The Osprey is Back

First sighting of the osprey was on March 26th. First reported by our Interns, Kyle and Kash.

Sheryl Faller won the prize for responding she had witnessed the osprey on the nest platform. Interesting note: The male is bringing sticks to the land based nest/perch sturcture rather than the traditional nest site on the water based pole. We will see what is mate thinks about this idea when she shows up...any time now. rcc

Winter Wildlife Snapshots

We have been running the webcam all winter watching for wildlife. Included herein are a view of the snapshots of wintering wildlife. rcc

Almost Time to Head South

The osprey young are still using the nest as home base and will continue to do so until they migrate in September. The female adult usually migrates first, while the male adult remains behind to help the young with meals. The male will migrate about the same time as the young, which is a few weeks after the mother, depending on the chicks' development.

All but the southernmost breeding populations in North America are migratory, vacating their breeding grounds in late summer for rain-forest rivers and fish-rich seacoasts and lakes of Central and South America.

Empty Nest

When I checked the webcam yesterday, I could still see all 3 young on the nest. I checked the date that the young fledged last year...July 26th, so I suspected that they would be out and about real soon. And when I first checked this morning, sure enought, the nest was empty except for one young bird.

The young will be flying around the nest area from perch to perch for a few days and then gradually venturing further from the nest. Soon they will be learning to fish....meanwhile the parents will still be providing fish prey for their offspring. So, stay tuned. The young and adults will be coming and going from the nest structure.

A Crowded Nest

The young ospreys are fast approaching full size. The nest is getting crowded now when the whole family is at home. The young will soon begin to take their first flights. They are about 45 days old and should begin to fly between 55 and 60 days.

I was just watching the cam and saw one of the young flapping his wings in preparation. Birds have two very large breast muscles that power flight. Instead of a flat sternum or breast bone like humans have, birds have a protruding ridge called a keel. (Like the keel of a boat.) Muscles anchor to this keel and the wing bones. Young birds do not have developed breast muscles and spend time flapping to help them get in shape. All of the young birds will begin to flap a lot.

Its also getting hard to tell adults from young in the nest. Sometimes the young still lay down: the adults almost never lay down. Also, the backs of young are more mottled in color than the adults.

The adults are still feeding the young and will continue to do so for another month or so. As soon as the young birds start flying, they will also begin learning how to fish.

Three Osprey Chicks Confirmed

Yesterday at the refuge BioBlitz festival, we were able to confirm that there are 3 chicks in the osprey nest. One appears to be less developed than the other two. So, he is the "runt" of the clutch. We will watch anxiously to see if he can compete successfully for food with his more advanced siblings. Meanwhile the male keeps bringing in fish, several a day, to keep his mate and the chicks fed. The older two siblings are lunging around the nest now trying to strengthen their legs. We can still see the parents rearranging sticks on the nest, perhaps this is a kind of anxiety relieving mechanism. The male even brought in new sticks yesterday. Stay tuned for more exciting viewing as the young ospreys continue on their fast growth curve. rcc

At Least Two Osprey Chicks

This morning and again this afternoon, I observed the male bring in a fish and the female taking the fish, ripping off small pieces and feeding the young. Both times I was able to see two tiney downy heads bobbing for the tasty tidbits that the mother osprey was offering. rcc