Sept 29!

 I thought I was going to have to stay home for a repairperson today….but I got a text giving me a new window for them to show up between 11:50 and 4 pm……so I immediately zoomed up to check on my friends, since Dad didnt show up for an afternoon delivery yesterday. When I arrived the chick was in a tree and it looked like she had some food in her crop. I also saw her poop….so I knew all was well but I wanted to see Dad. I thought I would stay several hours but would have to leave by 11. No dad….chick on nest food begging occasionally. Ok….ten more minutes. Still no dad. Hmmmm ….five more….and daddio showed up with a fish! Got some good photos and off I went.

Still here Sept 27!

 A rough night for me…had my Covid shot yesterday and I always get pretty sick from them, so couldn’t sleep at all with a low grade fever and body aches, and nerve pain. But when I got out of bed, made some coffee and went out to get the newspaper, I noticed we had a north wind! Oh dear…are my friends gonna leave me today? So inspite of feeling crappy, I ran up to check on those ospreys. Chick was on the nest waiting for dad. I took a closeups and then she started that desperate whining and I knew dad was on the way so I managed to zoom out and get the camera focused and got some fun photos of the delivery! There was a bit if a tussle and the chick grabbed dads foot in her beak…but those dads never mind. We know her aggression is being driven by hyperphagia, her relentless hunger. Dad flew off and the chick ate her fish on the nest. It was a good size fish nd as I watched her I got curious about some things. I have been reading about Beacon, the chick still remaining near the SF Bay osprey nest. So I started counting out how old our chick is. We have a window of when she hatched, between May 27 and June 5….so she is probably between 115-124 days old now. Not as old as Beacon, but getting up there!

After she finished her fish she went to her tree perch and I watched her there for several hours….she snoozed, looked for dad and I was hoping to see him again….but eventually my fatigue and achiness made me head for home after four hours with her. I wonder if she will leave today. The north winds were between 9-14 MPH….i thought it might be enough to spur her on…but she seemed happy to just perch in her tree. I wish I could have stayed longer. I will go back tomorrow….seriously folks, how am I gonna live without her? Such a joy to hang out with them…they just are so much fun to watch!

Sept 26…

 Our girl was still there today….and I have about a billion photos of her. I stopped in the morning , after getting my Covid shot, and there she was waiting on the nest. she was perched on the edge of the nest and I zoomed in to get some closeups and darn, Dad came flying in with a fish before I could readjust my scope, so all I got was her reaction to her incoming daddy. Afree a visit to the pottery studio, I returned and I found Dad sitting alone with a fish….and no one food begging. I started to fear that the chick might have started her migration….cause, how will I live without her? Dad would take a bite of fish and then look all around for his kiddo. This went on for at least 10-15 min….my heart was starting to sink….and then suddenly….food begging! She was in the tree with a big fish of her own. But she was hollering for more….dad took off and I think he was perched inthe same tree she was, but above her, because she kept looking up and crying. Eventually she quieted down, dad was gone, and she returned to eating her fish. I spent almost 3 hours with her today….I simply can’t explain what it means to me and how it feels to just hang out with her.

Still here….

 Oh how I love this chick that won’t leave….

She is so beautiful and her Dad so devoted…these photos are from today! He is new at this nest this year….not a great nest builder but a great Dad. I just want to hang out here as much as possible….I am really struggling with empty nest syndrome this year.

So few ospreys, and such great monitors.

 I visited a lot of nests this weekend and was saddened to find so many empty nests. I know, I know….it’s time for them to go but life is less interesting without them. And for some reason this year their departure is bringing more grief than in past years. I did find these two chicks, and their Dads were around somewhere! I also ran into one of our great monitors , Marjorie, and it was such a pleasure to just spend some time chatting about our winged friends. I sometimes wish I had a recording of our conversations about all things osprey….how did we know the female at this nest was a new one this year? How were her behaviors different than the previous female? What makes a good volunteer monitor, how did the two chicks behaviors differ, why do we do what we do, what are the rewards, etc, etc. During the middle of the season I rarely have enough time to just relax and talk about the ospreys, as I need to get to 20 nests or more! It’s usually only at the end of the season when I have time to just share the osprey experience with a monitor when I run into them. It was so fun to hang out with Marjorie and have lunch together. She has been watching one nest for four years now and does a great job!( and has a full time job and the nest she loves and has chosen to monitor is clear across town from where she lives!) As you can see, she is a photographer as well, so is able to provide images to support the data! Her enthusiasm never wanes and she has been a great communicator. So a huge thank you to Marjorie!

This year I started taking some photos of the volunteers when I ran into them in the field, so I will be acknowledging them in upcoming posts. Of course there are many monitors who I didn’t run into, and didn’t get pictures of, but who have steadfastly sent their weekly reports. I am deeply grateful to each and every one of them!

Still here! With a goldfish!

 

A reward for my perseverance

 Our nests are clearing out, but I am still able to find a few ospreys around town and I thoroughly enjoy every moment with them. There is one nest that had a banded adult male and I have tried for two years to read his band. I would get parts of it, but still was missing a large part of the sequence. I saw him perched  somewhere so often and would get the scope on the tripod and sneak out, get myself positioned and just as I was focusing he would say, Nope, you can’t know who I am yet, and fly away. Argh. We repeated this pattern over and over. I am a patient person and I perservere, but not without frustration. So as this season has wound down I was watching him and his remaining chick. And finally in the middle of last week when we had a brief few hours of a north breeze, I was unable to find the chick anywhere. But I saw Dad in a tree. Of course I thought, he will never let me get close enough to read his band. But I will play the game again. Put the scope on the tripod and slowly approached him, set up the scope to focus……and he remained quiet and calm. Hmmmm I read part of the band but could not see the final part so I started moving around trying to find a better view. Branches were in my way. I thought surely any moment he is gonna take off. I got closer, I moved all around and he stayed put, tho he was watching me! My frustration mounted as I just could not find a spot to see those final numbers….and then he scratched his leg and spun the band around so the numbers I needed to see were right there in front of my face! Clear and easy to read! Call me crazy….but it almost felt like he did it on purpose, after testing me for two years! I thanked him. I thought that might be the last time I would see him….but I returned yesterday and he was still there, eating a goldfish. No chick around, he was finally relaxed and enjoying his meal alone. But that parting gift, of letting me know who he is, was another special moment in my life with the ospreys. It was late in the day with terrible fading light…but I snapped a few photos. 

Still here!

 Still running around to see who is in town! It’s fun and a challenge! Sometimes I have to wait a long time or search a lot to locate some ospreys. I rarely find any of them on their nests or easily visible…..and I wait, I drive around, I stop and listen. It’s amazing how many I find and it’s oddly rewarding! even with temps close to 90 and a dewpoint of 75. Ugh. So here are a bunch of photos….all different chicks and dads….all seen in the past few days! Enjoy!