September 27

 Today I went back for another visit with the ospreys in the last post. I quickly spotted the Dad across the lake ( first photo) with a big fish. But I heard no food begging from the juvenile. I watched and kept hiking around the lake to get a little closer….and closer….and I scanned all the usual perches but did not see or hear the youngster. Very quiet, the lake was like glass….i heard squirrels rustling thru the dry leaves. Dad was eating a few bites, and then stopping, listening, scanning the area in all directions….then a few more bites and he would stop again and look for his offspring. He searched the sky above too. Finally he flew off, back towards the nest. So I followed him and found him perched on some ballfield lights…..still looking in all directions. He had half the fish in his talons, but he was just waiting, in case she showed up hungry. These males are often so devoted to their chicks, and we believe this one is a parent for the first time. I told him what a great job he had done….I was so touched by his care for this chick, until the very end…tho his nest building skills could use some work!!!! Ha ha! We hope that he and his mate both survive and return for another year at this site.

I savor these final days and hours I get to spend with them….no longer having to rush off to check 15 other nests…just relaxing with them, watching listening and feeling the love. I never tire of spending time with them….It remains a priority until I can no longer find any ospreys. They are so magnificent and even tho it’s been a very tough year, with many heartbreaking losses, in these final moments, all I can feel is the love. What a privilege it is so share a bit of their lives as I do.

September 25!

 I just had to go out looking again today…September 25, and I spent a joyful 2.5 hours watching this lovely chick and her Dad. I didn’t get any photos of him as he was moving around a lot. This sweet juvenile was following him, perching nearby and hollering for food. Dad disappeared for a while and this chick did try to catch a fish! She was gazing into the water, went plunging in and got out of the lake… without a fish, but it was a great water start! She is working on her skills! She was flying between the nest and the nearby lake, and I loved the sound of her crying all the way!

Most of our friends are gone now, so it was a total pleasure to hang out with this pair on this lovely fall day! Oh how I will miss them!

Concerning update…

 It’s become so difficult to write these updates recently. So many sad outcomes. Where do I begin, what do I say? 

I have many situations I could write about. I hinted at them in previous posts.

But the latest sad situation is at the Arboretum cam nest. The banded male, MS was last seen last Monday (8/26) right before a storm came thru. We do not know what happened to him. He was never seen again. The mom was seen that morning, and she too was never seen again. Females are the first to leave on migration so perhaps she is on her way to her wintering grounds. Males do not begin their migration when there is still a juvenile depending upon them for food. The chick was seen on the nest for a few days after dad’s disappearance but on Thursday Aug 29 the chick appeared to have some large bird chasing it. He landed on the nest then almost rolled off the edge of the nest as if he was being dive-bombed and we could see him fly off, followed by a large dark shadow on the ground. The chick was never seen again. I have searched for him to no avail. A new unbanded male has been hanging around on the nest since the territorial male, MS, disappeared. I have witnessed a bald eagle chasing him repeatedly as I searched for the chick and MS. I am beginning to come to the conclusion that the chick may have been killed by an eagle.  I wonder if MS met the same fate, or was he injured in the storm? It wasn’t that bad a storm and ospreys are quite good at surviving bad weather, but I just dont know. So many questions. What we know for a fact is the male has not been seen since Monday in the late afternoon and the chick has not been seen since Thursday morning. Typically a male will stay around and defend his territory and protect his offspring, but he hasn’t. And a juvenile will return to the nest to be fed for up to 4 weeks post fledge. Sometimes they may be fed at a different location, and some will venture forth and begin to try fishing on their own. So far, all searching has been unproductive.  I cannot see or hear a juvenile asking for food. I have looked all around the area and surrounding lakes. The sudden disappearance is unusual, and the final video of the chick is disturbing. And the Dad would not leave his territory before the offspring. Adult males are typically the last of the family to begin their migration, staying until the chicks are no longer asking for food, and have begun their migration. 

And if the territorial male, MS, were still around, he would not be allowing the new unbanded male to remain on the nest as much as he has. 

This is all unsettling. We have so few facts, but we know that three  ospreys are missing for sure. The female may be fine and on her way south as many females are now. But the sudden absense of the territorial male and the beautiful chick is cause for concern. And the presence of a new male is a signal that this is now an undefended territory. Now the cam is down or off so we cannot monitor events on the nest. Since it’s been a holiday weekend, all the gates were locked so I could not look near the nest for any injured birds or bodies / clues. I have been looking for the chick and Dad out side the fences, and listening for them, but I do all this with a deep pit in my stomach. I will expand my search area today. And this is just one of many situations of concern, just one place where I have spent so much time searching, watching, listening. More posts to come.

Thanks to Sunnie Day, a long time, very experienced osprey monitor in another state for the video and tips about these missing ospreys. I had been busy searching for missing ospreys in the other side of the metro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIA4eBLBv3E

 

Updates….and apologies

 Yeah yeah yeah….another apology for not posting anything sooner. It’s been a wild and challenging year here. We have been watching an unprecedented number of nests with a single parent. And sometimes, one adult cannot provide enough for a large family. We are seeing a very high mortality rate among chicks and adults. There may be multiple reasons for this….but heavy rains have resulted in poor water quality in some places. Lots of algae, sediment, lily pads….which makes it hard for ospreys to fish. I have spent so much time visiting and revisiting nests to count chicks, search for missing chicks and adults. Two of my favorite banded males have disappeared. So I reached out to The Raptor Center today to check on a chick I brought in earlier. Unfortunately  they  have already released that chick and another one. I like to be there to watch over them post release to see if they are being fed. Now it will be difficult to single them out from other chicks in the area. I would have made different choices about where to release them based on my  observations over 30 years. But they also gave me a list of 13 ospreys ( 6 adults and 7 juveniles) that have come in this summer from my study area and this is very, very sad….but helpful to our data regarding outcomes. Me and several of my monitors have devoted significant time to searching for these missing adults and juveniles….and this does help us fill in some holes. Not the way we want to, but at least we have fewer questions and can stop looking. However we still have many missing birds that they did not receive. So some mysteries remain. Honestly, it kind of took the wind out of me today to see that list. They say they are admitting a record number of birds. This is consistant with what we are seeing too. 

We watch these nests so carefully and we know when something is going wrong, birds are missing….but we can’t always find them or rescue them. There are still a lot of people who don’t find value in what we do, who don’t believe what we tell them about their nests. Some people still believe that a chick can fly off the nest for the first time and magically take care of itself and not return to the nest to be fed. We know that isn’t true. If they don’t return to be fed, something unfortunate  has happened. Ospreys are not precocial like ducks….able to feed themselves shortly after hatching. They are altricial, which means they depend upon parents for a long period after hatching, and even after fledging. I have been watching chick development for 30 years and I have a pretty good sense of when something has gone wrong…and when it hasnt! I got an email about a chick in a nest that an observer thought was undersized and had been left behind and needed rescue. I had been watching that nest but none the less, I went to recheck it. Chick actually had fledged and was flying and landing nearby…and it was the same size as Dad, and was being well fed. ( very full crop)  Just a late hatch and therefore a late fledger. And since it is a female, it was hanging out on the nest a lot, waiting for food to be delivered. All normal behaviors. So we keep doing what we do….we know when to be concerned, and when not to. We grieve over the losses, because every bird matters. And we celebrate the nests where three beautiful chicks have fledged successfully. I have been lucky to watch some adults out fishing, some chicks trying to practice their water starts….there are a LOT of skills to develope before they are independent. I will search for the chicks that were released in hopes that I can spot them being fed. It’s very hard for a chick to spend a month in rehab during such an important phase of their life, when they should be learning so many important skills while their parents are still feeding them. I will do what I can to find them and to learn more about how these young birds fare when released post rehab. Its much easier for adults. It is still fun to see these beautiful young birds perched near their nests….fledged!

Lil Arb!

 Lil Arb fledged this morning ( 8/6) about 6:42! And returned about 8:12! A successful fledge!

Fledging?????

 Oh my SO much happening on so many nests….but today I wanted to mention that the window for fledging opens today for the Arboretum Cam chick. We don’t know for sure if this is the first hatched chick, or the 2nd or 3rd. But the average fledging date has been reached today if this is the first chick. I always compare fledging to when a human child walks….it can vary a lot. But this is when we start watching more carefully for signs of fledging. Many thought this chick wouldn’t make it after the sad start and losses we observed earlier….but this chick has done well and made it to this milestone. Fledging is a delicate time and we certainly hope for a successful, uneventful fledge for this one. So I will be watching when I can….tho I am spread so thin, with so many tragedies on so many nests. We have never had so many single parent nests….and I dont know what has happened to so many males that have not been seen recently. Females are leaving chicks alone for long periods  to hunt. The chick mortality rate is high. Stay tuned….and think a good thought for the Arb chick!

Chicks as big as adults!

 A super busy weekend of checking nests….chicks are fledging all over the place now. I got this photo of a mother and chick and thought it might help people who are having some difficulty differentiating between adult and juvenile when the young ones are as big as adults! You can easily discern the difference in their plumage here….with adults having solid dark feathers on their backs and wings, and the juveniles have a white tip on every dark feather which serves as camouflage in the nest. They have an easily observed mottled appearance. As they age, these white tips begin to wear away and are less noticeable as they approach migration. You can also see here the difference in color of the eyes. Adults have a bright yellow eye, and the youngsters have a rusty red, or orange eye that begins to fade to a rosy gold color. Hope that helps some people to discern the differences!

First fledge!

 We had our first successful fledge today! This was at the first nest to return this spring, the first pair to lay eggs and the first nest to hatch. So now the window opens for the others to follow. When I arrived this morning there were only two chicks on the nest and as I watched and listened, the monitor for this nest showed up too. So Debbie and I finally spotted the chick perched just above and behind my car, on a power pole. Then he flew to a more precarious spot, on a powerline that hung rather low over the road. There is a lot of construction going on near this area, so many large trucks were passing just below the chick. We held our breath, worrying that the chick might jump and get hit by a vehicle…..a few cars did see the chick and stopped to take photos. We waited and watched and he finally went to a higher perch on a power line and I stayed to watch over this fella until he finally rejoined his siblings on the nest. Whew! Thanks Debbie for holding your breath with me!

7

After the storm….July 14, 2024

 I checked many nests today….300 miles and 42 nests checked this weekend! So far the worst of the storm damage was in my neck of the woods…..but I have many more nests to visit, I appreciate those volunteers that did check nests today! Very helpful.

We are seeing a common complaint /concern all over the metro this year. Many males are very scarce…..we think they might be dead and then they show up. What’s going on? I am not sure, but suspect that fishing is hard this year. Even the females who leave to get fish are sometimes gone quite a long time. There has been a lot of rain, which may cause high, muddy waters. Also, all the rain is washing a lot of lawn chemicals into the lakes, which can cause algae growth which can make fish hard to see. Fish may be going deeper if water temps are high. Just a lot of theories but because these behaviors and concerns are seen on so many nests I know it’s not just one males problem. Sadly I am seeing growing chick mortalities, and failed nests this year. Of course some ups and downs in reproductive success are normal. Ospreys are an indicator species, at the top of the aquatic food chain, so they reveal much about the health of our environment. That is why we feel this ongoing research is so valuable. We need to know if a bad year or two is a blip or a trend. 

I am driving many miles and working very hard to try to keep tabs on all nests and donations have been down this year. If anyone wishes to offer some financial support you can go to the Go Fund Me page , link below,  or send donations directly to me ( email me at osprey.mn@gmail.com for mailing address)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/d2zza-twin-cities-metro-osprey-watch?qid=f1a3aaf10fb689f051897c0a4ac3da70

Rescue…

 I know how much you all love to hear happy stories but I am trying to give you an honest peek into my life and the life struggles of our Osprey friends. It’s been a tough few days. I posted earlier about a nest where we found a dead male, and two chicks missing from the nest. One chick and the mom remained. I checked in on her many times that first week and always found her there and the chick had food in its crop so I thought things were going smoothly. So I didn’t check back as often. After a week or so I returned to check that nest earlier this week. At first sight I thought wow, the chick has grown so much , she looks really good! Mom wasnt there. Then I saw that the chick had an empty crop. But maybe mom was gone fishing , so I waited…..for almost four hours and no adult came to the nest. I had to go home and thought I would return early the next day to recheck, hoping that mom would be there or the chick would have food in its crop. I got there early because I had some personal medical appmts that day. The chick was still all alone with a very empty crop. I felt sick. The laws in this state do not allow us to take a chick off a nest without permits from both the DNR and the USFWS. They usually won’t issue such permits to rescue one chick that is an abundant species. My hands were tied. I went to my doc appmts and then came back. The chick looked awful….so thin, its keel sticking out, its crop totally sunken, salt around the nares. I watched again for several hours and then just couldn’t take it, too hard to watch this chick suffering alone. What happened to the Mom? A male came to the nest with a fish, and he initially gave the chick a couple bites of food, and then he just dropped the fish and walked around the nest. “ it’s not my job”. Then he picked up the fish and ate some himself…and then he apparently dropped the fish off the edge of the nest and departed. Ahhhhh. 

I had a sleepless night, feeling helpless and knowing there just wasn’t much I could do. I knew if I went back out there I might find the chick dead or still suffering. But I did go back to the nest and found it empty. This is a very bare nest and I have always been able to easily see the chick. But there was nothing in the nest. I assumed the chick might have been predated overnight. I shed a few tears and was about to leave when an adult came flying over my car, with a fish! It was the Mom!!!!! WTF? She looked very thin herself, with an empty crop, and as she ate I thought I could hear some very faint food begging. There is another nest nearby on  a cell tower and it was difficult to discern where the soft food begging was coming from….so I moved closer to the nest. Then it stopped. But I grabbed a box and went searching near the nest. The mom gave an alarm call and flew away. I quickly spotted the chick on the ground. Emaciated. But this little one is a fighter, and she tried to fight me as I scooped her up and put her in a box and quickly got her to the car, moved the car to the shade and turned on the AC full blast as I called the Raptor Center. I let them know what I had and when I would be there. I delivered the chick to their back door and now I am waiting to hear what the medical prognosis is. I don’t know if she was injured in the fall or if she just needs food and hydration. But any of you living in Minnesota know we are in for a super hot, super muggy weekend…and I am relieved that this little one will be in an air conditioned space with food/ hydration. I have done the best I can for this osprey chick. 

Now if this youngster is able to be returned to the wild, it may not be smart to place it in its natal nest, with a single parent that seems unable to provide for it. I can’t explain the Moms absence for the last few days….but  if her parental instincts turned off and she went into survival mode, she can’t be counted on to care for this chick. I will spend some time looking for some nests that might be good alternatives, perhaps with only one chick and two good parents, and a nest that would be accessible. It’s not easy to foster a chick at this later stage of development. I have seen siblings attack a chick after it spent a week in rehab and was returned to its natal nest. It’s a difficult time for a chick to end up in rehab. But for the moment that chick is in the best place for it to get the care it needs and I am relieved that I was able to do something to help. I feel lucky that I was there at just the right moment to hear the chick softly food begging, and that I was able to find it quickly. 

It’s early afternoon and I am pooped! I marvel at how doctors and even these wildlife rehabbers can handle the stress. My heart started racing and the adrenaline was pumping, as I rescued this chick….I care so much and it’s hard to see a chick in distress. So now, having a drink and planning the rest of the afternoon to relax…..maybe go for a little walk to work off some of the built up angst. I did my best for this little one.  I think I need some ice cream. 

MEDICAL UPDATE! I just heard from the Vet at the Raptor Center and here is what she said….”The baby osprey was thin, and we shockingly found a small fish bone lodged in its mouth at the opening of its airway, which I have not seen before, and a few ulcerations on the roof of the mouth which appeared to be from the end of the fish bone rubbing there. We removed it and I’m hoping there won’t be permanent damage. There was some mild asymmetry of the pelvis on the x-rays, but everything was stable so I don’t think there were any major fractures. We’ll keep the chick for monitoring, provide pain medications, and get its weight up. I would consider its prognosis to be guarded for now, but we’ll see how it does over the first few days, which should give us some more info.”. When that unrelated male came to the nest, and he was eating the fish, he was dropping some big bones and the chick was so desperate for food I think he was eating what was dropped….that may be how it got a fish bone lodged in its mouth. Usually a mom will not feed big bones to a chick. Think good thoughts for this youngster….

Early July….

 I have been spending a lot of time in the field lately, and writing posts here always suffers. We are seeing  so many nests full of weeds and greenery, as a result  of all the rain! This  photo is one of the least dense! Some nests are so thick, I have not been able to count chicks! And I seriously don’t know how chicks will fledge out of a jungle. Some of these nests have already failed. Some at least have an open part of the nest so the weeds provide some shade, but they have room to move and flap. 

It appears that we have a handful of nests where something has happened to the male and there appears to be just a single female caring for chicks alone. I am still spending long periods at some nests to determine what’s going on. In the last few days I have spent up to three hours at a nest where the chicks and Mom had very empty crops to see if she was leaving to feed chicks or if there was a male bringing food. Sometimes I just have to stay until I get a definite answer, no matter how long it takes. At another nest I witnessed some very odd behaviors. The monitor reported the possible loss of a chick so I went to watch for a while. A female and one chick were visible. This chick was not very old, still very downy, approximately 3-4 weeks old.  The male brought a fish and the little chick stood up very tall, extended its neck, pushed its breast out in a threatening way as if to try to push the male off the nest! Wow. The female grabbed the fish from the male and then the chick did the same thing to the female! She responded aggressively, pecking and bonking the chick. It was a little frightening to witness. But it quickly calmed down and the mom started feeding the chick. This is very unusual behavior for a chick and a mom. I wondered if the missing chick might have been a victim of siblicide. These behaviors speak to a lack of food. I returned today to recheck this nest and the adult female was there with the chick in her shade. An adult male was perched lower on this cell tower. About ten minutes after I arrived, the adult female left the nest. About 20-30 minutes later the male left also. This young chick was alone for almost two hours. I searched all around for an adult watching from a distance but found none. After all that time alone, the female returned with a fish. Her crop was full. She stared at the chick for a while and then began feeding it. Apparently the chick was behaving and sending the right signals so Mom would feed it. It’s unusual for a female to leave such a young chick alone for so long. It’s hard to add all the pieces up here. Lots of odd behaviors and I will try to keep a closer eye on things. But we have so many nests with single parents and situations that I feel I need to watch. I am stretched pretty thin and driving a lot, but I must evaluate behaviors and keep an accurate chick count. 

On the positive side, I have some new nest monitors that make me feel like I have hit the jackpot! I have enjoyed spending some time in the field with some of those in recent weeks. They are experienced, have good equipment and most importantly they are curious and enthusiastic! I am already so impressed! There is still a huge learning curve the first year, so much to be observed and understood. It’s like learning a new language, but I am certain they will  be successful! It’s been exciting for me to share my stories with people who are so keenly interested! My deepest gratitude to all the nest monitors, new and old, who are so critical to the success of this project. I suspect that some of these people may end up being more than just important participants in this research, they will become friends. 

It won’t be long before our very earliest chicks to hatch will take their first flight and that will keep us all VERY busy, looking for chicks, and documenting successful fledges. 

Another story from today’s adventures….

 I have one more little story from today’s adventures…I had a nest that laid eggs quite late and I kept wondering IF they would hatch. I wondered if one of these ospreys were new this year and that’s what the delay was about. We have very few banded birds now, and in the early days of this project I always did drawings of the markings on unbanded birds so I would know from year to year if it was the same birds or new ones. Now we have far too many unbanded birds for me to do that.

Anyway, they finally did hatch about ten days ago. So I stopped back to see how things were going. This female was doing what I call high brooding….not fully standing up, but not sitting down either…part way up, sort of hunched over the chicks. She was just staring in to the nest. I watched for about 30 minutes and all she did was stare into the nest. She only has eyes for her littles. I dont know if she is a first time mom but it was so endearing how entranced she was! One of the littles did get up so I could see its little downy head, and he wobbled as he lifted his tiny butt and shot the poop…a tiny poop squirt. So sweet. It was hard for me to leave because watching her watch her chicks was so touching. If you really take the time to observe these birds, even when it might appear that not much is happening ….you can’t help but be touched by their devotion. Once again I have to say, I feel so lucky to witness these small, subtle behaviors. I notice everything. I work very hard.…and I am richly rewarded.

Hard work….

 I wonder if any of you know how hard I work to gather all this data and check all these nests! Today I tackled a handful of nests I have to hike in to view…..some thru weeds up to my arm pits! ( next duty: woodtick check) The mosquitoes are unbearable in some places after all the rain we have had. Lordy, even long pants, long sleeves and a headnet are not enough! Note to self….wear gloves!!!!! 

And of course I have to remain hidden so the female won’t see me, give an alarm call, causing the chicks to pancake so I can’t count them!  And hauling a scope and tripod that weigh a lot makes it more difficult. But still, there are rewards! Being alone  in natural places, so peaceful. Being able to quiet my mind and just listen. And to have the ospreys reveal their secrets to me. Now, after such a difficult time in my personal life that kept me away from the ospreys for too long….I have finally visited every nest at least once…..some several times and some many times. I am filling in the holes on my working charts. Still a lot of  work to do, bands to read, chicks to count. And another huge task is those nests that used to be active, and where at least one osprey was seen this spring…but are now empty. Where did they go? Of course this is a needle in a haystack kind of thing….but I try to find them. Some have had their nests removed and I want to know what happened to them. It’s that damn curiousity thing. I have been traveling over 100 miles a day for quite a while now, trying to catch up. It drains my bank account quickly. 

A few updates….we now appear to have three single females….and two of those, whose mate died, have attracted a new male that is bringing fish! This is not something I used to see, but now perhaps with an increased population and more males looking for a good territory and mate…its is happening. They do not ever directly feed the chicks, but they drop a fish for the female (courtship) and they do defend the territory from other males….at least partially. One of the single females seems to just be alone….but we will keep watching and see what evolves. It’s interesting stuff. 

There have been some losses….nests failed, chicks gone. But the numbers do not seem unusually high. Still, it’s always sad. And we have a couple of nests that appear to still be incubating….which at this late date, probably means they are sitting on eggs that are not viable. They have a hard time giving up sometimes. And so do I….on lots of things. 

I know I am way behind on answering emails….bear with me. Gotta get the data, that’s the most important thing to me….and write a post here occasionally….and I will get around to emails on a rainy day!

Spectacular day…

 Some days….I tell ya. Some spectacular days like today, low humidity, very comfortable temps in the mid 70s, a nice breeze make me feel so damn lucky to be out there checking osprey nests. In spite of all I have been thru recently, I still do feel so fortunate to be alive, and to be experiencing my unusual life, spending my time immersed in the intimacies of Osprey behavior. How many people get to experience what I do? Not many. I am so grateful for those long term volunteer monitors who do share this wild and rare adventure with all its ups and downs. The sky today was stunning, the weather perfect, the Osprey chicks visible, male ospreys perched a ways from some nests, watching over their families quietly. Every corner I went around had more and more lovely views, I watched Harriers hunting in a field, trumpeter swans and their cygnets strolling towards a lake, a heron rookery, and osprey chicks looking out at their world, with Moms shading them. Some extra ospreys making a little trouble for another family. Thats osprey life. I think a lot about why this experience has held so much meaning for me for so many years, why I can’t ever walk away. God knows, sometimes it’s very stressful. But days like today are so deeply meditative. When I can fully inhabit my body and quiet my mind, fully aware of just this moment. I treasure this…and I feel sad for people who have walked away. I find these rare and satisfying moments fill my soul. I love these birds, I love being able to develop some insight into how they experience life….in the moment. They don’t think about the past or the future. They accept what happens as it happens. They persevere, no matter what. There is a lot to learn about life from them, my friends.

Clarification….

 I read the new blog from the Arboretum about the loss of the ospreys chicks….with the suggestions that the chicks blew out of the nest or were predated. Most of you who were watching the cam know that the two dead bodies of the chicks were clearly visible in the nest. They were not blown out nor were they predated. They didnt disappear, they died. I have been watching this nest , and all known nests in the metro, closer than almost anyone else and will always try to provide the best answers I can with 30 years of experience observing ospreys. These deaths were heartbreaking and we cannot be sure what actually caused their deaths, but careful observations reveal that the two bodies were dead in the nest. Below is a photo with two grayish oval bodies in the center of the nest….those ,sadly, were the bloated decomposing bodies of the two chicks. Eventually the remains were either removed or covered with grasses. I believe it was the two younger chicks that died, with the older larger chick being the sole survivor. 

Just keeping it real here….

Another tragedy …..

 This week just gets more challenging….got a message this morning about a dead osprey found on the ground. So I went running and sat for many hours watching and trying to figure out what was going on. All was well on this nest 8 days ago. Now, there was what appeared to be a dead male not all that far from the nest. He was badly decomposed, but unbanded. Clearly this death did not occur in the past day or two. I watched the female on the nest….food begging constantly as two other males seemed to be competing for the territory. Two chicks were gone and one remained. She was allowing one male to land on the nest, and he occasionally chased off the other male. But the two males also sat near each other in the same tree for a long time. The female left to get food and was gone for an hour, while the poor chick sat in the rain. She finally returned and did have a fish, tho she had eaten the head, and fed the chick. Then one of the males tried to land on the nest, the other was right behind him and said, SCRAM! And the second male had a fish!

Small, but still….a good sign. The female grabbed it….and she and the chick ate again….and by this time that chick had a HUGE crop. But still, the female is stressed and two chicks are gone. Did they starve because she couldn’t provide enough food? Did something else happen? Sometimes it’s hard to find the answers….but once again it appears that some males be more open to sort of helping a damsel in distress, as an investment in the future.…to get a mate and a territory that is seen as desirable. I will watch as often as I can, and gather as much info as possible. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome here. Now I am torn between two nests where there is a lot of drama. The endless rain makes monitoring challenging….hard to count chicks heads when the Moms are sheltering them from the rain. Think good thoughts….after the tears.

Tragedy at the Arb….again….

Another very sad day yesterday….we have lost two chicks on the Arboretum cam nest. As many know, the power was disrupted to the cam for a few days. All three chicks were doing fabulous,  being well fed, and all showing normal behaviors prior to the problem with the power to the cam. Yesterday morning the cam came back on and there is only one live chick. It is devastating. We had no severe weather, just heavy rain. But Ospreys  can usually  deal with that. It was not torrential rain by any means. It  appeared that another osprey nest at the Arboretum failed about a week ago….for unknown reasons. And the third nest at the Arb appears to have only one chick….and they are GREAT parents there. 

So we don’t know what happened to the Arb cam chicks. These early weeks in an ospreys life are very vulnerable ones.  Chicks at that age cannot thermoregulate and they have no feathers so if they got too wet they could have died from hypothermia. Some people say they were not being fed, but everytime I checked in I was able to see good feedings, with each chick being fed. But several days without being able to see what occurred leaves us without any real answers. Its heartbreaking.

I will be checking other nests in the area this week to see if there is any wider  pattern. In other parts of the metro I am seeing a lot of three chick nests! A few failed nests, and a few that seem to be incubating too long which may mean eggs that aren’t viable. 

I did watch a sweet scene on one nest where the male was feeding both mom and the chick. 

I hope the remaining chick at the Arb makes it. It started out well this morning with the chick being fed. 

June 16 update….

 It’s been a busy weekend checking lots of nests and counting lots of chicks. Seems like a lot of three chick nests! I am happy to report that the nest where the territorial male was hit by a car and killed is doing well! Boy, in those first few days I didn’t feel very hopeful…but this female has done a fabulous job! She has a male that does bring a bit of food….perhaps one or two fish  a day….and the female leaves to get a fish when she needs to. The oldest chick will be three weeks old this week so those early days, when chicks are so vulnerable, is behind them. We think there are two chicks, but can’t totally rule out a smaller third chick. We have developed a great three person team to watch over them, so the nest is very well monitored. Thanks to Allison and Brenda for all their help, concern and dedication. As long time readers will remember, we had a similar situation last year, with a male that was injured just as the chicks were hatching. He was not killed but was in rehab for a long time. In the meantime another male, who we named KISA, stepped up to bring fish and even when the female disappeared, he brought food for the chicks. It was a very unusual behavior. And now we are seeing something similar. Tho this male seems to be interested in courting the female to secure this territory for the future. He has not fed chicks or delivered fish to them specifically…but delivers fish to the female. He also is still trying to copulate, tho it’s clearly too late for egg laying. I think behaviors are changing as the population grows and more males may be willing to help provide for chicks that aren’t his as a way to compete for a mate and territory. So, even after 30 years, I am still curious and still learning! We have seen other males near this nest, but they seemed more interested in the territory, than the female. She shooed them away. Lots of subtle signals between these birds. It sure is fun to watch! 

I also want to thank all the new volunteers who have stepped up to help me monitor some nests. I think we have some great folks that will be a wonderful addition to the team. 

One problem I am struggling with….with all the rain we are having, there are some nests that have sprouted some lush gardens!!!! And I cant see the chicks! HAHA…..

Hopelessly in love….

 Plugging away at checking so many nests….found another new one today. And have been enjoying counting heads on the nests…..damn they are cute. How could anyone not fall deeply, hopelessly in love with these littles….

An update…..

 I have to apologize for my long silence during May and early June. I have had a very challenging spring personally. I am struggling with disabling vision problems that resulted after cataract surgery, then I suffered a huge loss in my family, and I got quite sick, so my attention to ospreys had to be put on a shelf, to grieve and to heal. I have just had another surgery last week and we will see how things heal. I have been limping along, checking nests whenever possible and a lot has happened. I checked 81 nests in the past four days. ( 100 to go!) Many nests have hatched and I am starting to be able to count the tiny little heads….so sweet. It never gets old, the thrill of seeing the wee ones being fed.

Sadly we have already had a male osprey hit by a car and killed, leaving his mate alone right as hatching was beginning. This created a great deal of disturbance and I had to spend a lot of time figuring it all out. And of course this nest was not close to where I live….so lots of driving, and observing with troubling visual symptoms. This suddenly undefended territory attracted a lot of males, and keeping track of them, their markings, and the females reactions to them all was challenging. It’s so sad to lose an experienced, successful breeding male like this. But the female did leave the nest when necessary to get fish for her newly hatched chicks….tho she was hesitant to leave them unattended with other ospreys around. And slowly one male seemed to send the right signals, approaching slowly, keeping his distance. She reacted aggressively to another male…always lunging at him. So now she is copulating with the one male and a fish is delivered occasionally. He is not defending the territory fully yet. We are watching this situation unfold slowly and hoping for a good outcome in a very stressful and sad circumstance. Always a learning experience to study osprey behaviors.

I am also seeing nests that have been active for years, and where at least one osprey was seen early on….now empty. Where have they gone? It’s hard for me to do the usual exhaustive searching, tho I have tried unsuccessfully. I have found two new nests, one that has a banded bird that had been missing for years! We had assumed this bird was deceased. I have found two missing banded birds like that this year! Long missing birds resurfacing. Where have they been? And one of them, seen earlier, has now disappeared again!!! I am still searching…so many questions.

At the moment the overall project is overwhelming for me and I am way behind. I simply cant keep up. I have a large group of nests that are suddenly unmonitored and I need help. If there are people out there who have spotting scopes, some knowledge/ experience with breeding bird behaviors and are able to help monitor some nests in the north eastern metro area….shoreview, Lino lakes, Arden hills, Roseville, New Brighton, White Bear Lake, etc…please contact me. ( we have some openings in other areas as well). We ask for a commitment to check nests weekly and write a written report ( email) detailing observations each week. We have monitoring guidelines which detail the specific data we are trying to collect on all nests. All I ask is that if you are not going to be available for a while ( vacation, illness, or just unable to fulfill your commitment for whatever reason) to just let me know so I can fill in or ask another monitor to fill in. This is a rare long term research study, it is more than just bird watching for entertainment. Ospreys are an indicator species, at the top of the aquatic food chain, so the health of their population tells us much about our environment. I believe this research is important. I have been doing this for over 30 years and others did it for ten years before me so we have 40 years of data! I would like it to continue, but I need help from committed people who are curious, dependable, and patient! Contact me at osprey.mn@gmail.com if you are available and interested in getting involved. You will learn a lot!

Thanks to the monitors who have already stepped up to help fill some holes….Rick, Dani and Cindy. I am so grateful for your commitment to the project.

A huge thanks to Rick Endo and Ruth Rechtzigel for their financial donations…I deeply appreciate the support and kindness shown.