I have one more little story from today’s adventures…I had a nest that laid eggs quite late and I kept wondering IF they would hatch. I wondered if one of these ospreys were new this year and that’s what the delay was about. We have very few banded birds now, and in the early days of this project I always did drawings of the markings on unbanded birds so I would know from year to year if it was the same birds or new ones. Now we have far too many unbanded birds for me to do that.
Anyway, they finally did hatch about ten days ago. So I stopped back to see how things were going. This female was doing what I call high brooding….not fully standing up, but not sitting down either…part way up, sort of hunched over the chicks. She was just staring in to the nest. I watched for about 30 minutes and all she did was stare into the nest. She only has eyes for her littles. I dont know if she is a first time mom but it was so endearing how entranced she was! One of the littles did get up so I could see its little downy head, and he wobbled as he lifted his tiny butt and shot the poop…a tiny poop squirt. So sweet. It was hard for me to leave because watching her watch her chicks was so touching. If you really take the time to observe these birds, even when it might appear that not much is happening ….you can’t help but be touched by their devotion. Once again I have to say, I feel so lucky to witness these small, subtle behaviors. I notice everything. I work very hard.…and I am richly rewarded.
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