Still a bunch of ospreys around….

 Another hot day out there….I stopped first at the nest where the bio- dad of lil orphan Annie, and her half sister lives. That chick was in the tree with a fish…..Didnt see dad but clearly he had been there to deliver breakfast.

Then I proceeded to the nest lil orphan Annie lives…..she was on the nest waiting. At first I did not see the male but the the chick got very defensive and flew off to the lights….and I saw an adult osprey chasing a bald eagle. Must be the male. He and the eagle disappeared so I went looking for them, and during that time, the chick had flown off.

As I waited the male arrived with a fish and he flew in circles around the area, looking for the chick, but she wasn’t there, and the male disappeared as well.

I spent a few hours searching for both of them….nearby lakes etc….and while making that tour I stopped at another nest where I saw one chick…..and that dad delivered a fish to her. So interesting….she took the fish and flew off towards the lake so I went looking for her, but then she circled back to the ballfield and landed on a light to eat her fish. If you hadn t seen the dad deliver the fish, you might have thought that she caught the fish since she came back from the lake with it. Humans like to make up stories and sometimes they fail to accurately tease out the facts. If you didn’t actually see a chick catch a fish, dont assume that is what happened!

When I got back to the other nest, the male was there with a fish….waiting, and waiting, and waiting. He snoozed, he looked around. Looking for her….waiting for her….the fish was for her. Finally he flew to the lights…and after some more waiting, he slowly ate the fish. Damn, she missed another meal. Then he flew off. I waited. Finally here comes the princess to the nest, crying all the way. She waits there for a delivery for quite a while….and the. The male arrived, WITHOUT a fish! The chick could t believe it. I will include the whole sequence of photos….at the end the chick sort of attacked the male, pushing him off the nest. How dare he come to the nest without a fish! Jeeez after all he has done for her….but the chick was mad. Ha ha. The male didn’t seem to mind. Ok ok ok….off he went. But I was hot and tired. I knew he would bring a fish. They are both still here….as well as several other nests. A cool front is coming thru tonight, bringing a shift in the winds….sometime around midnight the winds will become more northerly. Will they be there tomorrow? Sunday? A few more days? A week? I don’t know….but I will keep checking.

Still here….

 I was inundated by all the “Birdcast” migration alerts for last night….they predicted a massive wave and many osprey people thought for sure our friends would be gone today. My instincts were sending me a different message….but you never know. So I went out to check some nests before another committment I had today. Our little orphan Annie was in a tree with a full-ish crop, perched so close to me it was hard to focus the scope that close!!!! I didnt see the male but clearly he had been there. Then I checked another nest, and in the morning I saw the resident male with a whole fish, waiting for his chick to show up. Later when I checked back, that chick was there…..so both of them are still present. Then I checked a nest of one of our later fledging chicks where the monitor had been unable to locate her… and she was still there….but too far away for a decent photo. Just perching on the nest edge and asking for some dinner, tho I couldn’t see the male. I also looked at the Arboretum nest both this morning and this afternoon….still one chick and dad are here. So , some ospreys are still here….I am sure there are many others too, but we must work harder for the sightings at this time of year. They don't remain on the nest, so this is when careful observations and some sleuthing earlier pays off. I have learned many of their favorite perches, and eating trees, and I have also been recording in my notes which directions the male has often come from with fish….so I have good clues about where to search for them. All the attention to detail earlier in the breeding season can make this time of year more fun and rewarding. I have seen a lot of practicing water starts this year. But I am also worn out and have driven over 13,000 miles since the beginning of April! So now I am not pushing myself to make rounds …..but just hanging out with some of my favorites. I still visit some of the later fledging nests to see how those chicks are doing. And I may have just found out about another new nest! Ha….so I am still working hard but letting myself linger and enjoy my friends a little more.

I am deeply grateful to those monitors who have hung in there and are still sending reports and finding some ospreys. I treasure you!

Scarce….

 A quick update on the orphan and benefactor …..I arrived at the nesting site a little before 10 and did not see or hear an osprey until 1:20. It was the male who showed up with a fish. He flew circles all around the area, displaying the fish, to try to attract the chick if she was anywhere nearby. No chick showed up or was heard. He waited for a while on the nearby lights, looking in all directions and then he flew off and I could not find him. I visited nearby lakes , all the places I have ever seen them….and could not spot either of them. I was beginning to think the chick had departed. Then at 2:45 she showed up on the lights. She was totally quiet, and she did not have a super empty crop. I don’t know if she hooked up with the male elsewhere. Suddenly she flew to the nest so I thought maybe she saw him coming….but I waited another 30 minutes and then decided I needed to go home. Maybe he is weaning her….maybe she is just venturing further away….it can be a gradual process. Anyway, I saw them both. No one has departed yet. I will return soon….tho the sudden jump in gas prices has me trying to cut back a bit on the miles….I don’t live near this nest, but my curiousity about how things are developing, unfolding always wins.

One fish, two fish, three fish…..more

 I am sure you will never guess where I went today! When I arrived the chick was on the nest food begging. Then she quieted down…..so the male must have flown off. Her crop was not full, but not hollow and empty either. We sat quietly for a while and then the male arrived with a whole fish and I was able to capture the delivery at about 10:30 am.

What was startling, and you can see this in the photos, was that HE had an empty crop….and when you look at these two side by side….he looks thin. Now this is not necessarily alarming…..males are naturally thinner, a little different shape, and females are larger, and rounder but in this case, also fatter!

But he was delivering a whole fish to this chick when he was hungry. This male is serving this chick…..he is sacrificing for her. Of course he knows he can catch a fish pretty much anytime he needs to and the chick can’t yet. But those are parental behaviors.

She ate a bit and then flew off with the fish to one of her “eating trees”. She ate this fish pretty quickly and it wasn’t very long before she was back on the nest. She waited….and then eventually flew some loops and went back over to the lake and was perched in a tree above the water, looking down. I had moved my car to be able to spot her. Then she suddenly flew off and headed back to the nest….and as I was moving my car again….the male delivered another fish, which I didn’t get photos of, at 12:05.

She took the fish back to her eating tree…it was a pretty good sized fish and she was t exactly gobbling it up. This chick is getting a lot of food!

I had to go pee and get some lunch and when I returned the male was on the nest with a fish! But the chick was still working on the previous fish so she food begged, but did not come to the nest. So the male took the fish to a light and ate it himself. He deserved it.

A woman named Megan stopped to talk to me….she has been reading the page so knew all about this situation! It was fun to talk to her….I always love to meet and talk to the people who share this interest! She lives in the area, knows the lakes where I have been seeing these birds so, fun to share some stories.

She left just a minute or two too soon! Just after she left, the male flew over to the tree where the chick was nibbling on her fish….he perched right next to her. She was almost apoplectic, in spite of holding the tail end of a fish….and he got his marching orders and said, “ got it” and off he went towards the lake! It was sweet watching that interaction.

The chick finally finished her fish and within 20 minutes the male was back on the nest with a fish! I kid you not. She chick came screaming to the nest, grabbed the fish from the male ( these photos are blurry cause I wasnt expecting him to return so quickly!) and the male departed.

After a short time I noticed the chick staring up in the sky….and not eating….I kept watching her and then looked up….its a bald eagle. Chick seemed concerned. And then the male quickly came to the rescue and divebomed the eagle repeatedly and escorted him away from the territory. HIS territory. It’s becoming clear that this male is not only caring for and protecting this chick….he is defending this territory. I worry about a fight with an eagle, as that can end badly….but in very short order the male floated over the nest, heading to the lake. Within less than 10 minutes, he was back on the nest with a fish. The chick was still there with her fish…and they ate, side by side. The chick kept looking over at the males fish, as if she was evaluating whether that fish was bigger. During this meal they were sharing….the chick kept food begging and 3-4 times the male took a bite and leaned over as if he was trying to feed the chick…like she was a baby. I notice so many subtle behaviors that speak loudly to me about how he perceives this relationship. He just must have been a parent before. And as silly as it may sound, this pair brings tears to my eyes almost every day I spend with them. I am so moved….

Then once again that darn bald eagle flew over and the male gave an alarm call and off he went to chase him away again. Eventually returning to the nesting area, floating above to check on the chick…..and then he headed back towards the lake….for another fish perhaps? It was 3:30 so I decided to head home….tho it’s always hard to leave, and I know my days are numbered with them. I took a lot of photos today….and noticed that the male has developed a few spots on his breast. Earlier I had seen one spot that often got preened into place where it could barely be seen….now I see three spots. Adults molt during the summer so these may just be his regular feathers markings growing back in as he prepares for migration….So I have documented all of this so we will know him if he returns next spring. I sure hope he does. I am somewhat attached to him now. I am also attached to this amazing chick who survived a rough start to end up with a charmed existence, with a doting benefactor. They are defying the usual behaviors…..maybe they will even migrate together!

Guardian Angel

 Another long day with some ups and downs….the day started out so gray and soupy….hard to get decent photos. I had to visit a nest where the monitor had reported a dead body in the nest. This nest had three chicks and all fledged successfully, but two of the chicks disappeared a few weeks after fledging….but one female chick was still sticking close to home. Then there was no one…..just a dead body in the nest. I went to look….the bird was face down wings out. It’s hard to know what happened but I suspect it may have been killed….we haven’t seen the male either…. We may not know until next spring if he survived. It’s heartbreaking.

I checked a bunch of other nests….saw some chicks, some dads and then I ended up back for a visit with the orphan and her benefactor, Daddy Warbucks.

At first there was no one there. I hadn’t been able to get back there for two days and thought they might have departed. I ate my lunch and then was gonna head to a little farm market for some tomatoes….but as I started to leave, the male arrived on the nest with a fish! He just stood there waiting. Looking around. He waited a good 5-10 minutes and then he flew to a nearby lightpole. He waited there too….looking around. It is so damn clear that he is looking for the chick! He brought the fish for her! I am so emotionally impacted by his care for her. He finally did eat the fish….and he was just snoozing when I finally heard the chick! But dang it….again….I could hear her and not spot her! After I moved my car and drove around I was able to spot her tucked in behind some leaves…I took a lot of photos of her. She had a full crop! Soooooo, had he brought her a fish before I arrived? Or did she catch a fish? I will never know. I even took a short video of her food begging. So both were there….and I decided to go get those tomatoes! When I got back the male was gone but the chick was on the lightpole. I waited with her for an hour….and then the male arrived with a whole fish for her and they both flew to the nest for the delivery. He quickly departed and she went back to the light to eat. This young osprey definitely has a guardian angel. He watches over her, he waits for her, he provides for her….with no biological reason to do all this.

It’s an amazing thing to witness.

The “unfamily”

 Another visit with the “orphan” chicks and her benefactor today. When I arrived the chick was waiting on the lights next door to the nest. No sign of the male. After a while the chick flew off and I spotted her perched in a tree by the lake nearby. I had to move my car to find her….and then she suddenly flew off and I lost her. I moved my car and then she showed up on the nest and apparently while I was moving, the male brought her a whole fish! She came back to the lights with her fish and wolfed it down. But I didn’t see the male! After she had finished she flew off to the SW as far as I could see…..so her territory of exploration is expanding. I looked at some maps and went to search the lakes in that direction, but I didn’t find her. Eventually I took a little break to check one other nest and when I came back both the male and the chick were perched together on their favorite light! So sweet. She was doing some hollering and eventually he flew off. Me and the chick waited for over and hour but he did not return. My two parking lots that have good views of their favorite perches and the nest were filling up for some special event so I had to move and during that move the chick flew off. I stayed for another 30 minutes but then decided to head home. So they are both still here, she is being fed and they are doing some hanging together, which is lovely.

No chick….

 A quick update…..I visited my favorite osprey friends today  for about three hours….and only saw the male. He went and got a fish and waited a long time for the chick. He finally started nibbling and stopping to look all around…and he finally finished the small fish and there was no sign of the chick. As he ate he was making these very quiet peeping sounds that they often make when feeding chicks…

Not sure what that means. He was thinking about her? He dragged out the eating of the fish….clearly so he would have something for her if she returned. 

I am concerned…..but I will go back on Wednesday.