I have been watching the Arb cam….now that the eagle chasing, and nest defense have lightened up, I am watching the behaviors of these two ospreys. This is a new female and I am seeing some behavioral clues about all this. In this photo you can see the male turning his back on the female and drooping his wings and shaking them……( wish i had gotten a video) this is a typical defensive posture often seen with a new pair of ospreys. I am also seeing that when the male mounts the female for copulation, she is unreceptive. She does not lift her tail. This can be a clue that she is too young to breed, or that she is unsure of him as a mate. Sometimes females do this if what they want is a fish. For a male to deliver fish is a part of courtship and pair bonding. The female is perfectly capable of getting her own fish or she wouldnt have survived this far….but part of the test of whether this male will be a good mate, is for him to provide food for her. But when refusal to copulate is a continuing behavior, it often means she is just too young to lay eggs. Time will tell. But we certainly are seeing a series of stumbling blocks for these ospreys…..the eagles, the poor condition of the nest itself, and the issues surrounding this new female and her possible young age. They may just become what we call ” housekeepers”, staying together and just working on the nest and their pair bond. I will keep watching for changes in these behavioral clues….
just thought you all might be interested in what I see, with 30 years of experience observing behaviors and outcomes.
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