Acceptance…

 I know there is great concern for the Arboretum cam nest chicks….and it can be difficult to watch the struggles that all birds can face. Nature is not a Disney movie. Yesterday morning the female gave all three chicks a good feeding. During the afternoon she seemed to be neglecting them. She didnt feed, and she even left them, to sit on the nestperch…not even providing shade and shelter. I can’t explain her behaviors, other than the fact that she is probably a first time mother. She just isnt a great parent. Maybe she will learn, maybe she wont. She did finally feed the older two chicks quite well last evening, but the littlest chick was hanging back, not joining the others, not even facing Mom sometimes. Adults respond to certain behaviors so this chick has to do its part to elicit the right behaviors from the parents. It may be that this chick has deficiencies that the adults are aware of. And yet I see Mom offer more shelter to the smallest chick. This morning I saw two feedings, and the bigger chicks got good meals, but the little one got nothing. Again, it didnt move towards mom, often faced away. Then Mom flew off….and Dad was there eating and looking at the chicks, looking for her….and he finally went over and collected them up and brooded them! This is unusual for a male to do. But sadly, he didnt feed them. But maybe he will start filling in more. He accurately read the needs of the chicks for parental protection. The female returned after about ten minutes….and she went to the perch. The male left. All we can do is watch….I hate this term but in nature it is “survival of the fittest”. Not all chicks survive. If this little chick doesnt have strong enough instincts to do what needs to be done to get fed, it probably wouldnt survive on its own anyway.

For all those who are messaging me and asking me to intervene….There are state and federal laws that govern these things. It is illegal to “take” a chick without permits to do so from both the state and federal authorities. Ospreys are not an endangered species….the population is large and growing. We had 132 successful nests in the metro last year, meaning they fledged at least one chick. 35 nests failed for one reason or another. ( all the data from 2022 was posted earlier). So when you look at the big picture, Ospreys are doing well. Nests fail and chicks die for all sorts of reasons and it’s all normal. Its still sad.

Many nest cams across the country deal with these issues, when the viewing public has difficulty accepting the saddest parts of natural outcomes. My human heart does hurt. I have invested 30 years of my life in watching, documenting and helping ospreys when I can. But sometimes we have to accept what feels unacceptable. In my mind, I separate things into different categories…and when a wild creature is in trouble because of human behaviors, it feels like we have more of an obligation to intervene. ( Like repairing and maintaining the artificial nesting platforms we have errected for them) But when it is a natural process, I think we have to just use the opportunity to learn about behaviors. We must allow this process to unfold in its own way. The ospreys may surprise you. And we can share our grief over the inevitable losses. Think good thoughts for these birds!