Observations & Images
22 May 2006
Age of nestling(s) in days: 41
THE NEIGHBORS
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Observations & Images
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| The female Osprey spent a long spell perched off the nest today. She might have been enjoying the breeze that was blowing though the poor nestling could be seen in the nest panting away. | |
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Working on the nest was not a priority today for the female Osprey as it has been the past few days. She brought a small stick back on one trip but going out again she returned lugging this ridiculously long branch. |
| She had some trouble maneuvering the branch into the nest. | |
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Her large talons have a good grip on the stick as she lands. |
| She seemed quite proud to have gotten the branch into the nest but little did she know her troubles were just beginning. | |
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Grabbing the stick with her bill she would try to position it in with the other sticks but with over two/thirds of this long branch hanging free over the side the short end would keep popping back up into the air. |
| Every time it would swing back up into the air the female Osprey would gamely grab for it and repeat the process of trying to set it into the nest. | |
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After the third or fourth time of pulling the branch back down it finally snapped where she grasped it in her bill. While the long broken branch fell to the ground she set the small piece she was left with where she wanted it in the nest. |
| The lone nestling was observed scurrying around to keep out of the way of its mother's labors. | |
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The male Osprey arrived carrying a feisty fish to the nest. It is obvious something is wrong. |
| It appears one of his legs is either covered with some sort of substance or, more likely, that he has injured it somehow. | |
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The feathers appear to be missing off the lower leg and toes. The leg also looks scaly like it is covered with a giant scab. Pictures taken on 21 May show that both legs appear normal. |
| The male leaves the area after dropping off the fish. How will he look tomorrow? | |
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Life goes on in the nest as the mother feeds her only remaining offspring. The nestling must now receive the lion's share of the food with the others gone. |
THE NEIGHBORS |
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| A juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird passed over the Osprey nest against an overcast sky. | |
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Only the early morning Sun can reach the Pileated Woodpecker home, otherwise it is in the shadows the rest of the day. Dad comes home to find two hungry mouths waiting for him at the doorway. The nestlings are fed at the opening with the parent bird outside. Both parent birds feed the young by regurgitation. |
| It is now Mom's turn to feed her noisy brood. The adult birds would occasionally disappear into the cavity along with the nestlings leaving none the wiser that anything was inside. | |