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Bald Eagles Visit Nest
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March 18, 2016 Timelapse
The Summer of 2015 by GinaM
Osprey Rescue Extended - July 30, 2015
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osprey 07/11/15 squirt
First Sighting
George and Gracie's First Baby
Eggs Over Easy
Changing of the Guard
Breakfast is Served
Upgrading
Feeding Time
First Love
Let's Hang Out
Hard to Get
Little Brother
Intruder
Dinner is Served
OspreyZone Montage

OspreyZone Highlights: George Returns
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Please be advised that nature can be brutal – viewer discretion is advised.
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Special Thanks to Tommy and Christina: George & Gracie’s Landlords
Belle’s Journey
Written by Dr. Rob Bierregaard & Illustrated by Kate Garchinsky
Take flight with Belle, an osprey born on Martha’s Vineyard as she learns to fly and migrates for the first time to Brazil and back–a journey of more than 8,000 miles.
IMPORTANT: Messages from osprey experts
I haven’t seen the little guy yet this morning, but I would be very surprised if he survived the night. That sure was tough to watch yesterday, but that whole process is as much a part of the essence of being an Osprey as is eating a fish. It’s part of the life of Ospreys that was rarely seen before we started putting cameras in nests. As hard as it is, we should not label the behavior as mean or cruel. Being mean or cruel implies that there is intent to do harm just for harm’s sake. Those young were responding to a set of stimuli (very little food being delivered to the nest and the presence of a very small young) in a way that evolution has hard-wired into them. It helps ensure their survival. Nature is not cruel. It is harsh, unforgiving, and often random (had the little guy been born 1st, he would have been just as aggressive as was his sibling), but not cruel or mean.
Paul Henry ospreyzone July 1, 2015 at 8:17 am
Thanks Rob for bringing your knowledge and experience to help us all gain perspective here. We are all saddened by the events that unfolded before our eyes and it’s only natural for all of us to feel and express our emotions appropriately. There have been many issues pertaining to intervention which have been discussed amongst us all. There is no doubt in my mind that the right decision was made, to let nature take it’s course. By the way, that doesn’t equate to heartless, on the contrary, nobody feels worse about this then the apparent decision makers. I say apparent, because when all was said and done, and all the issues were properly weighed, there really weren’t any other options. It was clearly pointed out, by experts, that intervening at this stage could have spooked the whole nest to the point of losing all the young. If the little one was saved, and nursed back to health, what kind of a life would it have had, perhaps caged up in a zoo. I remember when I was younger I saw a golden eagle in captivity, caged behind a wire mesh. I could practically see it’s tears. As far as placing the little one in another nest, such a low probability of success would never have justified the possibility of spooking the nest. There’s a piece of me, however heavy hearted, that believes that perhaps it is better to be born free and die free. We mourn for the little one as we marvel at the wonders of nature.
Hello Paul,
Thanks for your query, and you have my admiration for persevering. We know very well how tough your job is, including dealing with an anxious public.
Our policy with our Bird Cams project is essentially “just say no” to pleas for interference. The behavior you are witnessing – while seemingly cruel and heartless to us – is natural for many kinds of birds, especially those that feed on variable, unpredictable food supplies. The little nestling does have a chance to survive, but if it does not then that result was “meant to be” by the nature of Osprey breeding strategy. The wonderful things about these nest cameras also sometimes yield the difficult things for us to watch. As you might know, we actually post a “siblicide alert” on some of our cams where we suspect the possibility exists.
I’m copying your note to Charles Eldermire, project leader for our Bird Cams. He may have some additional comments, and he would be the one to ask if we might be able to use your stored files for biological analysis.
Best wishes, and good luck,
John W. Fitzpatrick
Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
It’s also important to acknowledge that intervening can also cause problems of its own—depending on the ages of the birds in the nest, disturbing them can trigger an early fledge. We have restricted the scenarios in which we would even consider intervening to injuries or dangers that are explicitly human-derived. For example, 3 or 4 years ago we were alerted by viewers that one of the osprey chicks at the Hellgate Osprey nest was entangled in monofilament line. We consulted with our partners there (wildlife biologists, raptor researchers, raptor rehabbers) to determine if the monofilament was an issue, and if intervening was both likely to solve the issue AND not have bad effects on the other nestlings. In the end, a quick trip to the nest was scheduled via a bucket truck, the monofilament was removed, and the nestlings all eventually fledged. In that case, all of the permits were already in hand to be studying the ospreys, and we had already discussed how to approach issues in the nest.
Good luck to the young one—hope it all turns out well.
charles.
*******************
Charles Eldermire
Bird Cams Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
I’ve been to your site—great cam! And I noticed the runt in the nest. This is just normal Osprey reproduction. It happens all the time and you should not intervene. It’s tough to watch, but it’s how nature works. Ospreys almost always lay 3 eggs and on average fledge between 1 and 1.5 young each year. They stagger the hatch so there is a spread of ages in the young. That way, if food is short, the first-hatched (and therefore largest) will get enough food to survive while the smaller nest mates do not. If all three young were the same size and there was only enough food for 1 young, none of the young would get enough food and they would all die. If there’s lots of food, the smallest will eventually get fed and can survive. These nest cams can show some gut-wrenching scenes. The most infamous perhaps was one of the very first Osprey cams (on Long Island somewhere), where the smallest young died. One of the adults carried it out of the nest and after several minutes flew back into the nest and fed it to the other young. Waste-not-want-not at its goriest. At Hog Island up in Maine just last week a Bald Eagle came in and took the young out of the nest. Last year at another nest, cameras documented a Great-horned Owl taking young Ospreys out of a nest in NJ or MD. All of these things have been going on for millions of years and Ospreys are doing fine.
Rob Bierregaard
Academy of Natural Sciences
Drexel University
http://www.ospreytrax.com
4th chick hatched out of egg 5 shortly before 2:27 am. Lucy is seen discarding eggshell here. It was there under her at 2:15:49 as she stood up. So either egg 1 or 2 hatched first, then 3, 4 and 5. Incredible. If Lucy had not buried one of the first two eggs, there likely would be 5 chicks. If she had brooded them last year, she might have had five also. Mind boggling!
Thank you for pic.. last year she laid 5 correct. And none hatched?
That’s correct, Lucy did not hardly ever brood last year. I remember her brooding a little bit after she would lay an egg but that was it. Same thing this year until egg 3. It was like someone turned on a switch!
Good Morning! Happy Juneteenth!
Spotted all 4 chicks. #4 looks tiny next to older ones.
Same to you, Carol! Hoping for #4 but, you know how it is being the smallest and youngest in an osprey nest.
Lucy looking lovely this morning beyond the split rail fence in the mist.
I am on vacation and keep checking in. Shocked to see number 4 at 2:58 pm today. Hopefully Lucy and George will know what to do. Hope there isn’t any bonking. This is mind blowing. Thanks for all the screen shots. I am sure we will all be looking at progress every day. After several bad years, this would be a blessing and a miracle. This will be an evolving story.
I won’t be surprised if #4 does not make it. And very happy if he does! I think there will be some bonking, especially with 4 chicks there. I noticed chick 2 yesterday already grabbing the beak of one of its sibs and shaking it!
Your right about 4… nest too small…and there is going to be a lot of pecking on younger chick…still amazing that they hatched…
Hoping the best for all of them. Hard for a 4th to survive but it does happen. There’s a nest in Missouri where they raised four chicks two or three times. Female much more experienced than Lucy, but she has George helping her so we shall see.
Greetings, looking forward to a great season.
I have 2 requests:
1) Please restrict postings, images and videos to only about the Ospreyzone nest.
2) When an image or still is shared, please don’t crop out the bottom line with date and time etc. I need it to be able to come back for being included in highlights. Also, my copyright is important to me.
Please note that I encourage you to point out highlight worthy moments, as I can’t see everything but I’m hoping to keep up with the nest this year in our highlights. I also have an Osprey intro and a history of The plight if the Osprey , made by some of my students recently, to be published shortly, stand by.
Many thanks.
Paul
May have temporarily found way to get to photos from earlier in n day! It’s a long and winding road but until I find a better idea….. this is shot from this morning taken about 2:30pm…and I can edit!
Sort of stumbled… um,….. navigated to a back door. Now better make notes or….
Now I’m exhausted!
AND the sun came out…!!! HAPPY DANCE HAPPY DANCE!!!
Lucy and one jr. Settling for now.
Chance of first of several quick passing rain bands in the forecast anytime within an hour and overnight
Cooling to about 71 with winds S10mph
SOD, everyone!
Sounds like feeding on the right side of the nest
Who has decided to build a split rail fence!
George brings a big fish… that’s it on the left, coming in for a landing….
Kids waiting for a turn
.
Just took pic and saw 3 clearly… so much easier when they are moving!
Unless that washer works….
THANKS, AIDAN!
I t’s a view; less lumber, still smudgy…. I’ll take it!
Kids napping on right rim
Temp approaching 80 by 1pm then starting to drop slowly under overcast skies. Wind SW@ 7mph and a little muggy @70%
And feeding….
Pretty sure everyone ate.
Everyone’s looking a little fuzzy as their feathers pop out
George came to visit for a bit. Lucy is chatting, not yapping, at the moment….
Maybe I worry too much but as crowded as this nest is, I hate to see George manipulating multi -branches around when kids are near edge….
Z
And another one…. Getting a little help
LIVE STREAM is back running…
Ty!
Cam still down
I’m imagining Lucy in her ventilated jacket…. She always looks so cute!
Wonder if the dinos are bonking today?
Considering tomorrow is a holiday, I suspect it will be a guessing game, too.
It’s 4pm and 83.Fullsun.
winds W9mph…. But feels stagnant.
So guess we’re off line. Waied a while to see if it came back.
Hope everyone has a good night and a good Sunday and a safe and happy fourth!
Hopefully the fireworks are minimal…..
So guess we’re off line. Waied a while to see if it came back.
Hope everyone has a good night and a good Sunday and a safe and happy fourth!
Hopefully the fireworks are minimal….
Have a happy and safe
4 of July
George is back and Lucy is reading him the riot act….. guess he doesn’t have fish… as long as he didn’t bring a stick!
3rd round of tstorms just rolled through here….bah!
Feeding time… of the two heads showing… one on right is keeping an eye on chick we can’t see well. It’s just by the right side. Each time it’s made a move, that visible chick has glacéd over or n
Made a move toward it…… it’s over there waiting.
Feel slightly better that we had turned the page and pics that were supposed to be tacked on here got attached to wrong place!
See previous page to read them… and my whiny confusion ….
Lunch by Lucy
She tried to feed the little guy
His sibling gave him the stink eye