A few posts ago I spoke about polygynous males. I shared the story of the female who had to incubate and raise chicks alone last year after the neighboring male fertilized her eggs and then disappeared. She was facing the same fate this year. We she made it thru incubation alone. And today I went to check her briefly before I visited a bunch of other nests. Well as soon as I arrived I saw that she was looking down a lot…see first photos…and my instincts said they have hatched….but I always need proof, especially in this situation that I am so interested in. So I waited for three hours….just taking notes, watching closely…..and finally she stood up, backed up slowly and flew off. She came back in THREE minutes with a small crappie and started feeding chicks! She was also wolfing down food herself…..she was so hungry. It seems miraculous that she is able to pull this off. I almost cried. When I drove away I was screaming out loud…”You are the very best osprey in the whole world! Osprey of the year…no, osprey of the decade! You should be famous!!!”
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