Waiting….

 I just had to go check on my favorite ospreys today. When I got there a little before noon, the male was there on a light pole with a big fish. He ate a little but he was clearly waiting for the chick. He kept looking around in all directions. He would nibble a little, the head of the fish was gone. He and I hung out for 2.5 hours. No chick. He ate occasionally, and he watched for her. He is such a dear, extraordinary osprey. On the surface it looks like any other nest this time of year. Down the road at the polygynous males nest, he was perched high up on a dead branch of a tree, waiting for his offspring. She was not around. 

But we all know that the male I was watching is not the father, in spite of his fatherly behavior. After 2.5 hours he suddenly flew to the nest, and I wondered why. After a minute, I could hear the chick, and she came screaming in to the nest. He saw her before I did! He was definitely looking for her. He gave her the fish, and I missed the photo because I did not have the scope focused on the nest! But she grabbed it and started inhaling it. He went to the nearby building and perched where he could watch over, and defend her. He had been saving that fish for her for at least 2.5 hours! I cannot express how it feels to watch these two, knowing what I know.