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!