Who is at the Arb cam nest?

 A lot of people are asking about the pair of ospreys seen lately on the Arboretum Cam nest. Are they the same pair as last year? No…..the banded male from last year disappeared, while he still had a chick depending on him, so that is why we haven’t seen him this year. The male seen recently is unbanded and new. The same question about the female has been more difficult to answer. Last years female was unbanded and so is this new one. I have spent a lot of time looking at her markings and comparing them to photos of last years female. I have tried to capture screen shots from a similar angle. Studies have shown that the dorsal feather pattern is one that remains the same throughout an ospreys life. So let’s look first at this years female and then last years female….to me these appear to be different females. Compare those patterns and see what you think!