It’s interesting that the DYFI osprey project in the UK announced that today the window for hatching opens for them. Ironically, it also opens here in Minnesota! This is the first day that the first nest could start hatching. We are experiencing an explosive increase in new nests, with 24 documented so far. And it’s relatively early! Younger ospreys will be establishing new nests all summer. A few of these nests are actually not new, but were newly discovered or newly reported….but many of them are, in fact, “new” as I watched them being built. I cannot drive every road in 8 counties so we deeply appreciate when people report nests to us. Thanks to all the people who have reported nests this year, tho the large portion of them we did know about. I would rather have 100 nests reported that I know about than miss one we don’t know about, so don’t hesitate to report a nest, but PLEASE report it via email, ( osprey.mn@gmail.com) and not on this page. I wrote a post explaining the reasoning for this.
We also REALLY need more monitors….but because the project has grown to be so large, I no longer have the time I used to have to train people….so we need people with a spotting scope, and with some birding experience, some basic knowledge about bird breeding behaviors who can commit to checking one or more nests a week and writing an email detailing your observations weekly. I do have written guidelines of what data we are trying to collect on each nest. Most people find it really educational and they quickly fall in love with “their” nests and find it deeply rewarding. It’s a whole new world. It does require patience and commitment. To me it’s quite meditative.
Watching for hatching can be time consuming….one of the reasons I like monitors to watch carefully thru the long boring phase of incubation, is that the more familiar a monitor is with the normal behaviors during incubation, the easier it is to notice the subtle, and not so subtle, changes which occur when hatching is beginning. A quick look may not reveal those changes. We cannot see the tiny new chicks from the ground until they are at least ten days old. So we rely on the subtle changes in the adults behaviors. They may become more restless….they may get up and look down more frequently than they did during incubation. They may wiggle and rock more. And the tell tale sign is when the male brings a fish for the female. During incubation, the female will take the fish and leave to eat on another perch, while the male takes over incubation. When hatching has occurred, the female will NOT leave with the fish…..she will begin taking small bites and leaning in to the nest cup to feed the unseen chicks. Feedings go quickly as those tiny crops fill up quickly. And then the adults will resettle….and brooding looks just like incubation. So it can take careful, and patient observation to catch the start of hatching. But it’s an exciting time for the experienced monitors! We tried to get incubation dates on most nests because it makes it much easier to know when to start watching for hatching. Most books say ospreys incubate for 35-43 days. In this area we found that most hatching begins on day 39. There can be some variation, especially if an egg is infertile or damaged. So we did our best to document the first day we saw them in incubating posture so we could count out 39 days and have a better idea of when to watch for hatching. I have been entering that data on a chart for the past few days. We have a LOT of nests, so it’s a big task wrangling the data! Some nests, because I couldn’t get there often enough, have no projected hatch date…..and some have a bigger window than I like. But we are doing the best we can. So that gives you some idea of how we approach monitoring all these nests. If you wish to participate….shoot me an email!
And a million thanks to the long time monitors who have taken on more and more nests, and to the new ones who have committed to learning the ropes! It’s not only a chance to learn about ospreys….its also a way to learn about yourself as you struggle with impatience, lack of focus, a distracted mind, the temptation to check your phone instead of watching the ospreys when it seems “boring”….to go check your nest when you dont feel like it or the weather isn’t great. It’s much like a meditation practice. And many find they NEED this time each week to be in nature, so set aside their daily concerns and be fully present and fully aware. Even I struggle sometimes…..and I learned early on when I was feeling impatient, to relax, let go of the thoughts, feel the sun on my back, feel the wind in my face, be present, listen to the vocalizations until you begin to understand them! Oh, that means she is hungry, oh that chirp is because they see another osprey who they don’t know, oh, that’s a bald eagle alarm, or that’s an alarm that means a human is too close. Notice what they are looking at, watch carefully as the female ,eaves with a fish to see where she goes and find her favorite perches. Notice what direction the male comes from with a fish. Notice if they have a full or empty crop. Notice the markings on the top of their head, unique to each bird ( tho subtle differences sometimes) so you can tell if it’s the male or female who is incubating just by knowing their head markings. There is so much to learn and observe. I love it. It can change who you are when you tune in to this degree. Well….you can tell how much it all means to me. So, now….off I go to check the very first nests which might start hatching today! And check new nests who had not yet laid eggs when I last visited! With such a large population, they are really spread out! Keeps me busy!
No comments:
Post a Comment