Tag: #Osprey

Waiting for the Kids

Where are the kids? Soon they will be ready to migrate.

Waiting for the Kids

First, one parent was waiting patiently with a fish.

Waiting for the Kids

Then the other parent showed up. They appeared to look all around and neither one took a bite of the fish. They looked like they were expecting their kids to return, but they never called out.

Waiting for the Kids

I did not see the kids return, maybe they showed up later and maybe they were able to be on their own. I understand the mother usually will leave first. The father will stay behind a little while with the kids before it leaves. The kids will leave around the same time or later than the father for warmer climates for the winter. Osprey on the East Coast of the US will travel to Central or South America for the winter.

Have a Happy Friday!

Food Fight

In the US, when one thinks of a food fight, it means food is thrown. In the animal world, animals might be playing tug of war with food or trying to steal it from each other.

Food Fight – This is the dad with a fish.

The dad had the fish at this location for a while taking bites out of it. Meanwhile, at the nest nearby, the babies were going crazy making noise. These pictures were taken in New Jersey. The water in the background is the Atlantic Ocean.

Food Fight

After a long wait, the dad finally brought the fish over to the nesting platform. This nest has three babies on the right. The mom is on the left. It appears these young osprey have not fledged from the nest yet. Happy Friday!

The Osprey Fledged

I saw both young osprey fly from their nest on Friday morning. One made two trips from the nest and back making large circular flights from land to nest. The other one flew off a lot farther and I gave up waiting for it to return. Hopefully it did at some point.

The Osprey Fledged
The Osprey Fledged-Coming in for a landing

In the photo above one of the young osprey is flying in to land in the nest and it’s sibling looks like it is cheering it on.

The Osprey Fledged- Landing again

The above photo shows the young osprey approach to the nest after the second flight attempt. It did land on the edge.

Pursuit

The Osprey Fledged – One dad chasing the other dad

The adult male from the other nearby nest decided to harass the kids and mom in the nest I watch after the young osprey had flight practice. The mom complained loudly and the dad from this nest returned and chased off the other male. The male from the nest I watch is in the back. He is recognisable by his eye defect/ injury. The male in the front is the pest from the other nest.

The Osprey Fledged- One dad chasing the other dad

Have a happy Sunday!

New Heights July

The osprey babies are continuing to practice hovering over the nest. I think last time only one osprey was doing this.

New Heights July- The young osprey in for the landing

This time one young osprey only flew a foot or less over the nest. Here it is perfecting the landing.

New Heights July- This one is reaching new heights.

While the other young osprey appears to maybe reach heights of around 3 foot or so above the nest. After each young osprey practiced hovering the mom would seemingly talk to them. Then she called louder a few times. Next dad appeared from a distance with a fish.

New Heights July- Rewarding the young osprey with a fish

Dad rewards their flying practice with a fish. This time he brought in a larger one. Is this a cat fish?

New Heights July- Bringing the left over fish to his perching spot

It appears they took some bites off of the tail area. Then dad flew to his nearby perching spot and ate the rest of it. I wonder if the young osprey did not have much of an appetite or are they complaining they do not like catfish. Enjoy your Thursday.

Young Osprey Hovering

On Sunday it was a windy day on the Hudson River, so the young osprey decided to test their wings. At least one of them, if not both flapped their wings enough to hover at most maybe a foot above the nest.

Getting Ready

Young Osprey Hovering

The young osprey are in the front of this picture and the mom is in the rear left hand side. The dad was away probably 99 percent of the time I was there.

Hover Practice

Young Osprey Hovering

The young osprey utilized the wind to go up and down. It never appeared to get higher than a foot above the nest.

Young Osprey Hovering

Mom appears to be judging his technique in the photos above and below. I wonder if she gave advice. The sibling looks like they are trying to avoid being stepped on with those talons.

Young Osprey Hovering

Dad Rewards the Practice With a Fish

Young Osprey Hovering – Dad arrives with a fish

It looks like the young osprey are looking forward to a snack. It was not as hot out. I’m not sure why the dad stayed away more. Maybe it was due to the size of the growing babies and lack of room in the nest. When he dropped this fish off he only stayed in the nest for about a minute or so. I hope you all had a great weekend. Happy Tuesday!

Osprey at 105 Degrees

How do osprey cope with temperatures above 100 degrees? There are several things I have seen them do.

One is they sit with their mouths open like their are panting. There is a reason they do this. According to Couchiching Conservancy:

Birds have no sweat glands, so the primary way of dissipating excessive heat is by panting, just like a dog. If you see a bird during the hottest part of the day, it will likely have its mouth open.  You may or not see that their throat is moving up and down, ridding heat from their body through the open bill.

Osprey at 105 Degrees

Another way they cope is the mom will take short flights from the nest and go into the water to cool off. I have seen her float for a little while then fly back to the nest. So swimming or taking a dip helps them cool off.

In addition, when the mom returns to the nest after a dip she will shield her young from the sun under her wings. The nest is exposed, so she is shading them from the sun like an umbrella. I have seen the babies huddle under her wings.

Osprey at 105 Degrees

Also, I have seen the mom flap her wings or stretch them out more as the temperature rises. According to Couchiching Conservancy:

Another method they employ is to spread their wings and body feathers which allows heat to dispel and cool air to circulate between them.

Like a crazy person, I stood out to watch them in the afternoon of the days the temperatures reached 100 plus. I brought plenty of water and did not stay near the amount of time I normally stay. Take precautions when out and about and have a great Sunday.

Always Adding On

Most days when I go down to watch this nest, I see the mom or dad get additional sticks to add to the nest pile. Most of the time they are sticks floating nearby on the Hudson River, or from the nearby shore.

Always Adding On

Dad was out, so the adult appears to be the mom. Sometimes I think it is also an excuse for her to cool down by landing in the water for a few seconds.

Always Adding On

In the above picture it appears she is mulling over where to place the stick in the nest. Maybe the chicks are giving her input. Have a great Monday!

The Chase 2

Around the time the eggs hatched, I started to see osprey from other nests come to this one and stir up trouble. If they fly too close, the male will chase after the intruder.

The Chase 2

The one osprey above seems to have feather issues. I have never seen them touch each other. Sometimes I wonder if this is just a game so the dads can fly away and hang out together. They also will chase another osprey if they have a fish. Eagles try to steal fish from osprey, and osprey, it appears will try to steal a fish from each other.

The Chase 2

The gave me plenty to view by flying close to where I was standing. I love it when they do that.

The Chase 2

One even flew very close to me during the pursuit and I got some nice close ups. I took some photos today and watched them for a few hours, but it was very cloudy and dark. It was still fun watching them. Have a great Monday!

Dad is Busy Fishing

As the babies grow bigger, the dad seems to get busier catching fish. In a 4 hour period I saw him bring in maybe 4 fish. As the babies get bigger ,I suppose he will get busier.

Dad is Busy Fishing- Going to a neighbouring perch

Sometimes dad brings the fish directly into the nest. At other times he brings it to a neighbouring perch and waits. When the female tells him they are ready he flies over to the nest with the new catch. To me it looks like he is riding a skateboard here and not carrying a fish.

Dad is Busy Fishing- Babies are in the middle of the nest

What do osprey eat? According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

The osprey’s diet is almost exclusively fish, a unique characteristic among raptors. They are opportunistic about the species of fish they catch, but they can only catch fish swimming within three feet (1 m) of the water’s surface. They rarely take fish over 16 inches (40 cm) long. 

Dad is Busy Fishing- I love it when he flies in facing the light

They on occasion will catch small birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Will they catch a fish a fisherman snagged? Watch the video taken by The Crossroads on the Schroon River in the Adirondacks of New York. Beware a curse word is used.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/697994289596277

I worry about them having trouble with a hook. On the Hudson River they seem to have no issue getting fish on their own. Maybe the ones on small rivers upstate will resort to stealing from a fisherman. Have a Happy Tuesday!

Osprey Family 6/8

It was a hazy day, but I figured I would try my luck with the osprey. We are supposed to have more rainy days this week. Despite the haze, I saw a lot.

Osprey Family 6/8 -You can see to babies by the parent on the right side of the photo.

The babies are starting to look more like Osprey. They are also peeking their heads above the nest more.

Osprey Family 6/8 -One being fed and the other looking in the same direction as the other parent.

These are all taken at a distance with a zoom lens and are cropped.

Osprey Family 6/8- One of the parents with both kids in the photo in the bottom of the photo. One head is just visible under the other baby.

Even hazy days can be good days! Have a great week!