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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.

Click HERE for more information!

IMPORTANT: Messages from osprey experts

Rob Bierregaard July 1, 2015 at 7:24 am
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.

4818eecc88292926c58414a82c884c71Paul 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.

Reprinted with the permission of John W. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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

In addition, Charles Eldermire, Bird Cams Project Leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Writes:

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

Paul,

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

“Interesting. They don’t often take over osprey poles—probably too small for them. They will coopt tree nests, which they can expand. We had a pair of eagles do this on the Vineyard. They built up the Osprey nest a lot and then the Ospreys came home and drove the eagles away, in a David v. Goliath story. The Ospreys successfully bred. They looked tiny in the nest, which sadly blew down this winter.”

    Leave A Comment

    52,629 Comments

    1. Raindrop August 23, 2015 at 7:00 am - Reply

      Ronnie is the male and Sandy (Sandra) is the female. They are named after George Burns and Gracie Allen’s adopted children

      • CarolV August 23, 2015 at 2:28 pm - Reply

        Also gender neutral names since no one knows just guesses.

    2. Sandy - Massapequa August 22, 2015 at 10:32 pm - Reply

      The snatch from Ronnie to Sandy was at 7:07 pm to 7: 20 pm time frame.

      • Wendy August 23, 2015 at 11:29 am - Reply

        Excellent opinion about osprey’s in this Sunday’s Ny Times Review section page 7

    3. Sandy - Massapequa August 22, 2015 at 10:27 pm - Reply

      I started from 6 to 10. After reading comments, I did notice Sandy fussing. She then left the nest.Looks like Ronnie returns. After 6 pm either G or G brought in a whole fish….Ronnie snatched it right away started eating then Sandy came back and after he had eaten half of the fish, Sandy snatched it away and got to eat it in peace(yay) after Ronnie gave up and left.
      I noticed a lot of bigger, sturdier branches have been added to the middle of the nest. Guess they are really encouraging perching more. (Crib to big boy/girl bed). G & G don’t want to make it as comfortable for the rest of the season. I hope they start fishing on their own soon. Vision is dark at 10pm looks like one chicky perching. One quick comment again about distinguishing chicks….I made the above comments based on Sandy’s thinner talons and nails and not as big and long as Ronnie’s. Night all. Looks like chick is laying in the midst of sticks at 10:27 pm.

    4. CarolV August 22, 2015 at 9:27 pm - Reply

      Looked like Gracie came into the nest about 8:40pmEDT. It’s funny that she is visiting the nest at night. Maybe the crowd on the perch leaves few options?

    5. CarolV August 22, 2015 at 8:29 pm - Reply

      Gamma….I agree with you that Ronnie is female and Sandy is male. But just our opinions, I know. ( I guess you know the saying about opinions) I think, too, that Ronnie’s aggressiveness may be more of a female osprey trait, added to her birth order and larger size. Too bad we will never know.

    6. CarolV August 22, 2015 at 8:21 pm - Reply

      Lots of chirping from the kids up on the second floor. Visitors flying around, I guess. Gracie taught them well on how to scare away the VFs……

    7. Lyn August 22, 2015 at 8:02 pm - Reply

      There is a horrible fish drought in the nest today. I haven’t watched the entire day,but I would say that if each chick got 2 fish for the entire day, it would be a lot. With Ronnie letting one slip literally “through ” her fingers , and no one even trying to retrieve it, they all are very very hungry.

    8. CarolV August 22, 2015 at 7:58 pm - Reply

      The nest looks different, I read renovations and tidying up were happening today. If only that big multi-branched piece could moved ( like to the beach!) It seems to trip them up a lot.
      I saw a couple of deliveries this afternoon. That fish at about 6:25pmEDT was pretty big and it looked like each kid had a good meal.
      Watching the two chicks take off with such ease makes me nostalgic for the flapping days! How quickly they change! But then, they have to or not survive. Nature is amazing and beautiful, despite what we see as cruel.

    9. Marilyn August 22, 2015 at 7:33 pm - Reply

      Still cant tell the chicks apart, at approximate 7:25 pm, one of them had a nice size whole fish. When he/she was 3/4 done, the other chick bravely went over & snatched it away.

    10. Monica August 22, 2015 at 7:26 pm - Reply

      At about 7:22pm, one chick took the fish away from the other. As I can’t tell which is which, I hope that it was Sandy who took dinner away from her brother. LOL!!!

    11. june c August 22, 2015 at 6:47 pm - Reply

      OK its 6:45 which baby is eating? I think Dad brought this one..

    12. Kathryn k August 22, 2015 at 6:21 pm - Reply

      The color of Sandy feathers seem to be brown inr and Ronnie feathers seem to be a Gray color

    13. Roberta August 22, 2015 at 6:12 pm - Reply

      Yes, dropped fish by chick. And too much screaming from chick & lots of hunkering down into the nest. Something might be wrong.

    14. Monica August 22, 2015 at 5:34 pm - Reply

      I rewound to the point where Gracie brought a fish. One of the kids took it from her. He got too cocky and took the fish closer to the rim of the nest. Lost the fish when it was still flapping its tail. Poor Ronnie (assuming it was him)!! He looked so sad that he had foolishly lost his fish. lol

    15. kgerette August 22, 2015 at 5:29 pm - Reply

      5:25 pm EST. Did anyone else just see that? Sandy in nest and I believe stole small fish from what looked like an intruder? Did not look like George. Very white osprey. Grabbed it’s talon until it let go of fish and flew away leaving the fish.

    16. Roberta August 22, 2015 at 5:07 pm - Reply

      Is it just my computer? Or are there no comments posted all day, since 10:48 this morning? I posted something this afternoon, as I’m sure others have. Why am I not seeing them all day?

      • kgerette August 22, 2015 at 5:31 pm - Reply

        Roberta, you have to shut down your browser and reopen or go under comments and scroll back a page and then go to “next”. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Sometimes they are just busy and don’t always update all the time.

      • Eva August 22, 2015 at 6:03 pm - Reply

        I think the moderator is allowing himself a little time off; this happened last weekend as well.

      • Karin in Rockland August 22, 2015 at 6:34 pm - Reply

        At 6′:30, Mom brought a fish and handed it to Sandy. She is eating now, but she needs to catch her own fish, at least mom is giving it to Sandy instead of feeding her. This is progress..
        Maybe there have been no comments posted because Paul took a much needed vacation day!!

    17. Elaine August 22, 2015 at 5:02 pm - Reply

      I don’t know what is going on with Sandy. She has been fussing for a long time. Gracie flew off-I guess she couldn’t take it anymore. I am wondering if Sandy is hungry. she will not stop fussing.

    18. Mitchell August 22, 2015 at 4:25 pm - Reply

      Did they drop the fish at about 4 14 or did the other chick make off with it?

      • Jeff August 22, 2015 at 5:14 pm - Reply

        Yes. One of the kids was playing with their food again, and it flopped out of the nest.

      • Diane S August 22, 2015 at 5:23 pm - Reply

        The one chick flew off with it after a bit of a scuffle between to kids for the fish. But earlier in the day one of the chicks lost the fish over the side of the nest. No one went after it that I know of.

      • Elena August 22, 2015 at 7:36 pm - Reply

        They dropped it!

    19. barbarav August 22, 2015 at 3:52 pm - Reply

      Just tuned in and it’s 3:49pm Sat. whichever chick is in the nest is in a very awkward position. Definitely does not look comfortable. I’m such a worrier. Hope everything is alright. What a beautiful view in the background with all the boats out in the bay.

    20. Pat August 22, 2015 at 3:28 pm - Reply

      Just before 3pm EDT Gracie brought in a nice large fish for an afternoon snack. Sandy won the toss and started eating while Mom and Ronnie gazed over the side of the nest uninterested. The fish was so lively, Sandy couldn’t handle it. It flopped itself off the nest. Sandy was astonished and couldn’t figure out who stole the fish. After a few minutes of searching, Mom realized that Sandy didn’t have the fish. There was sort of a meeting among the three of them to determine what happened. Gracie realized it was back to the drawing board and went flying off again, hopefully to return with a replacement fish. Bet she keeps her claws on the next one. HILARIOUS!

      • Monica August 22, 2015 at 5:49 pm - Reply

        Pat – I felt bad for whoever it was that lost the fish. But, it was oh so funny!!

    21. Kathryn k August 22, 2015 at 3:22 pm - Reply

      Marlene u are right about the streak on their heads.Ronnie has a little bigger head.I agree with u.

    22. Marlene August 22, 2015 at 3:08 pm - Reply

      Around 2:50 p.m., one parent (Gracie?) brought in a very active fish. Ronnie hogged it, tearing into it, while the poor fish flapped around. He brought it to the perimeter of the nest and it was flopping so much that it fell out of the nest Don’t know which was a more painful ending. Gracie flew away — maybe to search for fish??

    23. sallyanne August 22, 2015 at 2:59 pm - Reply

      OMG Did this really happen?? One of the chicks was enjoying a huge fish brought in minutes earlier. it was still flipping and flopping. Then, as chick tried to continue pecking at it, and move it around in the nest, the fish FELL out of the nest.
      this was @ 2:56 Eastern time.

      i guess that is why nature intends them to eat the head before bringing it to nest. I wonder: will any one retreive it? It’s got to be close on the ground there.

    24. June c August 22, 2015 at 2:57 pm - Reply

      2:50 Mom brings in ONE fish..I think Ronnie takes it right away still flapping…brings fish close to edge and looses it

      • June c August 22, 2015 at 2:59 pm - Reply

        Ment lost it..

    25. karin August 22, 2015 at 2:56 pm - Reply

      2:53 floppy fish too floppy for youngster and the fish went over the edge of the nest…..

    26. Lyn August 22, 2015 at 2:56 pm - Reply

      2:55 p.m. EDT – Gracie flew in with fish delivery and of course Ronnie took it. After a few minutes it appeared he lost his grip on it, and out the nest it went! Funny to see 3 birds “shocked” that the coveted fish was gone! Ha Ha

    27. Roberta August 22, 2015 at 2:16 pm - Reply

      Chicks have been together in the nest for at least an hour & they’ve been screeching on & off all that time. Seems to me that Sandy is the most persistent screecher which is ironic, because she/he always has to wait for fish after Ronnie has had enough. Parents have not been responding to the screeching. I expect there’ll be a heated fight over the fish when it does arrive. I saw one earlier today, parent dropped the fish & immediately flew out of the nest to avoid the fish fight.

    28. Jon August 22, 2015 at 1:47 pm - Reply

      Here’s a comment system i came across the other day, that could replace this one, it’s quite nice and in real time https://www.spot.im/

      • ospreyzone August 22, 2015 at 5:03 pm - Reply

        Thanks, I’ll check it out

        • Jon August 22, 2015 at 7:52 pm - Reply

          It also has mobile support, if anyone wants to use a smart phone or tablet.

    29. Kathryn k August 22, 2015 at 1:19 pm - Reply

      You are right about the streak on their heads. Ronnie head is a little bigger.

    30. karin August 22, 2015 at 12:44 pm - Reply

      12:40 pm the chick lying down, #2 i think, seemed to be favoring one of her feet. She was up about 10 to 15 minutes ago and part of her foot was curved in…..she also tried not to stand on it….. I hope it’s nothing serious…

    31. Marlene August 22, 2015 at 10:48 am - Reply

      Around 8:50 a.m., George brought in a fish which was grabbed by Ronnie, naturally. In the process, he also was biting George’s talons. George was squawking because it must’ve hurt, but that did not stop his son. Such disrespect! Around 9:08 a.m., George delivered a headless fish for Sandy. Then, around 9:50 a.m., he delivered another headless fish. This was grabbed by Gracie, who flew off with it shortly thereafter and then returned when everyone left the nest. I guess she wanted a nice, quiet breakfast.
      I saw George had done alot of redecorating earlier this morning, when I scrolled back. He’s making a nice, soft mattress. But I don’t think Sandy appreciates it.
      Also, I, too, am having such difficulty telling the chicks apart. I did a lot of studying them this morning, and this is what I think. I think that Ronnie’s dark streak in the middle of his head, above his beak, is wider than Sandy. I also think there is a white spot in it. I think Sandy’s dark streak in the middle of her head, above her beak, is narrower. Does anyone agree? These observations are hard to tell for sure, especially with the wind blowing so much and the chicks moving their heads.
      One more comment: George has become a great provider for his family. At this point in time, Ronnie is much better at eating his fish alone; Sandy is still a slow eater.
      I need to stop being obsessed with them! I have so much to do!

      • June c August 22, 2015 at 11:54 am - Reply

        Yes. Someone else posted that the streak was narrower on head..

      • Sandy - Massapequan August 22, 2015 at 12:48 pm - Reply

        Marlene, I was observing the streaks on their heads and you could be right. Ronnie’s streak is longer and wider than Sandy’s.

    32. june c August 22, 2015 at 9:51 am - Reply

      9:50 Dad brings in fish..This time Mom gets to eat..

    33. gracey August 22, 2015 at 9:41 am - Reply

      Yesterday Friday – Ronnie was 10 weeks old…today Saturday Sandy is 10 weeks old…Happy Birthday!

    34. june c August 22, 2015 at 9:09 am - Reply

      around 9AM Mom drops off ONE fish..i think it was Sandy who took it..9:09 Mom gets another fish

    35. Jan August 22, 2015 at 8:36 am - Reply

      This is so adorable…..both in the nest laying down so close together. They look very sleepy. So cute to see!

    36. June c August 22, 2015 at 8:33 am - Reply

      A little after 8 family comes home Mom takes off.. Have been in nest 1/2 hour waiting for breakfast (8:30). Hey Mom where’s the beef

    37. Mimsey August 22, 2015 at 8:08 am - Reply

      Both kids in the nest.

    38. June c August 22, 2015 at 8:05 am - Reply

      8:02 you can see Sandy in background fying to nest…just before I think Ronnie also coming to nest but went on perch at first..really cool watching come to nest
      OK Mom time to feed them!

    39. June c August 22, 2015 at 8:01 am - Reply

      8 AM. MOM ON PERCH CALLING OUT TO FAMILY..

    40. June c August 22, 2015 at 7:53 am - Reply

      Around 6:10 Mom comes home no one there..calls out to her kids and stays few minutes and leaves..you can hear her calls as she is flying around…kids come home after she leaves they start calling to her.again after few minutes they leave..around6:50 Sandy comes back (I think) Mom does a pit stop and takes off…about 15 minutes later Sandy takes off.. I am pretty sure it was Sandy she still lays down. Tomorrow we r leaving for vacation and it will be hard to get internet… Will be depending on all of you comments…talking about being a OA

      • June c August 22, 2015 at 7:55 am - Reply

        Ment to say Your comments…but listen to background ..you can hear the callings to each other

      • Jon August 22, 2015 at 8:30 am - Reply

        That was George not gracie.

        • June c August 22, 2015 at 11:51 am - Reply

          tks. Should have looked more carefully…

    41. kgerette August 22, 2015 at 7:32 am - Reply

      Right side of the nest re-docorated. Light green something (looks like a cactus) and corn shucks or something beige infront of camera. 7:30 am EST nest is empty.

    42. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 8:39 pm - Reply

      Sandy looked like he was going to settle down in nest for the night, then changed his mind and flew to perch. Then Gracie flew in. I haven’t seen her in the nest after dark in a while..

    43. Marilyn August 21, 2015 at 8:26 pm - Reply

      Poor Sandy, sitting all by herself again in the nest. It’s getting darker & darker. Where do the others spend the night?

    44. Lyn August 21, 2015 at 7:41 pm - Reply

      7:39 p.m. /EDT – The chick in the nest right now is SANDY. Try to observe certain things about her so you can distinguish her from her sibling. Even for me, who has been watching since inception, can’t tell them apart all the time, but most of the time.

    45. Elaine August 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm - Reply

      One of the chicks looks very sleepy-cannot keep eyes open.

    46. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 6:53 pm - Reply

      Oh, darn, the blue bag fell out about 6:45.

    47. Ja August 21, 2015 at 6:01 pm - Reply

      I love Gracie shes such a good mom…still feeding Sandi

    48. Eva August 21, 2015 at 6:00 pm - Reply

      Someone recently asked if the Ospreys eat the fish bones; I just observed one of the parents drop inedible bits over the edge of the nest. Certain it was purposeful, saw it done 3 times. There may be a nice pile of composting fish bits at the base of the tower!

    49. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:28 pm - Reply

      5:26pmEDT And another fish from Gracie!!!!!!!!!! Are the fish throwing themselves as sacrifice? HOLY COW!!!!!

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:48 pm - Reply

        Second chick dropped in and being fed. Other chick has fish George left. Peace and harmony and content…..a good moment in ospreyville

        • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 6:29 pm - Reply

          Gracie polished off her fish. George came in and finished off what was left of his fish. Both chicks are well fed.

      • Gamma August 21, 2015 at 7:07 pm - Reply

        4:06pm PDTCarol, I had to laugh at your comment. The way some of those poor fish have been tugged at they really are sacrificing themselves for the sake of a good Osprey meal !! :)))))))

      • Lyn August 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm - Reply

        Glad to hear that the fish are plenty and everyone is well fed. Otherwise chaos, mayhem and hurt birds will result (chicks don’t care if they ‘bop’ their parents on the head in the frenzy) Both these “chicks” are very hungry and have not yet acquired the skill of finding their own fish. While Ronnie has master the FULL skill of eating the fish from the lips to the tail, poor Sandy hasn’t. She still needs a headless fish or needs to be fed by Gracie. If there is only one fish, Gracie is wise to feed both of them, thereby splitting the fish, or just give in to Ronnie’s obnoxious and unrelenting begging and tugging and get another one later to feed Sandy. The family dynamics are so interesting between these individuals, and will certainly help future research on these amazing souls. What I have concluded is: the availability of fish is the ace in the hole. No fish – just fighting and squawking incessantly. Plenty fish deliveries – peace. I really wonder when the kids will go out with George hunting? Certainly Ronnie has the innate capability – Maybe George just doesn’t want to deal with him as he is such a PITA. (pain in the A)

    50. sallyanne August 21, 2015 at 5:05 pm - Reply

      i have been watching periodically and reading most of the posts. BUT I still have not seen either of the fledglings bring home a fish. Has anyone? They fly out but seem content to eat the food the parents find.

      I would hope they would be bringing home their own food by now!

      • Gamma August 21, 2015 at 7:25 pm - Reply

        Sallyanne, There is a good chance they will not fish for themselves until the start their journey south for the winter. The mom will usually leave first and the dad will stay and provide fish for the chicks until they leave and then he leaves.

      • Monica August 21, 2015 at 9:28 pm - Reply

        I haven’t seen the ‘kids’ bring in any fish but then again I’m not logged on all day. I log on late afternoon and rewind many times. Perhaps they’ve gone fishing but haven’t been successful at catching any. At least as far as I’ve seen. They better get their act together and start finding their own fish!! lol

    51. Jeff August 21, 2015 at 5:05 pm - Reply

      At 4:30’ish, fish delivery by one of the adults, who then proceeds to provide the camera with an astounding close-up of them feeding. This goes on for a solid 1/2 hour.

    52. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 4:28 pm - Reply

      About 3:30pmEDT ish Two kids in nest…George brought in what looked like whole fluke. One kid went for it and wound up with the blue plastic caught in the his claw with the fish. George was trying to check it out when the other kid made a lunge and George, chick, fish and plastic all went out of nest. Kid came back with fish and plastic and kid in nest lunged again. Kid with fish took off again but THANKFULLY left plastic behind.

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 4:42 pm - Reply

        About 3:50 Gracie brought in a big whole fish. The chick with fish seems to be on perch. I guess this is Sandy in the nest because he is letting Mom feed him.
        Holy crap! George brings in another fish at 4:33pm!!!!! Poor fish is so fresh it looks like it’s trying to talk….. Poor George is trying to give it to Gracie but she already has one…she’s not even doing her “get lost ” dance. ?Sandy is yelling but George decides to eat the fish himself.. Bit gruesome because he’s right under the mike and you can hear the crunching….The kid took off somewhere…there’s a lot of yelling from perch.

        • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:17 pm - Reply

          One kid came down to have dinner with Dad. Nice to see Gracie hanging out in the nest too. Each time I see her I take a long look. August is 2/3rds gone….

          • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:24 pm - Reply

            Both parents flew off and still fish left in nest. One chick visible and I heard someone on the camera

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 4:47 pm - Reply

        I heard voices on the beach when the chick went flying around with the blue banner…I wonder if anyone caught that aerial act!

      • Monica August 21, 2015 at 9:24 pm - Reply

        I rewound to watch this episode of the ongoing saga. Good thing they can fly, huh?! I’ve been hooked on this site since the segment on CBS news, when they were just babies. I was thinking about the ‘runt.’ Poor little guy. But, happy that these two survived and are thriving. What on earth will I watch until next Spring?! 🙁

    53. Lisa August 21, 2015 at 3:28 pm - Reply

      Ok, so anyone that knows which baby is which at 3.25 EST which one is which? I think the one on the left has a spot on their beak. Can anyone help me out? The just look adorable right now.

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:36 pm - Reply

        I saw the spot, too, but had the same problem! Who is it?

        • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 5:46 pm - Reply

          I thought someone had mentioned this a few days ago but now I can’t find the post.

      • Gamma August 21, 2015 at 7:29 pm - Reply

        Lisa, I have always thought the chick who have more of a necklace ( the dark feathers on it’s chest ) was the olest and I guess would be Ronnie. The other chick has just a few. I also believe the first chick is a female and the second a male.

        CarolV, what do you think ? I know you watch them all the time also ?

    54. Jo-Ann August 21, 2015 at 3:16 pm - Reply

      After Ronnie stole the fish from Gracie about 11:20 she picked up a large stick and in moving it around in the nest she poked Ronnie with it about 3 times. She( Ronnie) really got upset. Was it really by accident? An accident that happened 3 times. I wonder?

    55. JAN August 21, 2015 at 2:23 pm - Reply

      New “Martha Stewart” touch of color! lol! Will they instinctivly come back to the same nest when they return?

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 4:56 pm - Reply

        4:50 One of the kids brought a stick in! Poked poor George in the butt then flew up to perch! George looked up there as if to say “Dumb kid!” I had to rewatch several times to believe my eyes!

    56. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 1:54 pm - Reply

      Gracie did some rearranging to make sure that gorgeous blue plastic was tacked down and couldn’t get away. George dropped a big wad of seaweed on it to tone it down.

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 2:26 pm - Reply

        The kids seem to be hanging around the nest and yelling. I think Gracie is on perch. She was enjoying some quiet time before their rowdy arrival.

    57. Holly August 21, 2015 at 12:50 pm - Reply

      Once they fledge they no longer need to bring in branches for the fledgies. This is from New York Wildlife. They are already following dad around and perching. At two weeks after fledge, they will begin their hunting. I have watched iris ans Stanley build up their nest before leaving for the winter. Rachel and Steve did the same. Before they fledge, large branches brought in are for the babies to learn perching and figure out the power of their wings. New York Wildlife again.

      • Jara August 21, 2015 at 4:25 pm - Reply

        Thank you for the info Holly. I was wondering about all the big branches Gracie was bringing in. I thought she wanted to make it uncomfortable for another bird to take over her nest while she was away. Haha

    58. barbarav August 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm - Reply

      friday 11:59 am looks like mom is “home alone”!!

    59. Marlene August 21, 2015 at 11:36 am - Reply

      Gracie brought a fish to the nest around 11:00 a.m., and started feeding Sandy. I think it’s Sandy, because her appetite is not as large as Ronnie. Anyway, he showed up shortly thereafter and was upset because he was not getting any food. Sandy eventually flew away and Ronnie then grabbed the fish from Mommy, who also took off.

    60. june c August 21, 2015 at 11:23 am - Reply

      a couple minutes later Ronnie takes the fish..Sandy flew off

    61. june c August 21, 2015 at 11:20 am - Reply

      11 Mom brings a fish…I think it is Sandy she is feeding with Ronnie getting upset..

    62. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 11:12 am - Reply

      Just before 11:00amEDT Gracie brings in whole fish with one kid in nest.. There was no effort to steal it so Gracie started feeding herself and chick. A few minutes later other loud mouth shows up and paces around yelling. No one has challenged for fish yet

    63. kgerette August 21, 2015 at 10:05 am - Reply

      Guess she was getting tired of brown……..Hee hee.

    64. Lyn August 21, 2015 at 10:01 am - Reply

      9:40 am EDT – Gracies decides the nest is looking a bit drab and redecorates with another lovely blue plastic bag this time. She rearranges sticks and plans for bringing in more.

    65. Marlene August 21, 2015 at 9:58 am - Reply

      Looks like Gracie is still a bag lady. Around 8:15 a.m. EST, she returned with a blue bag. Looks like a doggy poop bag. Thank goodness it’s empty! I thought we were past the bag phase. Maybe she likes the color.
      So much for litter. Makes all us ospreyites realize the hazards of litter.

    66. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 9:53 am - Reply

      About 9:10amEDT Gracie with a prize of BLUE plastic…..The marks on her head are slightly different with some added brown feathers. But the spot under her wing was there.

    67. Deirdre August 21, 2015 at 9:38 am - Reply

      Someone has been watching a few DIY shows and has decided the home needs a “POP” of color—-love the new design effect!!! I just love hearing their voices all day!! Will surely miss them when the time comes for them to “Fly the Coop”…..

    68. Trinity August 21, 2015 at 9:06 am - Reply

      I live on a canal in Bellport Village, lots of birds flying around. This morning I heard that distinctive Osprey call and spotted two chicks hanging out in a tree. Thanks to this site for educating the locals on the wildlife surrounding us ?

    69. Jeff August 21, 2015 at 8:54 am - Reply

      The entire family was in the nest just before 8am today. One of the adults brought in a fish. It was quite comical.

    70. CarolV August 21, 2015 at 8:51 am - Reply

      Sad to see empty nest this a.m. Nobody in view till about7:15-7:20amEDT One kid in nest and sounds like someone on perch.
      Gracie dropped in just before 8.Calling for kids, I think, George dropped off a fish and Gracie had it briefly. The noisy twosome tumbled in to nest to fight over the fish and I’m guessing ?Ronnie got it.
      ?Sandy moved in for a successful steal about 10-15 mins. later Gracie is calling from the perch.
      We’re getting some rain here on the South Fork but can’t tell if it’s raining by the nest
      About 8:30 ?Ronnie was doing some posing for the camera.

      • CarolV August 21, 2015 at 10:04 am - Reply

        I might have chicks reversed. I expect Ron to be the grabber but I’m not so sure who’s who anymore

    71. Lyn August 21, 2015 at 8:34 am - Reply

      8:00 am.m. EDT – More fish drama….Sandy actually gets the fish, but Ronnie grabs it away after Gracie leaves about 15 minutes later. Both parents have to pick up the fish deliveries or someone is going to get hurt.

    72. DQ August 21, 2015 at 8:24 am - Reply

      What a most beautiful site to see the baby right up close in the camera, and just dozing off…so sweet!

    73. June c August 21, 2015 at 7:59 am - Reply

      7:55 finally after 1/2 hour of calls ..not sure Mom or Dad brought in fish..all 4 were in nest..hard to see..i am sure parents out fishing for 2nd..

    74. dave August 21, 2015 at 7:40 am - Reply

      izzat a horseshoe crab shell in the nest?

    75. jeanneD August 21, 2015 at 12:16 am - Reply

      August 21, 12:10 AM EDT

      In scrolling back a little while ago, I noticed that the nest was empty when it got dark. The first time I have not seen a youngster–usually Sandy–there. But at around 10:50, an osprey flew to the nest, stayed a minute or two and took off. Shortly after, there was another landing, the stay was longer. And there was a
      third time a bird landed and stayed until about 11:20, I think. I can only assume that it was a parent looking for Sandy and Ronnie. This was the first time I have seen such activity that late at night.

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