My reward….and a thanks

 I had a fun morning…..this past ten days have been a struggle with the heat, smoke and so many nests….and today was my reward. The ospreys always do reward people who watch them a lot. I got up at 4:30 am to head out to check nests before it becomes too unpleasant….I had a long drive this morning but got to the first nest about 6:30 am. I hiked out to the nest in a beautiful park….no other people around. So quiet and peaceful. I got to the nest and immediately saw two chicks standing up, and Mom on the upper perch. I set up the scope and could see the third chick laying low in the nest. One chick began hopping and flapping…..and I thought, oh, this one might fledge this weekend. As I continued to watch and this chick was really working hard, flying from one side of the nest to the other. The other chick layed down too to stay out of the way….and I thought, I can’t leave, this one may fledge any minute! Then he stopped and stood on the edge of the nest for a while looking around, thinking….and then off he went! Flying loops all around the area. Of course I didn’t have my phone up to the scope when he did take off and I first I just kept my eyes on him. As I teach  the monitors..if they fledge don’t take your eyes off the chick until it lands somewhere! And I keep watching, my heart racing….and as he headed back to the nest I quickly got my phone up as the other two chicks stood up to watch….and I got his landing! I was jumping up and down and yelling woo hoo! There wasn’t anyone around to tell! 

It was so much fun to watch and for him to make it back to the nest made it a successful fledge. This is a very fun nest to watch and I have to also acknowledge one of the people who made this possible. This nest is a very old pole that was put up way back in the early days of the reintroduction…but it was never used. So after some discussions about why, Larry, a seasonal employee at this park, cleared away all the trees that had grown up around the Nestpole and he filled the nestbox with sticks, added a big perch for the adults…and then voila, we had ospreys there! The first year it was a male with a silver banded female who turned out to be too young to breed, so they were just housekeepers the first year. The following year she returned but she was displaced by another female. So…..that silver banded female moved and she is the one you all have heard about who is the single mom raising a chick alone after mating with a polygynous male. Anyway, these two unbanded ospreys have now been there for six years and have successfully fledged three chicks every year!!! SO thanks to Larry for all his efforts!