The ospreys gave me a little reward today for all my work watching over them. Last week we had a fairly dramatic change in the weather that brought some strong north winds, which seems to have carried away quite a few ospreys. But we still have many of them to watch over…..those late fledging chicks and some that had some difficulties in their journey so far. So I have been driving from one side of the metro to the other to check on some remaining juveniles and their Dads. I love this time of year….when some ospreys are gone, tho I am very sad to see some of them go, and I am left with some lingering questions. But my load has been lightened a bit in the past week, so I am able to just enjoy hanging out with some of my winged friends. Today I went to check on a chick who had some stressful encounters with fishing line earlier this summer…and she has been doing very well. I finally noticed that I could no longer see any remnants of the line caught on her talon. Her leg and foot showed no sign of any injury and that annoying loop of line we have seen for so long is gone! I did some research and learned that monofilament loses 20% of its tensile strength every 100 hours when exposed to UV rays! So the line becomes brittle and easier to break and we suspect she was finally able to preen it out of her talons. I have checked her as often as possible and her sibling is long gone, as is Mom. But dear old Dad is faithfully bringing her food quite often. Many females do just hang around the nest crying for food…and inevitably people from the public ask me if a chick has been left behind or if something is wrong with these lingering juveniles. After 32 years of watching them I have come to think that these homebodies, these chicks that seem to just want to eat all the time, may actually be the survivors. These are the ones who will go into their migration with plenty of fat on their bodies, money in the bank! It’s actually the chicks that disappear early that concern me. So I am happy to see these chicks, usually girls, with their full crops, and a fish in their talons, as they food beg for more! This insatiable hunger is called hyperphagia, and it serves them well in preparing for migration. But sometimes I wonder about the other skills that will be needed to survive. Have they practiced their water starts? Just going in to the water and getting lift off is a big skill! Before they even try to actually catch a fish, they must master this first step. It is something I usually get to see somewhere each year, because I watch them for long periods and I follow them, search for them, and as I said at the beginning….they do reward me! Today I got to see this young chick finally fly out over the lake, and I was running with my binoculars to keep her in view….she disappeared behind a tree, and then I saw her flying up from the water! Then I lost her again….and when I emerged from behind another tree I finally spotted her floating in the water. My heart started to race a bit….was she ok? And then she flapped those big wings a few times and took off out of the water….and there I was on the shore shouting out loud, in public, “great job! You go girl! I am so proud of you!” Boy someday they are gonna lock me up! Thank goodness there weren’t many people around. But I was so happy to see her successful water starts! Now I know she is a little more prepared for the journey ahead. It’s such a treat to watch these youngsters….and when I put the effort into finding them, patiently watching them, they always seem to give me these special gifts. I watched her for three hours today….saw Dad deliver two fish to her, and saw her grand efforts towards independence.
And this visit was supposed to be a quick stop on my way to some other nests….but sometimes I just get to enjoy the way the day unfolds. I hope I get to see her and her Dad again before they leave….I treasure these September days with the ospreys, and I know the sadness that is coming when the last one has departed. But meanwhile….nothing soothes the woes of the world like spending quiet time in nature, especially with the ospreys. That special juvenile osprey made my day
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