Observations & Images
4 July 2006
North Nest/South Nest
North Nest
South Nest
THE NEIGHBORS
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Observations & Images
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North Nest |
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| The north nest Ospreys are never far apart these days. Here the male watches me from atop the pine tree at upper right while the female can be seen in the background at lower left. | |
South Nest |
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The south nest fledgling was observed making three flights this morning. The first flight was initiated by a couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers which frightened the fledgling off the same snag it was seen perched atop on 2 July. The fledgling made several slow, looping, figure-8 flights around the area. The fledgling soars beautifully but when flapping its wings for a time the bird will sometimes forget the rhythm of the wing beats causing some disunity as each wing seems to take on a life of its own. |
| After an unsuccessful attempt at landing on a pine branch the fledgling made a good landing back on the same perch it had started off from. | |
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The fledgling leisurely groomed itself while taking breaks to enjoy the view. |
| The fledgling flies off the snag. | |
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Powerful wing beats carry it back to the nest. |
| Arriving back in the nest, the fledgling paced around a bit while letting out cries of hunger. The female Osprey was perched overhead but ignored her offspring's display. | |
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The male Osprey appeared carrying a fish. |
| The male lands in the nest with the fish as the fledgling excitedly calls out. | |
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The male Osprey releases the fish for the fledgling who has difficulty pinning the fish down as it jumps energetically all around the nest. The spirited fish is too much for the fledgling to handle. The dismay on the fledgling's face captures the moment as the bird realizes breakfast has jumped out of the nest. One can only wonder what the male Osprey is thinking at that moment as his young one loses the fish he has worked so hard to catch. |
| A chance shot catches the fish on the way to the ground where it will suffer a much more ignoble fate than being eaten by the Ospreys. | |
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The male Osprey flies off leaving the fledgling alone with its hunger and disappointment. |
| Within twenty minutes the male Osprey returned unexpectedly, hence the blurry shot as I scrambled to get a picture, carrying another fish for the fledgling who this time made sure it stayed in the nest. The male Osprey flew off as the fledgling settled down to its meal. The female Osprey remained, as ever, stoically watching from her perch overhead. | |
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About half an hour later, as I was hiking out, I caught the male Osprey returning with another fish. |
THE NEIGHBORS |
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| A lone Crow passes close overhead. | |
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The chattering of Swallows overhead marks their gyrating flights after insects. |