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.