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Observations & Images
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The male Osprey comes in for a landing with a fish. Note: The white lines in all these pictures and a few from yesterday are due to some sort of camera failure. The camera has been shipped back to the factory for repair and its return is eagerly anticipated. |
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The female Osprey, at right, chatters excitedly at the sight of the fish. |
| The nestlings crowd around to be fed by Mom. Two of the nestlings are easily seen. A glimpse of the third nestling can be seen between the female's legs. |  |
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As if one fish was not enough, within the hour the male Osprey had returned with another fish! Here he can be seen removing the head from the fish which he does occasionally if he is in the mood to be helpful. |
| The male flies the headless fish to the nest. |  |
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The female Osprey, standing at left, was not quite so excited this time to see a fish but she dutifully took it from the male |
| Once again the nestlings come crowding around to feed their insatiable appetites. The appearance of the nestlings is well within what Alan Poole calls the "reptilian phase" of their development. In this stage Poole says, "They are black, scaly, and often crouch at danger, reminiscent of their reptilian ancestors. A conspicuous light tan streak runs down their spine. Their feet are bluish-grey and their claws long and black, colors that will hold for the bird's life." |  |
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A nestling opens wide to be fed a piece of fish. |
| The female spreads the food around. |  |
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From observations today and other days, the nestling pictured here is probably the dominant one of the three. It is clearly larger and more mobile than the others and seems to command the female's attention the most when it comes to feeding time. |