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….