In the process of searching for him, and for the rehabbed male, I even found a new nest, or one I didn’t know about….just barely in time to get an accurate count on chicks and to see and identify the male. I did not see the mom at that nest. Neither have I seen the mom at Kisa’s nest since Sunday.

Kisa’s visits are seeming to be fewer and further between. I woke very early again this morning and went back to check on the remaining chick who had not fledged yet. She was flying from one side of the nest to the other but had not actually left the nest yet. As I pulled into my favorite viewing spot and put up my scope I yelled out loud, OH MY GOD! TWO CHICKS!!!!! My heart started racing….and I quickly started looking for the unique head markings I knew this chick had. HURRY HURRY, turn around, lower your head. YES it was him ( or her…..some spots on the breast, less than the other chick. Could be a female). WOW. Gone four days and here this little rascal is. And I have been there so many hours, I have hiked around, driven around, watched and listened so closely. I did leave this nest mid afternoon yesterday to check a few other nests so he may have returned after I left. Both chicks had food in their crops…..not full, but not empty. They had clearly eaten, so KISA must have been there before I got there.

I watched them for several hours. So relieved. But I still had not seen the second chick fledge. I watched her walk out on the nest perch….and I wrote a few lines in my field book and looked up….perch empty! Wait, what? And then, boom she landed back on the nest! Well done! So both had fledged so my thoughts turned to all those nests I have been neglecting. I decided to make a super quick run past 18 nests and returned about 3.5 hours later…..both still on the nest. Crops emptier now. But still….so wonderful to see them alive and together. Then something startled them….don’t know what…and they both flew off the nest and circled above. Then one chick came back to the nest and the other disappeared. I went for a little hike and found him in a tree not far from the nest. So this was great to see…..now they are both able to fly away from a predator. I loved seeing their startle response, a successful escape from a vulnerable position, and a safe return. A huge hurdle has been passed over now. I am a little pissed at the stress it put me thru the past four days….but whew….so relieved that these two, in this difficult life circumstance, have made it this far. Now I just hope KISA will continue to feed them post fledge. It’s a bit miraculous what he has done so far….but as I told the monitor for this nest, maybe he should be called Kita….knight in tarnished armor. He is feeding them enough to survive, so far….but he isnt feeding them as much as a normal parent would, and he isn’t hanging around to protect them very much. Though I know these two would be dead without him. Mom….I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in four days. I am still hoping against hope that I will get to see the rehabbed male and read his band for a positive ID. So it was a big day, with some very happy news. It’s been such a roller coaster ride! Some people see my car with the signs that say Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, and they stop and ask about the birds. I have done a lot of educating during this whole weird year! But when I start to unravel this unusual story, people are amazed at how complicated and challenging their lives can be…..and how much I have observed and understood about what was going on! It does give them a new appreciation for what is occurring right under their noses, without much awareness. These people may never look at an osprey in the same way again! And when this season comes to an end, I will actually miss some of these people that took a real interest in the ospreys and wanted to hear the daily updates. My world is so different than most, and it’s fun to share all the insights I have into the lives of these magnificent raptors that have occupied so many years of my life and so much of my heart.

Happy

 A photo to make you happy…. Who are these two tadpoles? I am sure many of you have heard my story about the male who had a fractured keel and spent a month in rehab many years ago. When released his female treated him like an intruder, and yet he kept sneaking in with fish for his chicks. Very strong parental instincts. Well these are two of his chicks this year! There is one more chick that had not fledged when I took this photo. Don’t they look beautiful and happy? He is still a great parent.

More losses…

 So many events have unfolded in the osprey world this past week…and I always feel bad when I cant find time to write posts here!

Where do I begin? First of all….the photo I posted several posts ago of the single female with her only remaining chick…after her older, very reliable male disappeared. Other males were hanging around and she was having to leave to get fish. Well, after a couple weeks, and after another of her chicks died, that male returned to his nest! I am still completely baffled. But now he is around all the time, as reliable a mate as he was before the absence. How bizarre! I can offer no explanations. But this older male has always been one of my favorites so I am overjoyed that he is allright.

Now back to our rehabbed male who was released last Tuesday. As I was watching that nest on Thursday, a banded male landed briefly on the nest….just long enough for me to see that he had double bands, a color band and a silver federal band. My heart started racing! The other male was not around. The two chicks immediately started hollering for food and he leaned away and took off so I was unable to read his band. About an hour later the unbanded male, Kisa, was on the nest, and he started chirping….the vocalization they use when they see another osprey in their territory. They were all looking up and I saw a male with a split in his tail….exactly like the one that can be seen in the photo of the rehabbed male being released. So, tho I didnt read his band, so I cant say for sure, I do believe that was the older rehabbed male who has lived there for many years. Sadly, we have not seen him since. So he is flying well, easily made his way back to his territory but chose not to fight for the territory or care for the chicks. So far anyway. It’s been difficult to watch the chicks there who are getting enough parental care to survive, but are so often left alone. The female is oddly gone for long periods of time, even days. And this new male still drops fish, but does not hang around a lot. Yesterday the first chick fledged….luckily I was there to see it and he flew well, circling around the area and then finally landing on a rooftop across the road from his nest. I watched him there for 3 hours. He did fly off and loop around the area but returned to that roof top. So take offs and landings were solid and I am sure he could see the nest from there. I figured he would get back to the nest when he got hungry! I had to leave for a few hours, as it was raining and I had a sick cat at home….but returned later that afternoon but I was unable to find him at all. In fact I could not see the other chick in the nest either. The mom came back to the nest and she wandered around the nest picking up leftover fish bits, and no other chicks head popped up, noone asked for food. I watched mom for 90 minutes and saw no chicks. She finally departed, and I walked all around in the rain, until I was soaked, and quite sad. Most chicks first flights are short and successful….I have seen it hundreds of times. But nothing is normal on this nest this year. I finally left. I got up at the crack of dawn today and returned to the nest hoping to see both chicks….but there was only one. Sigh. I watched all morning and Kisa came with a fish for this remaining chick. I went home, checked on the kitty and checked a couple of other nests and came back. Still just the one chick, with occasional visits from Kisa. Again, I walked all around looking, listening but found no clues about where the other chick went. Usually if a healthy chick ends up on the ground, they will food beg if they see an adult with a fish. I heard nothing. I have located and rescued many chicks this way…but this chick seems to have disappeared. I will look again tomorrow, and I also keep searching any and all lakes in the area in search of our banded male. Its hard to accept all the sad twists and turns on this and other nests.

And if all that isnt enough difficult stuff….last friday I recieved word that a nest on a transmission had blown down. So at the crack of dawn on Saturday I went out to check that situation….and found three chicks perished. What a disastrous year for our ospreys. sigh.

Free…

 After four days of conversations with The Raptor Center, trying to sort out so many difficult aspects of this complicated situation with the single female, the new unbanded male that is bringing fish, and the original territorial male that has been in rehab for 7 weeks….we finally decided to release him today quite a long ways from his nest. I won’t pretend that this was easy and that I  totally agree with all the decisions, but I think it was weighed carefully and hopefully we have done the best thing for all these ospreys. There was great concern that releasing him close to his nest would cause an immediate territorial fight between these two males, potentially injuring one or more ospreys. We also had to consider the two chicks which are close to fledging, and who could have been frightened into prefledging  before they were ready, if a fight was occurring around the nest. They could have ended up injured on the ground, collateral damage. And we had to consider that this male had been in rehab a long time and he just may need some time to adapt to being free, catching his own fish,  before he would have to deal with either a fight or demands for food from his family. We don’t know if he will still feel his parental instincts, if he will see these chicks as his since they were just hatching when he was injured. There is just SO much we dont know and can’t predict. I do have some ideas about what might occur, based upon my experience releasing that dear male in 2015 that I have written about every year. His parental instincts remained very strong….but his female attacked him as if he were an intruder! The male we released today is an older bird who has been a parent many times, so I suspect his parental instincts may be quite strong. We just don’t know how much of a toll this long period in rehab may have taken on him. So the thinking was that releasing him further away would give him time to gather his wits, and HE will decide if he wants to get back to his territory and rejoin his family. Of course he won’t be expecting to have to fight for his territory at this time….but sometimes an older experienced male can handle this stuff swiftly. And sometimes older birds are displaced by younger ones. We don’t know how the female will react either. We will be watching his nest closely and hoping that he returns, either soon or perhaps next spring. 

I did check on the osprey family twice today….and I saw Mom, KISA and both chicks of course. I did not see the adults together….mom was there in the morning and KISA was there briefly this afternoon when he dropped off a fish. I do not even know who to root for….but this evening I realize I am hoping that the older male can return and regain his territory. I also recognize that these chicks might not be alive without Kisa’s efforts…..so I hope the older guy says “thanks” before he says, “scram”. This magnificent young male will be able to find a new mate and territory and I have done drawings of his markings so I will recognize him if he shows up elsewhere. But, what I want and hope for doesn’t really matter….events will unfold in their own mysterious way, quite often not the way we expect, and the story may not have the happy ending we want. Life is like that sometimes , and I will learn from all this….after spending SOOOOOO many hours watching. There may be holes in the data on other nests because I have spent so much time at this nest….but it seems to happen every year! Some nest, some crisis, some unusual behavior always grabs my attention! As always, I remain deeply curious! Now we wait and watch and see what happens next. Thanks to The Raptor Center for their excellent medical care of this osprey, and for including me in this decision and making sure I was able to attend the release. We cross our fingers, say our prayers, think good thoughts and hope that things work out well for all the ospreys involved in this interesting

More single adults raising chicks alone…

 Update on the single mom I have been writing about….( tho I have now discovered at least 4-5 others). Yesterday when I got to the nest at 6:30 am there were no adults. I worried that they spent the night alone, easy pickings for great horned owls. And their crops were empty. After about 30 min KISA showed up with a small fish….the chicks fought aggressively over it ( a sign they are not getting enough food) and the KISA departed again and came back quickly with another fish. With both chicks eating and an adult there, I went to check other nests. Sadly I discovered at least two nests where I did not see a male during two different visits and the females were leaving chicks alone to go get food. I also found some other nests where the number of chicks has gone down and I didnt see a male but I am not sure if those females are actually alone. I feel like something quite alarming is happening. 

When I returned to the original single females nest at about 2 pm, the chicks were alone again and then a male came and landed on the nest perch. I looked at his breast and saw a few spots and wondered if KISA had gotten some fish guts on his white breast….and then he looked down and I saw his dorsal feather pattern on his head…..nope, that’s not KISA! ( studies have shown that the feather pattern on the top of an ospreys head is unique to each bird and remains the same thru out it’s life, so it can be used to identify unbanded birds).  NOTHING attracts unmated males like an undefended territory….it’s a magnet to them. So this male was testing, “ why isn’t anyone chasing me away?” I wondered the same thing, and I worried if he would be aggressive with the chicks. It was funny how the chicks were food begging and this male was leaning away from them! Then all of a sudden there was a flurry of flapping wings, the male left, and there was Mom!  And she had a fish. Whew! One chick began eating….and after a short time KISA came with a fish also, so chicks were chowing down and they were safe. Last evening Pat went to check them again and both Mom and KISA were there, each brought a fish. So the chicks went to bed with full crops. This morning Mom was there, but her crop was empty and chicks were food begging….but she didnt go get fish. I watched for nearly 2.5 hours and Mom took off and did not return. About noon, I left again to check more nests and recheck some from yesterday where I thought there was a single female caring for chicks. I confirmed that today. Sigh. And I am so far behind on nest checks and my concern is growing about what is occurring on our nests. I returned to our focus nest at about 3 pm and KISA was there and both chicks had a fish. So I came home. The chicks have made it thru half of this sizzling hot week, largely due to this amazing male, whose behavior is a bit miraculous. The  last super hot day is supposedly tomorrow, with temps beginning to lower a bit on Friday. We had some storms go thru last night and I was deeply worried about those two chicks AND lil Arb….so not much sleep for me. Thank goodness it was just heavy rain and not severe winds or hail so all is well. But the big question remains….what is happening? This is why I have always felt this research is important….because Ospreys are an indicator species and when their numbers plummet it is telling us something about our environment. So I have 30 years of data to look at. The number of failures is becoming high, tho not as high as the year we had massive black fly hatches….not yet anyway. But our mortality rate is soaring. That’s a big red flag. The knot in my stomach is growing.

July 24, 2023…

 After my visit to the single females nest yesterday, 7:30-4, it was troubling that she never showed up at all. So one of our volunteer monitors, Pat, went there in the evening and lo and behold the female was there! In 90 minutes she brought two fish and fed the chicks! Totally normal behavior, tho odd that she had not been there at all during my time there during the day. The new male, Kisa did not show up at all during Pats visit, tho I had seen him bring fish during the day. Today I was there at 6:30 am and the female was there with the chicks, so it appears that she spent the night with them. She hung out on the nest for 3.5 hours, however, in spite of the chicks food begging, she did not feed them at all. Their crops were empty. At 10 am she flew off and did not return. I waited for two hours and then went searching for her. I went to a nearby lake and scanned the lake, the trees, every nook and cranny to no avail. I saw people fishing there successfully so a good spot for ospreys, but she was not there. I returned to the nest and the male was there, and one chick was eating a fish! It must have been a small fish because he finished quickly and clearly had some food in his crop, but not a lot. The other chick remained empty. It was 89 degrees and muggy so I ran off to Starbucks for an iced coffee! When I got back the chicks were alone. The male returned quickly tho with a bigger fish and the chicks took turns stealing it and eating, and when the fish was finished both had fairly full crops. The make remained in the nest during this time, and at one point another osprey flew over and he moved closer to the chicks to protect them. They had no breakfast but had a good lunch. I left at about 3 pm. Now we are not seeing the two adults there together, and they are acting like a divorced couple with shared custody! I dont know what to make of all this, especially the females failure to feed them any breakfast, but she fed them well last evening! If they continue to share feeding duties, the chicks will probably be allright. I can make no sense of the females behavior….or for this unrelated male to be doing some feedings, usually in the afternoon. WTH? Neither one of them is acting like a fulltime parent.

We also have discovered at least three other nests with a single female.….and there may be more I havent discovered yet. We have never had so many adult mortalities mid season. Two of our older experienced banded males have disappeared and we are grieving their absense. We have no idea what happened, tho one observer reported seeing eagles and ospreys fighting at one of these nests. The females are struggling…one nest has lost two chicks and the female is trying to care for the remaining chick. At another nest the female is caring for two chicks. It can take some time to figure out that a male is missing at this time of year since, when chicks are big and hungry all the time, the males are fishing full time…..so its common to find no male at a nest. But when we find the female gone too, it’s often a sign that she is a single parent. If we find fewer chicks in a nest it can also be a clue that the female has been unable to provide enough food for all chicks to survive.

And I have not been able to get to all nests as often as I would like…there just arent enough hours in a day, and days in a week for me to get to all the nests. ( and of course I am spending too much time at this one troubled nest trying to figure out whats happening.) I encourage all the nest monitors to try to locate two adults on every nest, even if it means return visits or just waiting. Something is going on that I cant explain….but we need to make a point of looking for both adults, especially if only one adult was seen on the last visit. I know its not always easy to locate males this time of year. And when we do see two adults, thats a very important piece of info to put in the reports. A huge thanks to all the nest monitors who are toughing out this brutal week of extremely hot and muggy weather. I know it’s not easy, or pleasant….tho it’s not too bad at 6 am! And now, I have to go to bed.

Wow…

 So many sad stories, baffling stories to tell. I can’t fit them all in one post nor can I offer explanations for all the losses. Let’s start with the single female I have spoken about, whose mate is at TRC in rehab last we heard. She managed to figure her situation out and took grand care of three chicks for the first month, tho one was clearly smaller and lagging behind developmentally. Sadly that chick died. But she continued to care for her two remaining chicks. She was never gone from the nest for more than 10-20 minutes at a time. During that month we often saw an unbanded male flying over and she always responded by chasing him off. Nope, go away. Typical behavior. Then she finally let him land on the nest with a fish! She stood over her chicks protectively as he landed, and then she walked over and grabbed the fish and then snapped at him and said “scram”. So he did. Then she started to let him stay on the nest! Then earlier this week after he had brought a fish or two, she took off. I waited around all day and she did not come back! After five hours, I left. I was certain she had met some unfortunate fate. I pondered what to do, what was happening. I went back very early the next day and lo and behold she was there with the chicks! The male brought a fish and she fed the chicks and she let him stay and hang out. But after a while he left…..and so did she, never to return that day! The male kept coming with fish, for chicks that are not his offspring. In my 30 years of field work I have only seen a male do this one other time. Most females will chase a visiting male off. Of course you all know that bringing fish is an important part of the courtship ritual, so I have always assumed that a male that did this was courting the female, and the chicks were just a bit of an annoyance. On the other nest where I observed this many years ago, that male never brought fish to the chicks, just to the female and she fed the chicks. He did chase other males away and defended the territory. But he did not provide all the food, that female still had to go get food for her chicks, but she definitely had some help. ( He became the territorial male the following year, so this behavior may be a way to secure a mate and a good nest in a desirable territory.) Now on this current nest, that female, who was so devoted to her chicks for over a month of being a single parent, is now leaving every morning and not returning to the nest for at least 7-8 hours. I have not yet gone back in the late evening to see if she returns to spend the night, but I hope to do that. (Honestly I am so tired from weeks of field work without a day off, waking at 4 am, checking nests all day, and all the stress of losses and bizarre events, by 7 pm I am dead.) Anyway, this is now day four of this behavior. I am baffled. I have searched for her and am quite certain she is not anywhere nearby where she can see the nest. I will expand my search further away to another lake. And meanwhile, back on the nest, that male is hanging out with the chicks and bringing fish during the day! He will not feed them, or shade them, and they struggle a bit with self feeding, especially when he delivers a fish with a head on it. But they are surviving. He also chases away other ospreys and eagles. Anyone who was not paying close attention would assume all is well on this nest, when in fact these are very unusual behaviors all around. These are not his chicks, the female is not caring for her chicks in a normal way. I have wondered if she is sick, and not able to care for the chicks. But so far, every morning she is there for a few hours at least.

Perhaps we underestimate the stress and repercussions of being a single parent in the osprey world. Could that explain her sudden need for time away from the nest? is she just depleted?

I do not normally name the ospreys, but I am calling this new unbanded male KISA, for Knight In Shining Armor. He is behaving as a normal father would, but he has no biological incentive to care for these chicks, especially when the female isn’t! I am scratching my head and searching my mental files for a way to understand it. I wish my mentor, Sergej Postupalsky ( who studied ospreys in Michigan for over 50 years) was still alive to discuss this with. He loved these stories and always had interesting insights, tho he also repeatedly said I was teaching him too with my intense field work and careful observations. I am still so damn curious about osprey behavior, and I think behaviors are changing as our population grows and as climate change affects the world. We are facing an extremely hot week ahead and I am worried about how these chicks will fare, without a mom during the blazing hot days. Will this male continue his provisioning? He is now clearly caring for them and not just courting this female. And remember, there is a long time mate still in rehab. It’s quite a thick plot! So many questions, concerns….and, man, ya just gotta love this male!

And how will I handle checking on them during these sizzling days ahead. Lordy.

More stories to come….

Fledging!

 Our first three chicks have fledged sucessfully! One nest, all in one day! This was one of the first pairs to return and the first to lay eggs, so they have been my indicator nest this year…..now we start watching other early nests for fledging.

Another shocking possible catastrophe unfolding elsewhere and I was there all day yesterday, will return this morning as I try to figure out whats happening and if there is anything I can do. More later.

Single female…

 I went back to the nest with the single female today to see what was going on with that new male. I found the female and her two chicks just hanging out quietly…..I watched for about 45 minutes and during that time she occasionally started food begging and moved closer to her chicks. Finally the unbanded male arrived with a fish and she went over to him and took the fish from him….and he willingly let her have it. Then she turned and snapped at him! He just stood there so she lunged at him…SCRAM! Wow. This is so interesting….she didnt quite trust him, so she did move closer to her chicks in a protective posture. But he clearly was delivering a fish to her. And yet she didnt want him there. So she is not accepting him as a potential mate, but will take his fish. Hmmmmm. And because I am always so interested in behaviors, I now want to stay all day and see if she is leaving to get fish sometimes, or is she depending on him fully for food. This was the second fish delivery I have seen. Its fascinating! Will behaviors change over time? Will he get tired of providing for a family that is not his. Will she begin to accept him? I am still curious after 30 years of watching ospreys.

But jeeeez I have so many other nests to check, bands to try to read, and the fledging window has opened so we are watching for those first flights. AND I still have nests where chicks are so small, I dont have a full count of the chicks yet!

I was happy to see that MS at the Arb delivered breakfast right on schedule at 5:30 a.m. this morning! No slacking allowed buddy!