The end?

Sadly, I think the 2026 osprey season has come to a close. I last saw an osprey on Tuesday, Sept 29. One of the monitors saw an osprey near her nest on October 1. I have checked a few nests since then and I have not seen or heard any ospreys. Today I visited the nest with the male who was still caring for two chicks on September 28, and the nest and surrounding area was quiet and empty. We had a good long run with them this year and I will miss them terribly, as usual. I find myself thinking about the magnificent benefactor male and the young osprey he was caring for…..wondering where they both are. Savoring the unusual and deeply moving memories I have of spending time observing them. We all send out our very best wishes for safe travel, easy weather, and a wonderful vacation before they head back home to us. A million thanks to all the monitors, and an extra kudos to those who continued to watch over their nests until the bitter end. I am so deeply grateful for your commitment to this effort.

September 29!

 I stopped to check on one of my favorite nests on my way to the pottery studio….found the chick there this morning, and on my way home in the pouring rain, I stopped gain and found the chick there and dear ol’ dad brought a small fish for her and she took it to a favorite perch to eat. So still here! She was not a very late fledge, but one of this males chicks stayed a long time last year too….I guess it’s in their DNA!

Another great male….

 Still here….the dad with the two chicks. Dad was on his same cell tower perch when I arrived, and the male chick was on the lightpole the nest is on. He was quiet, no food begging. No female chick! Dad was looking all around….then he finally flew off to the east….and the male chick started flying around as well. Dad then went to the west. After a short time He came back and went south and the male chick did too. All gone…but I waited. Suddenly I hear food begging and the female chick landed on the nest and Dad landed on another lightpole. I believe he went and rounded her up! I am becoming very fond of this fellow….he is a very attentive parent. He didn’t get a fish but he is definitely watching over them, and he is really sticking close by. The male chick did not return before I had to leave …but all three were seen! And one of the new monitors this year, Pat, is still seeing at least one of the chicks on her nest!

Two more chicks that are still here…

 Another gray, rainy day….but those can be good days to find ospreys. I only checked a few nests. I went to the nest of the orphans sibling and bio dad and they are still there! I didn’t see dad but chick was eating a fish and then went to the nest to wait for more! She’s a beauty!

Then I went further east to a nest that had late fledging chicks. I on,y saw one chick there last weekend….and today I found none! I waited for 45 minutes but no one came. I headed down the road and went past a pond where I have seen those very ospreys in the past. At first I didn’t see any ospreys but I slammed on my brakes and backed up cause something caught my eye. Sure enough there was a chick in a dead tree, with a whole bullhead! I watched this lovely girl for quite a while. She had a full crop and a whole fish…..hmmmmm. Did she catch that fish or did someone deliver it to her? I doubt that she would go fishing with a full crop…but you never know. Was this the chick from the nest I just left? She was being bothered by crows and she was enchanting to watch. Look closely at some of the photos…..below her crop….look at that belly. Someone is taking good care of her! This is what I love to see on a chick who is about to start her first migration!

I have so much fun finding and watching these birds…..I realized today, I would rather hang out with ospreys than people! Ha! This is a magic potion for me..they so often lift me up. So I savor these last visits.

Still here!

 I have been out checking nests the last two days as have several of the monitors also! Reports are still coming in!

I visited 20 nests yesterday and only two of them had ospreys….a chick on one nest with a fish, who took her meal to a tree to eat. I must have just missed Dad. The other nest had a chick with a full crop….just hanging out at home!

Today I checked 5 nests….and only one had ospreys . When I arrived I found the adult male, on a cell tower near the nest. He was waiting, snoozing, preening and I just knew by his behavior that his kids were still around, so I waited. Eventually two ospreys flew right past him….one at a time, and none made any vocalizations. It had to be the kids! They flew off to the NE and I could see them circling….eventually disappearing. Dad kept snoozing. 

Finally one juvenile came back and landed in the nest,, followed closely by the other chick. Sweet. They were just out playing together. These two has gone thru so many shenanagins that I wondered if they both would make it. One day, shortly after fledging, I watched one of them try to land on the light cover on the lights where their nest is…..he slipped and was hanging there between two lights, feet hanging down, wings spread over two lights. My heart raced…..was I going to have to mount a rescue? Then he simply put his wings up and he slid right thru the lights and came out flying below, circled around and made it back to the nest! Whew. So here they are many weeks later, doing fine and I loved that they were out and about together. And Dad was waiting patiently at home. When they were both back on the nest they started food begging and off went Dad. I waited a while but it started to rain so I headed home. So osprey season is not over yet!

A few more….

 I visited a few more nests today, on this cloudy drizzly day. The first stop was the nest where the orphans bio -dad lives….and the chick ( orphans half sister) was still there and food begging, tho I couldn’t see the dad. He must have been there. This chick is about a week younger than the orphan who departed last week….so it makes sense that she is still around.

Then I stopped at the orphans nest….and found a juvenile bald eagle on the lights! No ospreys objecting to his presence.

Then I headed on to some other nests. I did find one chick on a nest that was one of our latest nests to fledge. Her sibling was not around but she was waiting for Dad, and hollering for food occasionally. I moved on to some other nests and found no other ospreys but did find a pair of adult bald eagles on one of the osprey nests. Hope they don’t get any bright ideas. I did not see or hear any ospreys around, and if they were there, I am sure they would have had some thoughts about these visitors.

So still a few ospreys around in that part of the metro area.

Not all gone yet!

 They aren’t all gone yet! Sometimes a miserable day like this is a good time to look for them…..cold, rainy, gray. I stopped on my way to the pottery studio to check one of my favorite nests….and there she was, the girl chick. In the rain, on the nest…..waiting.

A few hours later I came back and she was on a lightpole eating a large fish nd food begging at the same time. Funny. Then I looked around and saw the Dad on another light, also eating a fish! Together! Sweet! Then a crow came to join Dad, in case he wanted to share that fish I guess. The male was surprisingly unconcerned about the crow….no alarm call, no flapping or lunging at him. They looked like friends!

This is the nest where I watched a lingering chick for a long time last year. That is interesting to me….its obviously a different chick, hatched at a different time and yet, there they are….so maybe the signal about when to leave is coming from the male…if he is content to feed a chick for a long time, perhaps that sends a signal. Don’t know.

Then I stopped at another nest down the road….and found one chick, looking miserable in the rain. Waiting patiently….so Dad must be around!

Hard to get decent photos in this light with the steady rain….me and my scope got soaked. But it was worth it to see some of my friends. I checked six other nests yesterday and found zero ospreys. They could be around, just not at the nest. A rainy day is often a time they may return home to get some food.

I will check a few more nests tomorrow….