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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
I often wonder how often our little tykes need to relieve them birdie selves? I so look forward to seeing the status of our little guy; is he OK?
Hey OspreyZoners!
Thanks for all the responses to my comments yesterday. I hope I was premature in my assessment of the little guy’s chances. My comments were made on the basis of a very small sample size! As soon as I started watching, one of the larger young pecked the little one down into submission. That, and the size difference made (makes) me nervous. But, the little one did have a nice crop on, and reports are that George is bringing home the bacon, so talons crossed!
Is anyone keeping track of how many fish he brings in and what types? The Hog Island crew has organized a fish count that’s very useful. Great citizen science. Steve brought in 16 fish yesterday–one short of his record. What’s George’s best day?
So how does the magic lens cleaner work? Great invention, whatever it is! On that topic I saw the little guy back up to poop and as he got ready to squirt he got a bit carried away and wound up doing a forward summersault while ejecting, so it all went straight up and then back down. Very funny.
And it is fascinating to watch George’s development as a dad. Glad he’s handing out fishbits this year and not just getting in line! 😉
Not sure of how many fish, but george brings a good amount from what i seen, when gracie vocalizes at him, he always comes back with a fish, last year that wasn’t really the case, the fish i seen were, bluefish, weakfish, atlantic cod and flounders. The lens cleaner sprays water across the lens, id imagine with good pressure and cleans it perfectly, Great way to clean the lens without really disturbing the family, Gracie reacts in a funny way when it’s cleaning the lens.
time to wash the lens again thanks
As a local, I’d say 80% of the fish George is bringing in are “Bunker” (Menhaden), but I’ve seen Fluke, and maybe Sea Bass and a Bluefish too. Either way, George is doing a great job this year compared to last (last year we had a huge bunker die-off, but not this year). As for his best day, not sure, but most days he brings in at least 8-10 fish(my best guess), and the kids are well fed, sometimes not even stirring when a fish comes in. The “pecking” you saw, appears to be relatively recent behavior, and I do hope it is not an omen of things to come. Thanks for weighing in, always enjoy your insight.
Last year there was a major fish kill in the area which caused a severely diminished supply. This year all seems well in the area. I too hope #3 survives. He is doing much better than PeeWee did last year.
We have to keep hoping George can find enough fish. Today wasn’t great although Lol One still has some food in his crop.
Hello Rob,
I just want to know why the two big ‘siblings’ randomly peck at their little brother for no reason. It kills me when I’m watching and they just ‘decide’ to peck the little guy. The little one, though, seems stronger than last year’s pee wee. He manages to get himself up there front & center when Gracie is feeding them. But, the other two just don’t like it. I guess birds don’t have a sense of family and taking care of each other. Too much to ask for. I just hope the little guy survives this summer. 🙁
Noticed at first feeding this morning at 5:30ish One and Two would not allow Lil One eat. Sigh. I do hope she can get food. Survival of the fittest, I know, but….I am still hoping. Hoping the fishing gets a bit better so 1 & 2 go into food comas so 3 can eat and that he figures out when to sneak in there.
Glad to see Lil One get a bit of food at 6:30. He waited and bided his time, which is good. Keeping my talons crossed.
we need a lens cleaning again!!
and thank you for taking the time to answer my question yesterday about the babe choking up a pellet!! 🙂
I hope you are wrong about the babe Rob, although I agree he looks very little but seems to be a scraper.
Reply to Rob Bierregaard June 27, 2016
1 Did anyone see George brooding the young in the early days after hatch?
Yes he did!!
2 Last year it was fascinating to watch George bring in a fish, deliver it to Gracie and then get in the feeding line to be fed by her. (Sometimes he passed on the tidbits to the young, but mostly he seemed to be just there for handouts. That was a first for me) Has he done that again this year?
Not Really not like last year. He does get feed by Gracie but it is not like last year.
Rob,now this year George and Gracie have bonded and grown to be good mates. We got our first beak kiss and lots of bonding time in the nest before and after the babies.
George does get feed by Gracie but George also feeds Gracie it is a mutually thing they have. Gracie will feed George and George will feed the babies or he will just eat himself really just depends on if babies are there wanting the fish.
Since I did watch last year I think what you are really looking for is not the same thing this year. I truly believe the reason why it happened is food was scarce. Gracie wouldn’t even let George stay in the nest last year hardly at all except to get his portion of fish then she would cry and scream out to him, George would just leave. Also George did not get his portion of fish till the babies were feed. Gracie was rationing the fish at times during the fish kill they would have to live on 1 or 2 fish a day for all 4 of them. Never did any of the babies crops even show last year there was no food to keep in them. So although he might appear to be waiting his turn for Gracie to give him some this is not the same that we saw last year. There is plenty of fish and this nest sees on the average this year 10 fish a day which last year even when there was not a fish kill best day was 4-5 fish. George has become a very good fisherman you can actually almost tell on his average it takes about 10 min from the time he leaves the nest and returns with the whole fish head on. Gracie for whatever reason is different in this way too since she will take that whole fish even though George will try to eat head off for her she will do it herself. If George is really hungry then he wont bring fish into nest till he eats head off. If you watch live cam for just a couple feedings you will see how about every 2 hours George brings fish. Also you will see pretty much a routine they have at night right before dark George will bring a fish Gracie feeds to babies then he is back with half a fish or tail end and will stay at nest and feed Gracie if she does her little begging call if she dont want he will stay and eat the fish then he will not be in nest till morning. Usually at this time Gracie has put babies to bed she is laying on them and George will reach over and feed her. I do have lots of pictures I could email you of Gracie feeding George and babies. Just let me know if you want me to email some to you.
Thank you so much for checking in our Osprey family here at Osprey Zone as you can tell I devote about 8-12 hours a day watching our family and taking notes with beautiful pictures. Some of devoted Osprey followers Betsy,Leanne, and others have made alot of videos on YouTube and they can be found in the comment section if you want to just scroll through and look at a few videos. We love this feature along with our clock we didnt have last year. Of course the best feature is the 4 hour scroll back which I know others have but they dont have our George and Gracie.
Rob Bierregaard:
In answer to you first question, “Did anyone see George brooding the young in the early days after hatch?,” I don’t recall George ever sitting on the chicks except right after the first chick hatched, when there were also the remaining two unhatched eggs. The first time he sat, after Gracie flew off with the fish he had just brought, it seemed like a “test run.” I am posting a video of that, and, I am wondering why he “pinched” the new chick with his beak!!
https://youtu.be/4znwAk765yE
In answer to your second question, “Last year it was fascinating to watch George bring in a fish, deliver it to Gracie and then get in the feeding line to be fed by her. (Sometimes he passed on the tidbits to the young, but mostly he seemed to be just there for handouts. That was a first for me) Has he done that again this year?”
This footage is from June 21, 2016. George had brought a whole fish to the nest, first at 5:49 pm, but because of an intruder, he flew up to the perch with it to take care of intruder business. When that was settled after a few minutes, he hopped back down to the nest. Gracie emerged from the right back hidden corner to take the fish from George and fed the chicks. George remained on the nest the whole time while Gracie fed the chicks. When she was finished with them at 6:24 pm, George made his way over to her and she fed him. She has fed George on numerous occasions and he has fed her and he has fed the chicks by himself and they each have passed pieces of fish to the other which was then fed to the chicks!! And they have tried to feed each other at the same time!!
https://youtu.be/GWQYfS6GZk0
I must, however, question your comment that it “doesn’t look good for the little guy” especially if you “haven’t checked in on this cam yet this year.” As you, yourself, pointed out in your chat on June 13, 2016, it’s we, the viewers, who see the day in and day out of the nest life. S/he has been getting fed regularly and usually a lot. And, although there are pecking fights, s/he has instigated a fair number of them, either getting pecked back in return or getting just a look of astonishment!! S/he seems to even imitate not just George and Gracie, but its large siblings as well. Most of us realize that anything can happen at any time, including to the older chicks, but, to me, s/he seems to be doing just fine with more than enough spunkiness and feistiness to make up for any disadvantages of having been the last to hatch.
I TOTALLY agree Betsy. This year is so different from last year. Much easier to watch. Mom and Dad have become better parents and even though there is some pecking/bonking the little one has started his fair share. It’s like when he first wakes up I take it like he woke up on the wrong side of the nest ! He is much stronger and has surpassed our peewee of last year so I’m not too worried about the siblings taking him out……falling out of the nest, that’s another issue. Scary some days.
I agree; the little guy is pretty feisty. I think he will survive, thank God. Keeping my fingers crossed. I don’t get a chance to watch on a daily basis but I have seen the little one instigate fights and also be pecked for no reason himself. He asserts himself, though, when it comes time to get food. lol
Hard to imagine, everyone, but that was chick #1 just 25 days ago!! 😀
Looks very breezy today. Hope kids and parents have their little seat belts on! Also looked like a good feeding this morning, at least what I could see in between the birdie ‘gifts’ on the lens! I surely hope so.
HELP! We need the magical lens cleaner…STAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
7:58am..Another fish from George the Great ! It’s in there somewhere……………….
I can tell by the stripe Trey is right up there
Reply- Rob Bierregaard
6-28-16 Just this am at 5:53.01 even though someone squirted on lens you can see Gracie is feeding babies and as she feeds the last baby to stand there for food she feeds George a bit and then a few seconds later Gracie feeds George a bite again and he gives that piece to the baby. The baby is not interested anymore and Gracie feeds George who gladly takes it..
Thanks rjoneal for your comments…….. When I read Rob’s comment-it upset me. I KNOW he’s the expert and hopefully he is not correct, but to just take one look after all of this time and say it’s doesn’t look good for our baby–is kinda jumping the ‘gun’—-so to speak. Maybe in the end he’ll be correct, but to just dismiss our little one (in my opinion only….), was a little harsh………
Gracie brought a huge scrap of black plastic sheeting to the nest on Sunday, June 26th, at 12:27 pm. It stayed in the nest the rest of that day and for part of the next day, Monday, June 27th, until it got snagged on George’s foot when he flew off at 11:33 am. At 1:35 pm, Gracie flew back to the nest carrying a huge scrap of black plastic sheeting … I think it was the same one carted off by George!! 😀
https://youtu.be/YDsu1AQEE-Y
On April 19, 2016 at 1:58 pm I had posted this: “I copied this from Osprey Camera Blog Osprey Activities @ Nest on MD Eastern Shore (Chesapeake Conservancy Cam) Camera Cam FAQ page (https://ospreycamerablog.wordpress.com/osprey-cam-faq/): “Q: Why is there man-made material in the nest? Is it harmful? A: Don’t be worried! According to Dr. Spitzer, ‘Ospreys often line their nest with a plastic bag, which suggests they have figured out the insulating and moisture-conserving value of sheet plastic.’”
7:04amEDT- The sound of a truck backing up- maybe a garbage truck? Making a pick-up from Gracie?
Or a delivery !!!!!
7:12pm- Getting a shower on the South Fork..yay..water my flowers please. Can’t tell about nest.
Wee one got fed good this am at 5:40am. Practically had a private feeding with mom & dad. He’s fine…….
5:27am- George brought in a headless fish, to the cheers of all.Just before 5, Gracie started asking George to go to the store. He flew out from the perch to get right on it.Trey was up front as always. The little guy is tenacious ! He stands out thru the schmutz fog on the lens with that white stripe on his back that he hasn’t lost yet. Sounds of contented chirping as ospreys start the day.
No rain that I can tell. Now I have to water..bah..small chance of showers late morning…
George stepped in line and got fed as the chicks wound down. Love this family!
To all: I didn’t see chick #3 acting any differently or more sedentary yesterday than it normally does. For those who were wondering what happened to chick #3 on Sunday, see my video below “Day of Drama” (it shows chick #3 getting pecked, but it also has other of the day’s occurrences). Chick #3 was also pecked yesterday (Monday) at various times during the day by both or either older chicks, starting the pecking session itself at least once!
And, I don’t see any changes in chick #3’s appetite or of it getting fed any less than it had been. Yesterday seemed to be a bad fishing day for George, although I am sure that it had nothing to do with him, because as we have all seen, he’s been doing a fantastic job of bringing fish multiple times a day for Gracie and the chicks.
Lucie Pecor: I think in your comments when you wrote “did that babe just throw up,” “Why does that babe keep shaking his head? Almost looked he threw up. Can birds do that??,” and “babe keep shaking his head and gagging” you were referring to chick #1. It was doing that “head shaking” from about 12:49 pm and for the next at least 2 hours. It looked to me as if it was trying to regurgitate a pellet although I didn’t see it bring one up. (I did however see Gracie regurgitate a pellet, once!!)
“Besides storing food for later consumption, the crop also stores indigestible material — like bones and scales. These unusable fish pieces are captured in the crop and eventually molded into pellets that are later regurgitated. Whenever someone talks of pellets, we often think of owls; however, owls do not have crops — they eat their prey whole, so all the contents goes to their stomachs and that’s where the pellets are formed. Owls regurgitate pellets much more frequently than ospreys do, mainly because of their different eating methods.” (http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/osprey_cam_blog/archives/2004/05/25/)
THIS time it was chick #1 who blasted the camera, first at 7:35 pm (19:35) hitting mostly the (our) left side of the lens and then chick #1 blasted the lens again, at 8:49 pm (20:49), again getting the left side of the lens. Then chick #3 completed the job at 8:50 pm (20:50) by hitting the right side of the camera!! 😀 (I didn’t make a video! 😀 since this will most likely be a frequent occurrence 😀 and how many times can we watch squirt hitting the camera!! 😀 … but, of course if there is ever a multi-colored squirt … however, watching the “magic” show of it getting cleaned is always awesome!!)
Poor Gracie was bombarded by a crow at 7:51 pm and then at 7:55 pm and again at 8:03 pm!! Can’t a mama feed her chicks in peace!! 😀
Another camera squirt by our favorite chick at 8:50 p.m. George brought a few fish to the nest within the last four hours which I reviewed, but the little guy did not get as much food as the other days. I am getting concerned, as I stated above. Still trying to think positive.
Another squirt at 7:35 p.m. It’s supposed to rain, in case Tommy is busy.
I scrolled back & I think around 6:40, Gracie was feeding the babies & was bombarded by a small bird, (sparrow) more than once?
8:51pm——right side of lens shot…do these guys want privacy at night?
Hi, Rob, it was so nice to read your comments, except about chick #3. He’s very feisty and there is plenty of fish to go around — not like last year. I was thinking that maybe today fishing was not as plentiful because of windy conditions We are all pulling for him. He is the favorite of so many of us. Re question #1, I do recall George brooding on the nest, but naturally not to the extent that Gracie did. Also, I don’t recall him waiting on line to be fed this year. However, he has fed Gracie after the chicks have been fed, which is so cute. They have really matured since their first family. Other ospreyites may able to provide you more information than I have. I’m glad that you are checking in. Thanks for preparing us, just in case. I’m so attached to that little Peanut. ;-(
I LOVE Gracie’s fish dance…she does just before, she sees George coming in with a fish lol i seen it more last year.. which (then) looked like a stomp at times when food was scarce & as Carolv mentioned before the fish mantel then hover stance until George left, not so much this year. Its a good YEAR so far 🙂
8:33pm…George is in with fish tail and everyone ready to eat again! Trey front and center…Gracie feeding…
Oh No. What is hanging from little one’s mouth? Is it a piece of plastic bag or something? I don’t like the way the last day has been going for him. Stay strong little one.
Been checking in in this nest from the beginning. Saw the good & the bad last year. This year there is no doubt that the youngest will be just fine. Enjoying the amazing difference that 5 days makes between the oldest and the younger. It is a fabulous thing to be able to eavesdrop on these amazing birds. They are truly at the top of their food chain. Thanks for maintaining and keeping this camera going.
7:19pm..Incoming ! George delivers large whole fish. A lively one that he had to land twice. Chicks recognizing food and getting excited, too…Gracie takes control of the feeding
On scroll back, I saw George stop in @3:42..He did some alarm calling, but I think Gracie (and Trey!) were chirping for food…Geo was back in about 10 mins.with a smallish whole fish.
Trey was up front but the Biggies crowded him and out reached him, but he was still grabbing.@4:23, a Biggie bopped him and he backed away. He circled around to the other side of the sibs and managed to eat enough to satisfy him. He walked over to rest, cuddling with the sib who had bopped him..no hard feelings, sib! About 5, he was back eating and had Mom to himself for a bit.
Deborah…Betsy pointed you to the HIGHLIGHTS section for last year’s videos..all good BTW. Did you know that if you go to Youtube, Betsy’s videos are posted under…eraftery…she has her own channel, so her videos are together. Other videos posted by other talented OZ faithful can be found by searching on Youtube for “GEORGE and GRACIE” or “OSPREYZONE”. Also, if you look by COMMENTS, there are pages listed, taking you back to previous conversations.Going to page1, you can find an additional 32 or so previous pages that take you all the way back to last June,2015. Videos are also posted along the way…
Thank you very much Carol V. I appreciate your taking the time to answer my Question.
about 7:51pm..somebirdy is buzzing Gracie..she finally looked around as is annoyed! The lens is cloudy on that left side, so I couldn’t see what kind of bird.
Trey is still at the table, as usual the last to quit…at7:53, Gracie gave him a HUGE piece, which he has managed to CHOKE down.! He ate a bit more, then conked out with the sibs.. Gracie took a little spin out of the nest, then snacked some more. She was buzzed again…it might be a grackle or a red-wing.Wonder what his beef is?..Anyhow, she’s settled in with the gang now @8:13.
It’s all clouded over on this end of the Island with possibility of showers more toward morning. We do need the rain…as much as I hate to see the gang get rained on….
18:58 Gracie is about to be pushed out of the nest by her youngins. Then a bird swooped down and clipped her back. George is in the nest and doesn’t see it either. Caught her by surprise. The littlest one didn’t seem to get as much as he/she should have. It wasn’t for a lack of trying it moved positions a few times trying to get in there. Even snatching it out of one’s mouth.
I’m wondering now if what I was watching wasn’t yesterday’s feed. It is pretty windy there today. Went back and not what I watched earlier. Seem it doesn’t refresh until I post a comment then everything appears.
7:24 little one had a decent feeding. It made sure it was front and center. But they are getting so aggressive, poor Gracie is being accosted by all 3.
6:50pm – Baby #3 has a long grass “streamer” coming from its beak.
June 27 @ 6:45 p.m.(EST0
Thank you Betsy for pointing out that wad of fishing line has always been on that stick but not visible sometimes depends on time of day I guess.
Thank you again Rjojneal for pointing out that George had moved that stick at some point from the left side of the nest to it new location.
Thank you Carol for pointing out that you now think it is also the same stick because of the three fingers at the end.
So it took three nice people to solve the fishing line mystery for me.
Just an observation regarding Baby #3 (who I call Rocky) He really is very small and does not seem to be growing as quickly as the other 2 did. He is 3 days younger than Baby 2 who I call Ali) yet Ali was not as small as Rocky is today three days ago. Same goes for Baby ! (who I call Frasier) who wasn’t as small as Rocky 41/2 days ago. He is definitely a fighter, gets himself up there to eat and does get fed quite a bit. He has a full belly. Yet again I think isn’t growing at the same rate as the others.
Yes 3 is predicted not to make it.
6:38pm-Really getting windy up there! Tie down the kids!
I did a quick scroll back; every time I stopped at a feeding, Trey was being fed. Will have to do a slower tour later. Sounded like the fighting continues. I had thought he had learned to submit when I saw them going at it yesterday. He was still starting fights, but was putting his head down quickly. Hope he learns a lesson without getting hurt…..
Other than this morning…….. Have all of the kids been fed again during the day?? Just curious.
Not really sure what people are talking about on here, the 3rd chick has been eating good since i have been watching this cam, george brings in lots of fish, i think the commentators on here don’t watch this cam enough to say the 3rd chick don’t look well or he isn’t eating well, it’s the just the opposite.
The little guy now has something stuck in his beak. Not certain if it’s plastic or some other material. It happened after one of the feedings earlier this afternoon. He tried to pick up a piece of fish that had fallen on the nest and when he came back up, that plastic was stuck. He’s been trying to shake it off to no avail. I’ve seen one of the bigger guys pecking him too. I hope the little guy will be OK; he seems to be eating well. He’s feisty so he won’t easily give up. I think he will make it!! We should name him Phoenix. 🙂
Reply to Rob Bierregaard June 27, 2016
1 Did anyone see George brooding the young in the early days after hatch?
Yes he did!!
2 Last year it was fascinating to watch George bring in a fish, deliver it to Gracie and then get in the feeding line to be fed by her. (Sometimes he passed on the tidbits to the young, but mostly he seemed to be just there for handouts. That was a first for me) Has he done that again this year?
Not Really not like last year. He does get feed by Gracie but it is not like last year.
Rob,now this year George and Gracie have bonded and grown to be good mates. We got our first beak kiss and lots of bonding time in the nest before and after the babies.
George does get feed by Gracie but George also feeds Gracie it is a mutually thing they have. Gracie will feed George and George will feed the babies or he will just eat himself really just depends on if babies are there wanting the fish.
Since I did watch last year I think what you are really looking for is not the same thing this year. I truly believe the reason why it happened is food was scarce. Gracie wouldn’t even let George stay in the nest last year hardly at all except to get his portion of fish then she would cry and scream out to him, George would just leave. Also George did not get his portion of fish till the babies were feed. Gracie was rationing the fish at times during the fish kill they would have to live on 1 or 2 fish a day for all 4 of them. Never did any of the babies crops even show last year there was no food to keep in them. So although he might appear to be waiting his turn for Gracie to give him some this is not the same that we saw last year. There is plenty of fish and this nest sees on the average this year 10 fish a day which last year even when there was not a fish kill best day was 4-5 fish. George has become a very good fisherman you can actually almost tell on his average it takes about 10 min from the time he leaves the nest and returns with the whole fish head on. Gracie for whatever reason is different in this way too since she will take that whole fish even though George will try to eat head off for her she will do it herself. If George is really hungry then he wont bring fish into nest till he eats head off. If you watch live cam for just a couple feedings you will see how about every 2 hours George brings fish. Also you will see pretty much a routine they have at night right before dark George will bring a fish Gracie feeds to babies then he is back with half a fish or tail end and will stay at nest and feed Gracie if she does her little begging call if she dont want he will stay and eat the fish then he will not be in nest till morning. Usually at this time Gracie has put babies to bed she is laying on them and George will reach over and feed her. I do have lots of pictures I could email you of Gracie feeding George and babies. Just let me know if you want me to email some to you.
Thank you so much for checking in our Osprey family here at Osprey Zone as you can tell I devote about 8-12 hours a day watching our family and taking notes with beautiful pictures. Some of devoted Osprey followers Betsy,Leanne, and others have made alot of videos on YouTube and they can be found in the comment section if you want to just scroll through and look at a few videos. We love this feature along with our clock we didnt have last year. Of course the best feature is the 4 hour scroll back which I know others have but they dont have our George and Gracie.
Reply to Lucie P – As you’ve noticed, the osprey chicks and parents don’t waste or discard ANY PART of the fish. Everything is consumed; bones, scales, eyeballs, gills, tails, etc. With that taken into consideration, these indigestible substances are kept in their gullet, and up-chucked occasionally, in the form of a pellet. It is similar to the action a cat takes when it needs to cough up a hairball. There’s nothing to worry about, and our little Poco is just doing fine and growing like a weed. Feel lucky you were able to notice the casting of a pellet. Its often not noticed by a lot of people. You are very observant.
Oh Lord…the 2nd chick bonking the 3rd chick at the edge of the nest that’s dangerous…. 🙁
The youngest does not seem as swift as the older two. It seems a little bird brained if you will…
No…we won’t.
I think the little one is getting just enough food to survive..he hasn’t been left out as of yet that I can see..he is a tad younger and I think just as smart-I just know he will be ok..and fledge as the others will! I have lots of faith and hope for the wee one.Sibling rivalry and pecking order is just life for these wild birds…keep up the great work George and Gracie..you are both doing well with your beautiful family!
I’m a little concerned because I think that #3 is not being fed as much as he has been in the past few days. Does anyone else feel the same? His gullet looks full, as do the others, but they always want to eat. It seems that he always gets the least (although he is the smallest). Just want to make sure he maintains his strength. I don’t like when he gets picked on by the others, even though sometimes he initiates it.
Marlene it may be that Gracie is thinking that 3 is to piteous aT this point and she may be just focusing on the older two.
Baby #1’s appetite is unrelenting and Mom is feeding her until she is done – which takes a very long time – so there is less and less for #2 and #3. But so far, so good – Dad has been providing an abundance of large fish. Seems there should be enough for all three. Keep up the good work, George. We want to see three successful fledges!
Also, wanted to say I notice Baby #2 doesn’t seem to stay very long during the eating frenzies. But then again I miss many of them….
I take that back – Baby #2’s appetite is also huge!
it is always hard to see a baby die but this is natures way of survival of the fitness. harder to watch is the entire brood die because of lack of food or the lose of parents.
Hi Team Osprey Zone! I haven’t checked in on this cam yet this year. Doesn’t look good for the little guy. It’s fairly typical for the young in a nest to set up a true pecking order, which ensures that the alpha young will get enough to eat if food becomes scarce. It’s painful to watch the youngest die, but part of the value of these amazing nest cams is that we get to see the world the way it really works, not the way Disney and Pixar think it does. If the fishing is really good, he might make it, but be ready for the worst.
So, all that “trash” in the nest is pretty typical. Ospreys are always trimming up the nest. For the first 13 million years or so they’ve been around they’d’ve been picking up clumps of grass and seaweed to keep the nest fresh, I guess. Now that our species is on the scene, they’ve go all this other stuff to pick up. Sometimes they bring in pretty funny stuff, like beach toys, bikini tops (honest), even strings of Christmas tree lights. Sometimes they bring in dangerous things, like plastic bags, and worst of all, tangles of discarded fishing line. This is often lethal.
A couple of questions for you all:
1 Did anyone see George brooding the young in the early days after hatch?
2 Last year it was fascinating to watch George bring in a fish, deliver it to Gracie and then get in the feeding line to be fed by her. (Sometimes he passed on the tidbits to the young, but mostly he seemed to be just there for handouts. That was a first for me) Has he done that again this year?
Hi Rob…your expertise is so welcomed. You make everyone aware of the happenings and goings on in an Osprey nest. I don’t watch often so as far as your questions being answered…I’m sure others here will answer them for you. I’m still hoping for a good outcome for #3, but prepared in case it doesn’t go well.
6:15pmEDT- Too funny, PattyK ! Right around the time you typed the Gs should pull down the shades, the feed cut out! Be careful what you type, magic lady!
6:30pm. Sorry, Rob, that first comment was misplaced! We have seen a lot of parent to parent feeding. Sometimes George does get fed with the kids and, often, George feeds Gracie, almost daily. He feeds the chicks, too, or feeds Gracie to pass to the chicks. As to the third chick, he(she) is doing very well and holding his own. Hopefully, the food supply will hold out. We have high hopes!
Good luck with your Canadian project. Sounds interesting!
ROB:6/28- @5:50am, George was in line after the chicks, getting fed by Gracie
Rob, if you saw this cam last year, do you remember how little the lil one was? He/she never got a chance to grow. This lil one is year is so much bigger and stronger. He/she seems to be getting its fair share of food for the most part. There is not so much pecking of the lil one like there as last year. He/she seems to start some of the pecking of the older chicks, even though he/she doesn’t win. But trying to stand up for its self. Very different from last year. Lets hope this year is different & all 3 flourish.
The little guy is doing very well this year. The two older chicks aren’t bullying him, and he is very assertive at feeding time, getting plenty to eat. The parents seem better at parenting, too.
Don’t have to worry about the little one this year, it is full of vinegar and piss and is doing very well.
around 13:32 Little one mimics Mommy as she is calling
@ 14:02 one of the youngsters gives the camera a beautiful closeup. Naturally that means it was too close to the edge AGAIN!
At 1:35 p.m., Gracie brings more black plastic to the nest. Really, Gracie? Can’t figure out where she gets all of this. They are strips of plastic, similar to what a gardener would use to keep out weeds. Wonder if some landscapers are missing black plastic. Maybe she knows they re predicting rain tomorrow.
Betsy, thanks (again) for the video from yesterday. I saw it this morning when the video was looping and I thought that sibling fight took place this morning. Can’t believe how close #3 was to the edge of the nest. I worry that one of the others will pick a fight when he is near the edge and he will fall out. Yikes!! I thought that was #2 chick who was fighting, but sometimes I can’t be sure unless the older ones are together. Your videos are great. Keeps us all up to date. Gracie must’ve been exhausted last night. At least George gets to get a quiet sleep, wherever his bed is.
Marlene: You’re welcome. My heart was in my throat every time little chick #3 was teeter-tottering at the edge like that!! And, yes, it sometimes is really really hard to tell the two bigger chicks apart, especially depending the glare or brightness of the sun and on where they are in the nest!! 😀
why all of this plastic stuff spewed all around the nest? is it beneficial to the nest & the babies? thanx
Mama Gracie brings it into the nest herself.
I LOVE seeing baby nestorations!
Wish the baby would go back to staying by Gracie. The older one is making head moves like he’s going into the ring. Hope George keeps the fish coming.
why does that one babe keep shaking his head and gagging??
Why does that babe keep shaking his head? Almost looked he threw up. Can birds do that??
While I don’t know specifically why the little one was doing that, my parrot does that from time to time, and it has never been associated with any problem or aliment. I’ve had him for 27 years. So I’d guess it is just something birds do.
did that babe just throw up???
really worried about how small that runt is. Poor babe. I just want to scoop him up and take care of him myself.
In comparison to last years beloved Pee Wee, the youngest chick this year is doing fine. There is a decent amount of fish being brought to the nest. # 3 is going to be smaller in stature due to hatching a few days after its siblings. Stay positive ?
Around 1.05pm great close up of chicks. Wee one underneath Gracie.Cant believe how fast they are growing. Can I take this chance to thank everyone for keeping me entertained with your often funny and always informative posts. Also the great videos which put me to shame as I only know the basics of using my laptop. PS Has there been another small squirt on the camera?
I cannot get over how small the littlest one is. 🙁 I hope all is well with little shortstack (my nickname for him)
Guys – what do you think? It seems the baby has been very sedentary today. Do you think he’s still recovering from yesterday/ I’m a little concerned.
he was energetic this morning during breakfast! at about 9:30AM he was up and pushing to the front of the line for food
what happened yesterday?
Hello Maryann – what happened to the baby yesterday?
Look at him at 15:00, flapping his wings and being mobile. I think he looks great especially compared to last year’s small guy. Hanging on to hoping that we’ll have all three fledge.
Totally agree. This year is soooo much different between the ‘littlest’ ones. Just like night and day. So far, so good for the little tyke. We just have to keep hoping and praying all goes well. ☺
Sure is a hot one today. How is everyone? Has anybody heard from Tammy? I have something to ask her. Thanks.
Ok….. Which little snot ‘grazed’ the lens? At least we can still see the kids and Mom and Dad. These kids are the best shooters I’ve seen in a long time.
If they decorated the lens today, you could scroll back to find the incident. These kids are right on target. They are good target shooters.
Yes they most certainly are…..
Yesterday, before the feed went down, was a day of drama, with chick #3 on the edge of the nest teeter-tottering several times, fights breaking out left and right, Gracie flying in with a big sheet of plastic just after chick #3 started a fight with chick #1, and another flapping fish comedy with the plastic getting in the way when George was trying to corral it, and hit and runs on both George while he was up on the perch (at 16:59 – you can see it happen in the shadow on the nest) and Gracie while she was feeding the chicks (at 17:59). Now that the feed is back up, I gotta run!! 😀
https://youtu.be/0jfPFe7CvE8
This was great. Thanks. That hit and run was one bold move.
Wow. before seeing this video, I thought things were going well for the Lil one, but the attack on him/her for no reason by the bigger one was disturbing. I watched this feed last year & it was very hard to watch. This year the lil one is so much bigger & stronger than the lil one last. Just hoping when the time comes to fly away he/she will be able to.
Marilyn: I think things are going well for the little one. Chick #1 pecks both chick #2 and chick #3, but chick #3 sometimes pecks either of the two bigger chicks with only getting a look of surprise back. The pecking doesn’t seem to be prolonged and, although often enough, I wouldn’t consider it frequent.
Can someone tell me how to unloop the video I am seeing? It keeps replaying. Thanks a lot. I know when I press the left mouse button, that option is there. But it is not highlighted. Everything was fine until five minutes ago. I also lost all of my comments. There were about four fish brought to the nest this morning, and all were well fed. That definitely was not a loop!
OH NOOOOOOOOO what happened to the feed? Cam out???
6-27-16 Paul and Aidan I am sure you are aware but just in case the site has been down since last night around 9:00PM.
Well gives me time to go look at the osprey zone store see what is new.
Thank you for all you do hopefully Tommy and landlords are watching over our birds for now.
6-27-16 7:29 am live cam? Seems that the clock says 17:01 and I’m looking at feed from yesterday evening? Hmmmm…
6:30amEDT 6/27- Still seeing yesterday afternoon on the feed. Everybirdy;-} eating well-over and over. Seriously, hope the powers that be get straightened out..a lot of addicts in need of our fix! Thanks in advance, as always, for how hard you work.
Hi, Jillian. I made a video … if you scroll back down the comments to June 25th, you’ll find it. Over the winter the height of the old radio tower the nest platform is built on was lowered from 80 feet to 60 feet to allow easier access to the nest. Along with lowering the radio tower, Tommy installed a system to rinse the lens after it gets blasted. I would imagine that a water supply pipe runs up along the frame of the tower and is fitted to an opening made in the camera’s housing to allow Tommy’s magic! 😀
P.S. I sure hope a safety net was also installed under the nest, because the littlest chick looked as if s/he teeter-tottering was right on the very edge of the nest yesterday … my heart was in my throat!! 😀
Thanks so much for letting me know, Betsy. I’ve seen people talking about the lens cleaner, but wasn’t really sure how it worked.TY for the details! Also glad to hear the nest has been lowered. Yes, a safety net would be nice!
You’re welcome, Jillian. Even though I understand in my head Rob Bierregaard’s answer to June C’s question about the (rare occasion) that a chick walks off the edge of a nest “gets some bad genes out of the population” and that it’s more likely that one could get pushed or blown out of the nest and that things like that happen in nature, I would be broken-hearted if that were to happen and I half-jokingly and half-seriously would be happier if there was a net!!
June 27 6:00 am Camera down this morning ?? I’m only getting video from yesterday afternoon.
I am sorry the live feed is down. Hopefully it can be put up and running again soon. I know this happens sometimes and we are so fortunate to have this look into The Osprey World. Thank you Tommy. Anyway, abquestuon, is there an archive where we can findcall the videos in one place?
Deborah: OspreyZone has a “Highlights” section with highlights from last year (http://ospreyzone.com/highlights/).
June 27- 12:21 am- I havent been able to post for days. I thought my post had finally gone through earlier as it did say it was waiting for moderation yet that post didnt go through either. Maybe this one will?
Checking in on the nest tonight, I noticed the cam is not live and the stream is in replay. Hope all is well… No need to post this, I just couldn’t help but worry tonight. Perhaps doing some maintenance?
Reply to Jillian: Hi, Jillian. I think you may be a new viewer, because I don’t think I’ve seen your name before. Last year there was a big problem with the babies positioning their butts toward the camera screen when they were squirting, and we could not see them unless there was a heavy rain. The best cleaning was done when both babies’ feet got tangled in fishing line; it was awful. Jim MacDougal, a bird rescuer, was able to remove the fishing line with the help of a bucket truck from PSEG. At that time, the nest was 80 feet above ground! While he was up there, Jim gave the screen a real good cleaning. (By the way, a video of that rescue is listed above under “Osprey Rescue – July 30, 2015.”)
Last week, we had the first squirt blocking our view. We were all amazed when we saw that the lens was all cleaned up! It turns out that Tommy, George and Gracie’s landlord, invented a window washer system to clean the screen when nature takes a bad aim. If you look at some of the previous comments, you can view a video that Betsy made that actually showed the lens being cleaned. The look on Gracie’s face was hysterical, and it did not faze the babies at all. It should be easy to find that video. Betsy actually made a video of the second cleaning which took place on June 25th. That one was good, but the original one was even funnier because it’s the first time Gracie witnessed it. Hope you enjoy this site as much as I do!
Any idea as to what happened to the video system?? Hope our family is ok…
9:05 PM EDT Cam seems to be down…no video.. 🙁
7:50pm Chicks fed and in cuddlecoma again, just love the way the setting sun shines on Gracie…she is nodding out some…good job again dear momma…..I have been nodding myself, lol, but about 8:30 watch dear George feeding Wifey…this year seems to me to be the first time they take such great care of each other and their brood, maybe we should pull the shades once in a while to let them snuggle, lol, Amen and goodnight to all you fine OZ folks xoxoxo
8:12pm….Beautiful fish brought in by George…all that napping must have made Gracie hungry, because she was less than gracious about receiving this one! George looked straight at the camera and, I swear, he shrugged !
Trey and sib(Dos?) moved in.Other Biggie ankled in behind Trey.Uno? and Trey wound up doing “Lady and the Tramp” with a string of guts ! Too funny! Dos? took full advantage of their distraction to eat like a pig! Gracie couldn’t shovel fast enough! ( I have to go back to Betsy’s ID Primer video. And WRITE it down this time!)
Sometimes, comments seem to be stuck in the box. When I go back, and see them there, I figure I forgot to hit send. Then, I’m told it’s a duplicate. So I apologize for any repeats. So I apologize for any repeats.heehee
About 8:45, George landed with a chunk of fish, and now he’s feeding Gracie..so sweet….It looked like Trey was squirming over that way, but a biggie laid across him..squeezed the poop out of him, too..literally…
9:00pm…video issues…..
Watching 7:00pm feeding – Baby #1 is a bottomless pit! All well fed / #2 and #3 stuffed and walked away from the table but Baby #1 is gonna stay till its all gone. It’s a good thing there’s plenty to go around.
6:55 pm…George brings fish and everyone is hungry ! Been napping all sunday afternoon. Boy this lil one sure is feisty, pays no never mind to the other 2 and gets right up front and center. Learning to steal food too. He reminds me of E8 the eaglet in Fort Myers Fl from this past season. He had to fight for every morsel of food and was a real scrapper. Both will make it and do well.