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An Intro to OspreyZone
The Story of DDT
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Bald Eagles Visit Nest
Ospreyzone Highlights: May 21-29, 2020
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OspreyZone Highlights: May 7th-14th, 2020
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OspreyZone Yankee
March 18, 2016 Timelapse
The Summer of 2015 by GinaM
Osprey Rescue Extended - July 30, 2015
Osprey Zone Highlights - June 28, 2015
Osprey Zone Highlights - June 19, 2015
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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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
CarolV, I love all your photos, captions, and remarks ! But how on earth can you tell the babies apart ? Once #3 caught up I couldn’t pick her out anymore !
Whiteness of her head, still. Very lightly marked; a little different from others I’ve seen.
Closest clear comparison of them together is Rjoneal’s post on 9/1 @7:41pm….Rocky on left- see how few brown lines she has compared to Brutus on right? And I usually take several screenshots and observe before making a call. It gets harder, of course, with a static, all on its own photo. AND I’m not always right; just do my best.
This is a good shot of the backs of their heads………………….Brutus on right
A definite give-a-way is the color of their head..Rocky (#3) is mostly white w/a very,very narrow dark mark on it’s head and is smaller in size…whereas Brutus (#1) has a more prominent dark mark on head and is bigger as well..from the back I’m lost lol! Hope I helped a little maybe someone else w/more differences will comment 🙂
Rocky comes in to pose……………
Helen..Thank you for update.
To all our picture takers..They are so great!!! I may not comment on each one but truly love them all. Thank you..and Videos too..
I bought a calendar from the Dyfi Osprey Project last year and decided to design one for George and Gracies’s nest for 2017. I don’t comment much on the site but have been here since the eagle attack on Rachel and Steve’s nest last year. I read and appreciate everyone’s comments, images, videos and poems that are posted. And I thank Tommy and Christine for the opportunity to learn from viewing G&G’s nest.
In the calendar, I’m using screen shots that I’ve taken and also looking through the comments for others to use. Does anyone have any good pictures of PeeWee from last year that you don’t mind sharing? I only have a few from the end of June 2015 and wanted to include last year’s family. And if anyone is interested in a pdf of the calendar when it’s finished, I will share it. Proper credit and copyright to ospreyzone.com and trs.com will given on every page.
Thanks!
When its ready count me in..I REALLY would like to purchase one.
That’s such a great idea… I would love to get a copy!
How wonderful! Please tell me where to get it when it is available – just the thing to keep me a little less depressed over the long winter. I also bought a calendar but don’t know if it is the same as yours. Will look into it. Many thanks.
I wasn’t doing photos last year, or I would share. Good luck with your project!
I’m in
9-2-16 Reply-alizarin I do have a lot of pics from last year but hardly any of Pee Wee sorry. I wish I would have taking more but when the beatings got bad I stopped watching and then until he died I watched off and on. Most of the time he looked lifeless and I did not want to remember him/her like that.
Would love to have a calendar count me in please.
I would love a copy too – great idea !!
Hi Alizarin, there is a Highlights Video for June 19, 2015, one for June 24, 2015 and one for June 28, 2015. Pee Wee hatched on June 15, 2015. The first egg hatched on June 12, 2015 so there was only 3 days between the oldest and youngest. I know you can get some screen shots from those videos. The first 2 videos are 2 hours long. The 3rd video on June 28, 2015 is maybe only 1-1/2 hours but you said you wanted earlier pics, so you probably want to use the June 19th and June 24th Highlights videos. On the June 19, 2015 Highlights video all 3 are lined up for feeding at video time 24:17 and Gracie is feeding Pee Wee at 24:52 video time (they’re all lined up) which is a nice shot and there’s some sunlight. I didn’t go thru the whole 2 hour video but I’m sure you’ll find some good screen shots you can use.
Below is a screen shot from the June 19, 2015 Highlights video time 36:17 that shows Pee Wee who is 4 days old looking at the cam. It’s a bit on the dark side though because of the weather.
Alizarin, The June 24, 2015 Highlights video shows that Pee Wee is off exploring by himself from video time abt. 27:00 to 33:00 when he makes his way back to the nest bowl. Again, this video is 2 hours long so you should be able to find some good screen shots. I didn’t watch the whole video. but there’s good screen shots to be found.
Below is a screen shot of Pee Wee, “The Explorer”, who is 9 days old from the June 24, 2015 Highlights video time 27:01. I hope this helps you!!! What you’re doing is great and good luck with your project !!!
Alizarin, if you watch the June 24 Highlights video between around 27:00 to 33:00 you can see that George was getting a little jittery about Pee Wee going too close to the edge of the nest and he was keeping an eye on him.
9-3-16 Reply- alizarin As I mentioned before I do not have any good pics of Peewee but I did want to pass on to you 2 different pics from this year George and Gracie’s Beak kiss the first of the season and Betsy made a video for me then the babies 1,2,3 all giving beak kisses.
Here is one my favs George and Gracie’s beak kiss 4-23-16
9-3-16 Reply-alizarin Here is babies beak kisses
rjoneal: Great shots!! I love when they beak kiss!!
9-4-16 Reply- Betsy you know its one of my favorites thanks to you it was also one of the first videos made. Look how much you have learned and how much more experienced you are now compared to the first video. You even put music to a video which is what I was wanting from you. I guess we do kinda push each other to do better. Lets not forget my Feather Duster also was the first to make a portrait and what a hit that became. Now you have moved on to beautifying and framing the poems.
Hope we can continue this journey next season and some through the winter. As you might have seen someone asked if camera would be on during winter, sorry I can not remember who at this time but I told them there is no stopping CarolV, Betsy, and me.
Gracie was in…
George has been in and out with supplies and decorations. Haven’t seen the kids. George has been calling.
It is kind of funny..now the nest it perfect for eggs..Ha
Oh My CarolV!.. how cute this picture is you caught of George carrying straw grass around the nest..giggles..i love it! (one of the keepers for collection)
Shout out to Rjoneal, Bob and all our FL friends…thinking about you. Hope all is well. Think you’re far enough away from the worst?
I framed your poem Bre.
I Like…I Like!!
This is really great..Bre..Thank you again for all your beautiful poems…
It’s beautiful!, I’m literally in tears Betsy…Thank You Very Much!
Bre: You’re welcome! A beautiful poem should be framed!!
Beautiful Poem, Bre and I love the frame too, great job – Betsy!
9-2-16 Reply- Betsy Beautiful job.
6/10/16- ” Could you watch where you put that?”
FORECAST….12:16amEDT……..70, overcast, dropping to about 64 or so overnight…FRIDAY- high 70s, sunny much of day, clouding over in afternoon. low humidity..
The effects of Hermine will be felt Sat. night thru Sunday- storm predicted to park south of here out to sea. Tides may be 3 ft. above normal, causing coastal flooding. Rain predictions all over the place, as forecasts often are when trying to track these storms. Wait and see……………
5-13-16—-
…………………Did you say it’s FRIDAY????????? The 13TH????????
NOT funny, George!!!!!
This was also 5-13-16
Uh oh…Who’s sneaking in? Gotta watch those teen-agers!
that it really a cool shot…
TY- Uplighting from house makes for some eerie shots……..
I was watching. I think it was Gracie!! 😀 😀
19:18:58–Rocky in with her fish-
After sitting in the nest, she went out on her own.
19:19:11–Brutus jumps down-“Share please” or rather “Hand it over”
19:19:26–Rocky decides she’d rather eat in and returns………..
and tells Brutus-“Get your own!”
Scram!
9-1-16 Way to go Baby3 Rocky brings in a nice size fish for him/herself and Baby1 Brutus is just waiting for the perfect moment to steal the fish.
9-1-16 Beautiful Rocky hanging out in the nest waiting for mom or dad to bring fish.
9-1-16 Baby 3 jumps down from perch into nest begs for food, lays down awhile and pecks at the stick and grass around it. Finally stands up and it was like he/she was posing,nice beautiful bird and then a bug has to fly and be in the pic figures.
All 3 shots really great..i see you caught the bee again…They are so handsome!!!
9-2-16 Reply- June C thanks for noticing and I am truly going to miss them!
Photo bomb! Everyone wants to be remembered!
7:07 AM- Gracie jumps down from perch and does her dance and call as George flies in with a fish for her. She takes it and eats as George rearranges the nest. All three babies thriving and flying somewhere in the neighborhood, mom and dad recreate a scene we watched as the summer began. May we be fortunate enough to see them both again next year…
Amen Gina – it is just so hard to say goodbye to our family.
I am hoping and praying that our Gracie doesn’t make any plans to leave this week with the hurricanes along the coast. I never want her to leave – but especially not this week…
GinaM, if I’m remembering correctly last year when Gracie left she was flying into very stormy weather.
89-2-16 Reply- GinaM you are correct a Hurricane but we found out later she was not in harms way more than likely.
7:06–Wet bird, hungry bird…George brings in partial fish to Gracie……….
Then he rearranges a log in front of the lens…thanks………..
FLORIDA friends…Thoughts are with you- Just saw Hermine possibly upgrading to hurricane……..Think it’s hitting northwest of you? Stay safe……….
9-1-16 Reply- CarolV thanks for thinking of all of us who live in Florida,I know there is at least 3-4 of us who do. I am lucky like most in my area living so close to the ocean and the St. Johns River, since we have so many hurricanes I have a big generator that just plugs in out in the garage and it will keep electricity running through my house so I don’t have to worry about my fridge or freezer thank goodness. I keep extra freezer out in garage full of meats and soups. It cost a lot of money at first to have installed but it saves you money in the long run. As many storms that we have and lose electricity for hours we would lose hundreds of dollars in food alone.
I am hoping everyone from Florida all the way up stays safe if nothing else this is going to bring a lot of flooding. Don’t you know we just had a new roof put on hoping no major wind damage hate to have to replace again.
On the other hand, less worry about leaks! Sounds like you’re set.!
Thanks CarolV along with rjoneal i also live in Florida, been busy manually putting up a few hurricane/storm shutters around house windows, only partial for now so we can
be able to see some daylight coming in..in any case is an energy saver keeping house cool inside AC. I have some giant oak trees with big limps had to trim,also have a huge
generator gives relief..hope worst has past but with the unpredictable Florida weather can instantly turn in a blink of an eye! I call it Bipolar weather lol
Thanks for your thoughts Carol. I live on Longboat Key and as usual we dodged the bullet. It seems the storms after entering the Gulf of Mexico don’t want to make a complete right turn toward us so they always head further north. We get lucky while others, not so much. Plenty of rain (many inches) and one palm tree down (without much damage) in my community.Again, thank you for your concern. Bob
5-19-16—STAY AWAY FROM MY EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!…..this Angry Bird is not playing!
Not the pretty morning sunrise we’ve been seeing lately………..It’s been coming thru in bands at my house.just had buckets full being thrown at the house. My big strong dog was torn between necessity and going through a waterfall!
This looks like Rocky trying to dry her wings.
Sorry–wrong pic…erase that from your memory–too bad it wasn’t at least one I hadn’t already posted!!!
Wing drying Rocky- hopefully…………
Inspired by Stephanie’s adorable “kiss cam” post—a “heart” from Gracie to George…………….just yesterday..
Tough love from G&G? will have to see if any food around nest when comments come in, but I didn’t see any in p.m. They could, of course, be eating elsewhere, I guess……………………
FORECAST: overcast, 75 now, with temps staying close to this thru night, maybe down a few. A bit muggy now.After midnight, increasing chance of t-storms thru early afternoon tomorrow. Temps to be high 70s in afternoon, with returning 30%chance of t-storms late afternoon to evening.
Rob B’s. ospreys are on the move. Check out his website and facebook page. He has info about his newest project in Newfoundland and the osprey he tagged there, too.
George continues to bring nesting material. I think the poor guy is in a state of denial 🙁
So am i!
Just re-confirming his claim to this nest to let others know it’s taken. He IS dedicated!
Eleanor..could u call your vet to see how the injured Osprey made out? Sounds very possible it is our Ali…All of us would like to know…Thanks!
Here is a picture of Ali. White around eye is like eyeliner.
Question…is it Ali as in Mohammed Ali or Ali like a girl (Alee) ? They never really said the pronunciation. Aiden or anyone?
I know someone( probably Doris) had suggested here that we name them all after fighters; because of the way they fought with each other, I believe. So I took it as Mohammad Ali.
It was Northfork animal hospital in southold. They actually didn’t take the osprey in because of lack of staff. I’m not sure where the people took it or even if they did.
June –
I posted yesterday that the vet knew nothing about our osprey and the wildlife rescue said they had a few Osprey but none from our nest.
Big excitement as George approaches (far left)…………
Big disappointment………..George did drop and go; kids barely had time to put in a McDonald’s order….
Did the 4 hr scrollback and Brutus is the only one I caught in the nest- went in and out several times, but spent a lot of time begging. Taking a break.
Of course, as I type, Rocky shows up…..a.k.a. Beggar#2
CAROL: by the sounds of it Hermenia is on her way to New York as a long,long Nor’easter over the weekend. Look for plenty of rain and some wind. Hope our Osprey family makes out OK.
Thanks…trying to keep an eye on it. Right now it looks like most of it will stay south and head out over the ocean. Always time to change it’s mind!
Does anyone remember what Gracie, George, Sandy and Ronnie left for SA last year? Isn’t it getting close to the time that Gracie should be on her way? 🙁
Gracie left about 9/8/15.
That young fledglings follow the parents to migrate is NOT true.
The facts:
In autumn, females usually migrate before and typically winter further south than males. In many instances, females leave before the young are independent, and the male continues to provide food for the young after the female’s departure. Adults typically migrate before juveniles, and most juveniles remain on their wintering grounds at least until their second spring. http://www.hawkmountain.org/raptorpedia/hawks-at-hawk-mountain/hawk-species-at-hawk-mountain/osprey/page.aspx?id=651
Do Osprey pairs migrate and winter together?
Ospreys mate for life, as far as we know, but part ways each year for the fall migration. They migrate as individuals, not in groups or flocks. Usually, females leave the nesting area first, followed by the males. Mates do not see each other again until they return to their nest in spring. It would be a very rare coincidence if a pair ended up in the same wintering place.
Do the young migrate and winter together with parents or each other?
The young are left behind when parents migrate. A few days to several weeks later, the young take off, too. Each one finds its own route south and winters in a different place, just as the adults do. http://www.jamaicabayosprey.org/faq-about-ospreys
Hello all, I think I saw Ali in the nest early this morning, but I’m not 100% sure. Checked in about 9:30-ish and saw an empty nest so I scrolled back quite a ways and saw Rocky. Then this guy showed up, and chased Rocky off the nest! I know it’s not Brutus, as there are no chest markings at all. Really hoping it’s Ali, because I haven’t seen him in a while. Can anyone tell for sure by these photos? I also saw George & Gracie together in the nest this morning. He brought her a fish, then one of their lil darlings flew in and stole it…gotta love ’em! 🙂
To CarolV and Betsy: thank you for your response to my comment. I do understand your point CarolV, and I choose to remember Ali for his philanthropic work rather than his boxing career. I am simply unable to see anything champion-like in people beating one another bloody and senseless. Never have, and its even more appalling given the times we live in. I was very disappointed when Ali’s daughter took up boxing. Felt like she learned nothing from her fathers career. Betsy, you have a point about gender neutral names…good idea; fortunately the birds know nothing about names…would they be offended? : ) I have enjoyed reading comments and seeing the photos from both of you all summer.
Thanks Eva…I hope I didn’t come across critical. I’m with you on boxing and it’s dangers; as I feel about the violence in other sports like hockey and football. As long as there are followers to applaud these modern day Coliseum spectacles, there will be glory for the successful participants and injuries for many.
I’d rather watch osprey!!!!!!!
CarolV, I too would rather watch osprey…or any wildlife actually! You absolutely did not come across as critical; I felt your answer was well thought out and well presented. Much appreciated; I see far too much snarky attitude these days. I too don’t understand football and hockey spectacles but I thought I ought not get on my soapbox. I can imagine the onslaught! : ) I’ve enjoyed our exchanges, and thanks for what you do here~
TY
Good Morning All! Has anyone seen breakfast come in yet?
Watching the weather and see our friends in Florida have a possible tropical storm heading at you….batten down the hatches and keep safe!
Morning begins………
with the arrival of…
Rocky at sunrise…..
George is at work already before 6:25
And Brutus stops in right after in case any presents are left
And finally Gracie…………
getting breakfast from hunny-bunny………………she took it to go as Rocky barreled in.
Phheeww! Was getting worried…………know she’s gotta go but………
The colors were extraordinary!!
At 18:16 Rocky flew to the nest, but, Brutus, Gracie, and the fish were all gone!!
At 17:41 George brought a partial fish to the nest. Brutus was still working on her fish. Gracie hopped down from the perch and grabbed it. This is George flying away after his delivery.
At 16:09, George delivered a HUGE fish, which Brutus was there to claim.
George coming in with the fish.
Very cool photo Betsy! ?
Thank you Karen.
That is really a wonderful picture. Hope it will be available to look at all winter. Thank you Betsy.
It’s really a classic. Perfectly placed with the fish in his talons – yes very special. Thanks again Betsy.
Thank you Helen.
9-2-16 reply- Betsy unusual picture, a nice change for sure.
Great pic
Thank you barbara.
Leesa, thanks for your beautiful poem. You were able to capture all of my thoughts. Bre, thanks for your beautiful poem, too. We truly have so much to be thankful for, especially in being able to share our osprey’s family everyday life.
CarolV, I love the picture you took at 6:38 a.m. Such beautiful colors. Boy, am I going to miss our family, as all of us will. What will we do with all of our spare time?!?!
Thanks! We.ve had some glorious sunrises..been lucky enough to catch the right moments…..
They truly are a loving family!!
Great photo! 🙂
Stephanie L: Love this picture!! That was the day Rocky showed her/his true spunk!! (I even made a video — s/he made her/his way to the front of the bigger chicks, struggled up the nest bowl slope with every ounce of her/his being to stand right in front of Gracie and said “I am here … see me … feed me, too!!)
Love this picture
[:+}}
G & G tender moment
George loves Gracie!
Betsy- I’ve gotten in the habit of scrolling back to previous page, sometimes, to pick up missed replies. Thought you would get yours in notifications. I never did find out why mine stopped. Thinking about rejoining next year with another e-mail address…
Will probably still be finding things missed if I re-read over the winter!!
CarolV: Nope, don’t get notification of follow-up comments by email or new posts by email! Too much in my inbox already that I haven’t even looked at!!
Haven’t made it thru all the comments..see I have some poems to look forward to! Yay!!! Saving to savor…!…and pictures too.
FORECAST: 72 at 9pm..Clouding up overnight, holding in the heat so it will be staying around the same. Wednesday–overcast with sun peeking out, mainly in afternoon. Temps. high 70s-low 80s
It’s a very difficult trip down South for the babies, and many will not make it through the first year of life. I’d like to believe our three have a strong enough sense of resiliency and survival to defy the odds.
Looks like Rocky missed out on afternoon sushi party. This is the only thing I saw her get…..even looking closely, you may not see the scraggly fishtail she dug up! Hope she ate earlier!
Is she waiting? ” Isn’t this where Brutus’ fish appeared?”
Yup- Brutus’ fish arriving at 16:09….not so lucky, kid……………..
17:41– Now George brings in a 1/2 fish…………..
Gracie hops down from perch and accepts with her usual style!
16:09–George brings in a nice fish………..
……which Brutus is happy to take.
7:17– Brutus hopping up to bed…anyone see where she stashed that fish? ” I can’t believe I ate the WHOOOOLLLLE thing!”
Hi,
Did you read my comment about the hurt osprey on the evening of the 19th? The people that called in said they were in Greenport.
Thanks
I am just now reading comments about the missing Ali opsrey’s around the 20rh. I was at the vet in southold on the 19th and someone had called in from a marina and said they had a hurt osprey. Not sure if it could be our girl/guy. They didn’t have staff to take care of her/him but told the people where to go. Could this be the missing link?
Eleanor: Thanks for the info, but, no, that wasn’t Ali … I have her on video on the 20th and s/he appeared fine!! S/he hasn’t been seen on the nest since then.
We may never know, unless he puts in an appearance here
Eleanor –
Spoke with the vet in Southold. Was told someone at their office was called but as far as she knows, they do not have the Osprey. Called the Wildlife Rehab in Hampton Bays but they did not answer their phone. Will try later.
Eleanor – Just spoke with Wildlife Rehab – they have a few injured Osprey but none from our nest.
At 5:30pm….I think someone is FULL, with half a fish left yet.
That’s an impressive catch. Tough Osprey and tough fish
Yea…still eating it an hour later ! Won’t be hungry tonight.
8-30-16 Reply- Redkayak Baby 1 got this fish from George around 4:00pm sorry to say he did not go fishing and get himself. Delivery instead by dad.
rjoneal: You have a picture of a different fish delivery!! See CarolV’s pictures above!! 😀
9-1-16 reply- Betsy & Redkayak Oops wrong attached picture but my statement was correct baby 1 did not get that fish Geo brought to the nest.
Thanks for correction, you tend to only correct some people and not others so not sure how to take it. However you are right wrong pic was attached.
I have been following this site since last season, and have followed our little family almost daily this season. What activities I may miss, I usually can catch up by reading everyone’s informative comments and photos. I haven’t posted any comments, I just quietly watch our little family interact, and grow until it is time for them to move on. I can’t help but be worried for Ali. I checked through the comments, and it appears that Ali hasn’t been seen for quite some time. Is it unusual for a chick to migrate before the mother? My understanding is that the mother migrates first, and then the chicks along with the father. Last year, Gracie was the first to leave. Does anyone have any information that I may have missed on Ali? I’m praying I just missed something and all is fine.
As another season comes to an end, I just want to thank the Osprey Zone for another beautiful experience. I want also thank those of you who regularly participated in providing comments and photos for those of us who can only check in briefly. But most of all, I want to thank our beautiful family of Osprey. I feel as though each on of them is now a part of me. I bid them a safe and happy life as they migrate off to warmer climates. Be safe my friends! Until we meet again George and Gracie! <3
I’ve only seen two young ones at the nest for the last few days 🙁 the young fledglings follow the parents to migrate, they will keep learning from them along the way.
Mostly EMPTY NEST so far today. Departure coming soon I guess.
Hello Group
Well it’s getting down to a couple of short weeks when we start to say our Sincere and Heartfelt Good-Byes to our Family
It maybe to early to start making predictions a o when they will be off on a Winters Migration South I’m going to say when each Sibling reaches their 14th Week Birthday they will be off. Can anyone with good math skills let me know the dates
And a Shout-Out to Leeds on a beautiful Poem. Leesa, you should have that published somewhere
Thanks All
Mike
Should be: 13 September, 15 September, and 18 September.
Maybe likely by not using 7 days: 9 Sep, 11 Sep, and 14 Sep.
Well, Michael, here are the dates:
? Brutus hatched on June 3rd, so s/he’ll be 14 weeks old on September 9th.
? Ali hatched on June 5th, so s/he’ll be 14 weeks old on September 11th – however, there has been no sign of him/her at the nest since August 20th … migrated already??, hangs out on the perch or nearby trees or another nest?? We don’t know!! (I refuse to think something bad happened, though!!)
? Rocky hatched on June 8th, so s/he’ll be 14 weeks old on September 14th.
Thank you, Mike, and everyone else too, for your kind words on my poem. I’ve always loved to write, and these magnificent birds make it fun to put things together. It also helps me to think back over the highlights of the year. Your words are too kind!
Beautiful poems Bre and Leesa. Thank you, a pleasure to read.
How lucky we are to have 2 poets among us …
Bre…Beautiful..
Leesa….more then a poem, a story about this beautiful season we where so lucky to see..
Thank you to you both for sharing your amazing talent
6:20am–morning nest survey………………
Golden boy!! 😀
Beautiful photo – shows Gracie and the background in wonderful shades and colors. Thank you Carol.
Helen: That’s a picture of George, not Gracie!! 🙂
Ooops…….
6:07am- Rocky comes in with a fresh whole fish–
She was out, then back, with her fish. She look extra beautiful in this pose!
CarolV: S/he’s just gorgeous!!
CarolV: They’re getting bigger!! 😀
8/29-15:25–This is an interesting look
CarolV: A high-neck collar!!
Rocky flying from the nest
8-30-16 Reply- Betsy, now that is a close up view and a good one at that.
rjoneal: Thank you!! It’s not that often that I do the picture thing!! OMG, I’ve been saving images from everyone left and right!! 😀 😀 Now that we’re nearing the end of the season I have to make sure I have a good supply of pics!!
Good one!
Poem…Part 1
There are always two sides,
the good and the bad,
The dark and the light,
the sad and the glad-
But in looking back over
Good and bad the bad
We’re aware of the number
of GOOD THINGS we’ve had-
and counting our blessings we
find when were through
We’ve no reason to complain or
be blue-
So thank God for good things
he has already done; and be
grateful battles won.
Now..
A heartfelt appreciation,
we were always the heart of
happiness acknowledges in this loving
tribute”bringing nougats of glee/sweets of
open laughter”
from the beginnings of this profound
relationship, where we stand to inherit
timeless wisdom, patience, knowledge and compassion
of this remarkable bond of the inspiring,enduring
LOVE for OUR family…as we continue to dedicate.
Love it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Bre: Lovely!! JuneC asked and you delivered! Thank you! 🙂
Well done, Bre — love it!!
8-30-16 Reply – Bre as always wonderfully written and lovely the way you can express all of our emotions. Thanks for writing.
Lovely Bre…Thank You!
That’s so true, Bre and beautifully written – thank you!
Many hugs for this wonderful poem that depicts our love and emotions for our special Osprey Family! Thank you for being a wonderful part of it all !
Thank you Bre – it helps. Sigh……
BRE, YOU ARE A GENIUS
FORECAST: 8pm-79 now….overnight- clear skies, low 70s falling to 60s after midnight………..Tuesday- sun, sun, sun- high 70s low 80s
CarolV – tks 🙂
http://ospreytrax.com/
Rob B.’ the research specialist, has made comments here and has a comment among the messages near the top of the page.
I’m beginning to get a bit anxious, as many of us are I’m sure, as I know that any day now, our family could begin their long journey south for the winter. This has been such an awesome summer, with 3 eggs and all 3 surviving and growing into the majestic birds they now are. While I was in Southold last week, I had some time to reflect on this year and last, and also think about looking forward to next year as we are so privileged to watch these birds in their day to day activities. I love the pictures and videos that so many of you have posted this year, and especially the captions and thoughts as to what they may be thinking. They are priceless and make me laugh. I know I’ll go through many emotions as each of the family leaves, but for now I wanted to share this poem that came to my thoughts last week. Hope it touches your heart in a good way.
To Gracie and George, and your babies all three,
we each hope you know of our love for your family.
Some may think we are crazy, a strange group we are found,
but in fact we love nature, through these birds we are bound.
The spring found us anxious, waiting for your return,
“is it George?”, “where is Gracie?” oh for answers we did yearn.
Confirmation came soon, our precious Gracie and George,
“They are here!” “They are back!” we all felt overjoyed!
Then the pesty new suitor after Gracie did seek,
made us all quite confused “What the heck did we just see?”
But your bond with each other so strong and so true,
left the suitor with nothing more that he could do.
The nest you did build, though quite messy we agree,
but it kept your eggs safe, babies one, two, and three.
Each day as we watched you two working together,
eating and feeding in all kinds of weather.
Then finally one day, your first baby did hatch,
so happy were we as a peek we did snatch.
The young one was strong,such a healthy young chick,
and just a few days later a sibling, a side-kick!
As we all held our breaths waiting for egg number three,
George and Gracie were great as their babes they did feed.
It happened one night, dawns first light then did show,
the young one had hatched now our prayers up did go.
Our breaths sometimes held as we watched him get pecked,
by his brother or sister, but he’d just hit the deck!
We watched them all grow, Uno, Dos and little Trey,
were the names that we called them throughout each new day.
Thrilled were our feelings, all three had survived,
strong are these young ones, with their parents by their side.
One day brought us laughter, a sight we did see,
as Tommy, Paul and Aiden gave each of US a surprise.
The lens of the camera had been pooped on by the three,
they had added a window washer to clear it of debris!
George was amazing, his fishing skills true,
as fish after fish he would bring to his crew.
The babes they were growing, and making us laugh,
even George gave us a chuckle when he fell on his a…..!
Dos was the first as she fledged from the nest,
the other two watching and squawking their best.
Uno was next, though he did take awhile,
as Trey kept on flapping, and watching their style.
Then one day he hovered, like a copter he flew,
strong were his wings, he was flying then too.
Now we watch them each day, sometimes only an empty nest,
wondering who will be first to accept the next test.
Our prayers are now with you, beloved Gracie and George,
for Brutus, and Ali, and Rocky we won’t ignore
We will miss you so much once you leave for the south,
and will pray for your safety in your travels about.
We’ll watch for your return come springtime next year,
anxiously awaiting your sweet call in our ear.
Beautiful! It made me smile and it made me tear up! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Leesa, Your poem brought tears to my eyes. Every word so true. Thank you.
Shoot — my eyes started welling up at the second line. This is beautiful, Leesa — thank you!!
THANK YOU so much for your sweet poem! I will miss ALL of ‘our babies’ when they do decide to go South.
Leesa: When it makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you nod your head in agreement then it’s perfect. … This is perfect!!
Love your beautiful poem.
8-30-16 Reply – Leesa wow,very good, all of one season wrapped up into one big farewell, good job. I am not ready to say my good bye yet working on it.
Leesa your poem is absolutely beautiful.
Thank you Lessa, you summed up the season sooo beautifully! 🙂
What a beautiful poem Leesa – capturing our summer with George & Gracie and their new babies. We had a wonderful summer together and with all of the photo’s & captions as you said from everyone – kept us smiling. Now we wait until the empty nest syndrome sets in after their departure. Maybe we will have a wonderful touching memory this year that we had last year when Paul shared with us how he went to throw out the trash – said “hi” to Sandy up in the nest and then heard flapping as he went back into the house – only to see that Sandy had flown down & was sitting on his fence looking at him. They starred at each other for a few more seconds as if she was thanking him & then flew back to the nest. She & George left shortly after to start their migrate south. Who knows – maybe all of the chicks will come down this year Paul to thank you. And we can all look forward to next year – because there’s a slim chance Ronnie & Sandy will stop in. Thanks again for your poem & for all of you OZiettes – I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Great poem Leesa – ode to osprey family………….!
So beautifully written and agree with everyone else that sums up the season – so true! And made me tear up too! Thank you!
Beautiful Leesa and Thank you for your poem!
Leesa – love it!!
Dearest Leesa, Cannot thank you enough for your expertise(spell) and the precious poem that sums up, I am guessing, the feelings of all of our wonderful OspreyZone family! Although I don’t comment the way I used to last year, I have this site on my laptop 24/7, love the pictures and videos that .our EXPERTS, thank you, in our Family provide for all of us to enjoy.Just know that we all cherish all that !!!xoxoxo
Thank you Leesa for your poem and Betsy too for her comment
Thank you also Leesa.
LEESA, YOU ARE ALSO A GENIUS
So did they get names???????????????????????????
Jai: Where have you been??!! Yes, in chick number order: Brutus, Ali, and Rocky.
8-30-16 Reply – Jai If you go back to 8-26-16 you can read the whole comment that was posted and picture of new logo with babies on shirts. Below is just part of the message.
Aidan August 26, 2016 at 10:55 am – Reply
Hi everyone! We’d like to announce the winners of our Name the Babies contest for this year’s chicks. The winning names, from oldest to youngest, are:
Brutus (submitted by Ronnie M)
Ali (Doris)
Rocky (HollyM)
Jai, they are #1 Brutus, #2 Ali, and #3 Rocky
Gracie flew to the nest at 12:10 pm where she stood at the front of the nest, alone and silent, for the longest time before moving to right in front of the camera. She mysteriously got a fish somewhere between 15:04:35 and 15:23:47 when the screen went black and then changed to the Avis turquoise screen before returning to the video stream. She ate what she wanted and then flew off, fish in foot, at 15:47:43!! You know me and my love of sequence shots and wings!!
I love in the morning when the camera view changes from gray to blue!!
8-29-16 Paul and Aidan thanks for moving the comment box so it is at the top and you do not have to scroll down all the way to bottom anymore, love this feature. Thanks for always improving and growing as the site continues to bring so much joy,beautiful view and education to so many of us.
Did you maybe hit when a new page started? Maybe they’ll see your comment and do that…………………..
CarolV: I was going to write something yesterday but, then, I thought it was maybe my computer!! … because I’ve had so many problems since installing Windows 10 Anniversary update!! 😀 😀 (Plus, I remember when I commented about seeing the number of comments in the address bar and if that was something new!! [e.g. http://ospreyzone.com/comment-page-52/#comment-23619%5D … but the number of comments does not always appear!! [e.g. http://ospreyzone.com/comment-page-52/#comment%5D 😀 😀 ahem rjoneal!!)
That’s funky!! When I put a bracket after the address and then hit post instead of http://ospreyzone.com/comment-page-52/#comment-23619 it came out http://ospreyzone.com/comment-page-52/#comment-23619%5D !! Which still takes you to the page!! 😀
8-30-16 reply- CarolV I guess wishful thinking it seems every time I went to post yesterday there were no post and the comment box was at top so I thought they finally changed it to make it easier for us, no such luck as I see this morning. Oh well just glad we have it.
I still have to scroll to the bottom of the page to post. But, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as I can post my occasional comment. 🙂
8-29-16 Gracie sits at the nest all afternoon even calls out a couple of times but no visitors.
This picture made me laugh it looks almost as if Gracie is sticking her tongue out at the camera,like she is saying I know you can see me I knew this whole time.
Rjoneal….love the faces you catch! Definitely a raspberry to us!!!!!
You mentioned a comment to me that I may have missed. If it’s the one so complimentary to me, I thought I replied, but may have held back because you made me blush a little; you’re too kind! TY for all the good things you say, and all the good work you do here.
8-30-16 Reply- CarolV no reply was necessary just wanted to make sure you saw it, glad I made you blush you deserve it, that is praise once and awhile.
Go Lady Go Lady !
Great shot!
8-30-16 Reply Margaret R -Glad you like it, when Gracie turned just right it just made me laugh cause it really looked like she was sticking her tongue out at us all.
It is now 3:16 pm, 8-29-2016 and this is the adult that has been on the nest since 12:10 today. Hope it is ok. Worried.
Hello!!
I’m surprised to find NO comments (well, I just see three now) and/or pictures on the site!!
What’s going on?!
I see this is a new page. Did you check previous page? Page numbers at bottom above comments. Also, Aidan may have taken a day off, so sometimes they get a bit behind, especially on a weekend.
Just scroll to the bottom of the page till you see a horizontal line with numbers…..click on the number of the page you wish to read….you are at the beginning of page 52, so click on 51 for the previous comments.
The adult on the nest since 12:10 today, Monday, 8/28/2016, seems to be not well. Tired. Have not seen it since it landed. Gracie or George? It is now 2:35 PM. I am worried, hope he/she is just taking a long much needed rest.
OOPS, that is I have not seen it eat since it landed. Left out the word eat.
Because they have so little to do right now, they rest. Especially Gracie. She sat there with a fish in her foot for quite awhile yesterday. George is adding to the nest still. Gracie will probably leave first ( if Ali hasn’t beaten her to it) I believe it was posted recently that someone had checked and she left around 9/8/15. So she’s probably waiting for the call of the sky right now.
Sylvia: There have been Criss Angel osprey … I thought now maybe we had invisible osprey!! 😀 And, that was Gracie standing on the nest for over 3 1/2 hours!! By now I’m sure you saw her eat a Criss Angel fish after 3:26 pm!!
So happy chick #3 got my same nickname I received in middle school Rocky Rules!!!!! 🙂
What an inspiring few weeks we have had watching our babies Haven’t seen anything in the the nest for 2 days Pls what happens to them now? Being able to watch from South Africa our beautiful family the communication between the parents & babies those first big wing flaps, the trepidation of leaping off into the air for the first time Thank you everyone who made this possible & to hear from everyone in what is now our ww family of nature lovers hasnt it been wonderful?
Sandy Rees: They’ve been in and out — George and Gracie and Brutus and Rocky. I haven’t seen Ali since August 20th, though.
What a joy it has been to watch this years trio of babies live and successfully fledge. I have a question, will the young birds winter on the sound or will they fly south to a warmer climate?
They all go to the Caribbean and South America for a little vacation. The young will stay away longer than the adults.
Recommend ospreytrax.com as a good way to see the journey made by osprey like ours. Not our nest occupants, but representational of the journey ahead. Several good books have been mentioned recently, too.
Added full web address in separate post @ 7:39pm
CarolV: Thank you.
They’ll fly south, we’re pretty sure “Ali” has already left.