Observations & Images
31 March 2007
Approximate age of nestling(s) in days: 3
THE NEIGHBORS
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Observations & Images
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It was a busy morning for the male Osprey seen here eating a fish. Today came confirmation that he is a father. The approximate end of the incubation period and the beginning of measuring the age of the nestlings will overlap since the interpretation of the observations from the past few days now seem to indicate that the eggs probably started hatching a few days ago though the exact day is hard to confirm. |
| He flew the little bit of leftover fish to the nest but the female showed no interest in it nor did she show any interest in having the male replace her in the nest. The female stayed in the nest most of the time save for a couple of brief flights to relieve herself which she undertook whenever the male visited the nest. | |
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Hopefully the male is not commenting here on my continued presence in their lives. |
| Besides bringing at least four fish to the nest, the male interspersed the food runs with working on the nest. | |
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The male is always on guard for intruders into the nest area. Here he sends out a warning to a Black Vulture soaring by. |
| The male brings a small, freshly caught fish directly into the nest. | |
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The female, at left, went straight for the fish and began tearing it apart. She could be seen eating some parts herself and others she could be seen leaning over deep into the nest to feed to the nestlings. |
| The male finds time to take a short nap. What do Ospreys dream about? | |
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The female can be seen bent over the nest feeding the nestlings. This is a different fish from the one above. The male is proving himself to be quite capable at catching fish to feed his family. Once he heads out over the Indian River Lagoon he can be expected back in short order grasping a fish in his talons. |
| The male tries to break off a branch for the nest. This is the same cluster of dead branches which foiled the female's attempt at doing the same thing on 26 March. Like the female, the male was unable to break off a branch. | |
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Yet again, the male brings in another freshly caught fish which could be seen still gasping for air as he started digging into it. |
THE NEIGHBORS |
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| A male Pileated Woodpecker in a tree near the Osprey nest. Pileated Woodpeckers are seen almost everyday in this area. The following five pictures show the passage of a female Pileated Woodpecker. | |
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Wings spread wide for a short glide. |
| A few quick wing beats. | |
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The wings close up allowing her to arrow through the air. |
| Some more wing beats. | |
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Back to a short glide before starting all over again. The Pileated flight is quite distinct and fun to watch plus their lusty vocalizations ringing through the trees give a touch of the exotic to an otherwise drowsy Florida day. |