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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 think the feed is down since 6:01 pm. AXIS comes up in the lower left corner and whenever I restart it goes to 2pm.
5:55pmEDT- So the lens got washed and the camera died?
So, after a quick skim thru…looks like Trey had a rough day. I caught one feeding, and Trey was being fed from 5-5:15pm. Hopefully, things will work out. I don’t know how many fish came in today, although it sounded like the food wasn’t the issue. Sometimes there is violence just because…I remember an eagle nest last year where the dominant chick threw its sibling(s?) out of the nest and don’t know that a reason was ever cited.
We can only send positive thoughts out in the Universe and hope for a safe journey for all our osprey family. And good or bad, I plan to be witness to the courage and cleverness of the littlest chick who has probably survived longer than many of us expected….she/he deserves to be noted…
Yes, Carol, at 16:42:27 dolly little Trey took his best shot 😀 And then at 17:53:21 dolly Tommy did his magic and cleaned it (fascinating to watch!!) – and Gracie and George didn’t even seem aware of it!! And then the video feed went down at 18:02:54 and remains down!! 😀
Live feed is down….hope it comes back up soon…not sure what happened… 🙁
B3 is a smart bird! Knows when to hold em and when to fold em. No way is this guy gonna fail to survive!
June 30- 9:50 pm- I couldn’t agree with you more. He/she is a smart bird and knows ways to get around the older chicks. Very smart and I really think he/she will do just fine. 🙂
Leanne: I echo that!! 😀
Hmm we are at19:00 hrs now (7PM) and the feed is back at 14:00 (2pm). Hope everything is all right.
I have not had a chance to check much today. Can someone be good enough to post if little one was able to eat today? I love this osprey family and hope they all do well, but my heart is wrapped around chick #3.
What a view of this beautiful family!
6:55 lens cleaned! AWESOME!
June 30, 2016, 4:42 pm. Well chick #3 had his turn in squirting on the camera lens. I guess he/she did not want to miss a turn.
OspreyZoners,
I see there’s been some more aggression today. I haven’t been on line when it happened. I’m going to call in my graduate student who spent 2 summers on Martha’s Vineyard watching aggression between chicks in nests to see what she thinks. Someone commented that this may be just some aggression to maintain the pecking order. Trey seems to have a full crop, so there definitely is enough to go around. The way it is SUPPOSED to work is that under these circumstances, all 3 should fledge. But not all young read the playbook.
Someone emailed me earlier and used the “C” word. Remember, Nature is not cruel. Cruelty means that harm is being done just for harm’s sake. Nature is harsh, unforgiving, and often random, but it isn’t cruel.
Here’s an interesting article about how we all get so wrapped up in nest cams. There’s science behind our addiction! https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/scicurious/empathy-animals-all-about-us?tgt=nr
Rob Bierregaard: Thanks for the link. The article was, as you said, very interesting.
Thank you, Rob. I haven’t seen the feed since this afternoon, but chick number three is big and strong and gets plenty to eat. It almost seems like an ingrained ritual that the older birds go through- picking on one another. Chick #2 was the target of Chick #1 for some time. Now he has a new “toy.” But Chick #3 has been very smart and knows when to leave, when to duck and when to stay close to mom. He is not deprived of food. Maybe chick#1 will outgrow this aggression as he discovers that his wings can do more things that help him amble around the nest.
I had an idea- it is definitely HUMAN INTERVENTION- but what is to prevent the magic hose to go on when the pecking gets too rough? It will distract them and give time for the little one to hightail it out of harms way.
I must admit I was afraid to log on this evening.
Thank you Rob. You make so much sense. Hope you have a happy and safe 4th!
Rob Bierregaard – I have a couple of questions for you: 1) Don’t ospreys get thirsty? 2) Why doesn’t chick #1 peck chick #2? I mean, that’d be more of a fair fight. I was just watching a few minutes ago and see that #1 is always ‘looking down’ on the poor little guy just waiting for any excuse (or no excuse) to peck at him.
Nancy Goodson: re your comment June 30, 2016 at 2:31 pm “Paul how can you let this happen again? Really? Are you that cruel?”
If you are referring to OZ’s allowance of two recent comments, the first stating that the littlest chick was pushed out of the nest and the second stating that the littlest chick had died, yes, I couldn’t agree with you more.
If you are referring to the pecking that is going on in the (or any) nest, that has nothing to do with Paul (nor anyone else). That is how nature works. Please note that “Please be advised that nature can be brutal – viewer discretion is advised” is posted at the top of the site and please read the “Messages from osprey experts” at the top. You have to remember that the chicks do not spend their whole life “babied” in the nest and that they must be strong enough to survive life outside of the nest … they will have to fend for themselves, make the perilous migratory journey, and there are many dangers, man-made and natural, that they will face throughout life.
Thank you Betsy. So totally true.
Dinner time and the little guy is first in line!! The Big Mamoo can’t get there because of that silly plastic strip that looks like it was stolen from a derelict mini-blind. I have never
seen such a nest as this one. Who do you think brought in the flattened plastic bottle with the purple cap? Is one of these parents a hoarder?? At least after the little guy took a licking from #1 he was able to hide under the parent for a while. Very interesting family dynamic. Great to see the little guy getting bigger every day and not fast enough for me, or him no doubt.
Dorothy: I can’t answer who brought in the plastic bottle. But I can attest to Gracie bringing in all of the thin strips of plastic!! 😀
4:53 pm… George, the Good Dad,seasoned now, what a fisherman, you ROCK! xoxoxo
There is to much fear mongering going on in the comments, why can’t you just watch the cam instead of spreading the same stuff from last year, most of us know the deal, we are here the learn, people are saying the chick fell from the nest, people want the owner to contact a expert, not needed, this is how birds live, if you can’t watch, don’t, simple.
to*
Now the big baby gates are going up. 4:05
Yeah…I finally got to see the window washer…LOL
I agree!!! I almost had heart failure reading someone’s post that the baby had fallen from the nest!! Please don’t post such foolishness.
June 30 I meant attacking Baby#3
June 30 @3:14 P.M.
To Paul or Aiden Could you contact Rob B and ask him what is causing todays attacks by both the other babies on baby #1. There is plenty of food and I actually saw all of them eating at the same time earlier then all of a sudden Baby 1 got attacked. But the worst is when they both have him down and keep attacking even when it is not feeding time. Do all osprey kill the youngest when there is plenty of food? Or what is the reason? Will this continue till they kill him or does it continue in some degree till they fledge? 45 minutes ago they were all in the nest together looking out at the bay and there was no sigh of trouble between them.
If you can’t handle it, i suggest you don’t watch or go research ospreys and the nest behavior, you are using harsh words like “kill” is not necessary, this is how birds live, they peck eachother.
Hi folks…. I peeked in earlier and read everyone’s comments and then did my own checking and sure enough the two older ones are going after our little sweetie. So I am also going to ‘check’ out, like rjoneal for awhile. I’m not strong enough to see our baby being hurt. I know it’s nature but I just can’t handle it. So everyone take care, especially our baby.
I do believe the pecking given to chick #3 by chick #1 is more of a reminder of the hierarchy of the nest than anything else. I think if the pecking was meant to kill chick #3 the attacks would be more often and prolonged, not up to a few pecks and as little as 1 peck making up the attack, in order to cause severe harm. I also think that although they may hurt, they are not truly injurious. Usually chick #3 will lay low after the attack for a short while and then s/he will bounce back up, if you will, as if nothing had ever happened to her/him, including going next to or lying right next to chick #1 (and usually in short order). In the pecking today at around 10:30 am, chick #3 took a peck at chick #2 and then at chick #1. I think it just looks worse than it actually is.
I agree with you Betsy. The pecking looks a lot worse than it really is. Chick #3 is doing fine in my book. All nests have a pecking order. If you haven’t watched a live Osprey nest before, it does look horrible, but after watching for 5 years, I have learned how resilient these chicks are. If they get enough food, most often they will survive the pecking by the older ones. The pecking at this nest is mild compared to some others I have seen.
June 30- 9:22 pm- Totally Agree with you, Betsy. 🙂
Ruth and Leanne: Thank you for your agreement. I saw the post from Rob Bierregaard (re: calling in his graduate student). I will really be surprised if this isn’t just a case of maintaining the pecking order in the nest.
I think you have a very valid point there Betsy!
Thank you, Gina 🙂 I have complete faith that the littlest chick will fly away like everyone else.
To Rjoneal- I too have started to check in periodically. So sad to see baby number three be pecked like that. I watch a lot…but do not comment a lot. My heart hurts for baby no. 3. Sick to my stomach also….I no it’s part of nature also…but too sad. I HOPE he fights thru and makes it!
I thought the same thing and had to look away for time. He finally moved and too refuge under a parent. Later he got something to eat and is now sleeping peacefully with the other two.
I hope he continues to grow strong and fast!
Paul how can you let this happen again? Really? Are you that cruel?
Don’t think Paul has any control over what happens in the nest. Not fair to accuse him of “letting this happen again”
That’s awfully unfair. It’s not for Paul or anyone to interfere with Nature’s course. We have all been warned and we may choose not to watch.
Are you serious? What do you think he can do about it? That’s probably why the feed is shut off!
Keep in mind—–60 ft. in the air…and following the policy recommended by wildlife authorities of non interference except for man-made causes, as in the fishing line crisis of last year.
Exactly, Carol V. Instead of harping on nature and the Osprey life, we should wonder how many nests have chicks harmed due to man-made occurences, such as fishing line and hooks that we know nothing about because of no cameras on nests or how many become entangled in nets cut loose in the water? Just because we don’t see this doesn’t mean it is not happening. This is where frustration should be focused, not on these birds or the folks who put up this camera or the Osprey experts.
My last comment was stupid. My emotions are raw. Can’t bear to watch a repeat of last year..I can’t even check in anymore…
I’m just going to say it, “I hope a biig wind comes and knocks #1 out of the nest”. II am for the underbird!
Kathleen – I have to laugh. I have the same thought every time I see the big guy pecking at #3. I thought I was the only one! Yes, I know it’s nature and it’s cruel and it’s life, but I just can’t stand watching it. Fortunately for me, I’m not always logged on so I’ve missed some of the pecking. But, I’ve seen when the little guy gets pecked by the big guy for no reason whatsoever. So bizarre!! I’m hoping and praying that the little guy will make it. 🙂
Me ALSO……hope Wiggles can hang in there.
June 30 1:52PM I watch periodically, also read comments, some of which are telling me about the abuse #3 is suffering.Now, however, at this time this afternoon, he is not even going over to one of the parents to get fed, while #1 and #2 seem preoccupied.
I really do not want to speculate on his/her demise at this point, but all this does seem puzzling.
C’mon, #3 you still have a very good chance!!
13:06 Bitsy had a pretty good private feeding. I have to say every time I tune in it’s a peaceful temperament in the nest. I’m glad I’ve not seen the beatings. I can’t watch that again.
I take that back 13:46 not even food related, just pecked at the little one
13:09 Lunch time! Everybody is getting feed, including #3. Mom is doing a good job feeding him. He also hides under her. Don’t give up on him yet!
B3 eats first at 1PM
June 30- 12:25- Chick 3 is stuck in plastic again. Hope he/she gets him/herself free.
I got caught up on comments. I’m thinking of the fable Chicken Little … the sky is falling!! Incredible.
No. 3 seems to be able to get in for food first for a while, then after takes the beating from the others. If he can get enough food and duck and cover enough, he should be okay. I also noticed he goes for moms protection under her body when she is in the nest. I give him a 3 in 4 chance. Given the fact he hatched so much later then the other two, he’s in great shape. As long as George can bring in the fish so everyone is stuffed to the gills no. 3’s still got a great chance of making it.
Chick number 3 is a fighter and he is strong and he seems to be smart. I don’t know if that will save him. I am hoping so. What is it about this time, the end of June/beginning of July, that makes the young osprey so aggressive?
Please, little Rocky, just go the distance. Hide when you have to, sidle up to Gracie when you can, and keep growing. The longer you go the bigger you get and then they can’t take you on anymore.
I wonder if the heat turns up the aggression. I do think #3 is still in good shape. He’s well fed and seeks protection not only from the pecking but seeks out the shade of his parent. I haven’t seen the others do that
Rjoneal, I agree with you. This was a real bad morning. #3 hardly got any food, and one of his siblings pecked him a couple of times. Can’t stand when they grab the back of his neck. Now, the both of them beat up on him. There are plenty of fish bring brought into the nest. Just makes me sick, too. It’s heartbreaking. I, too, understand it’s nature, but it’s not human nature, and that’s why it’s hard to view. I pray that he goes quickly and will meet up with Pee Wee. I am going off for a while now, too. God bless our little Peanut. We love you.
I think it is a little premature to give up on the little one. It is growing and strong. When it is hungry enough it will get food, especially when older two are full and comatose. This is nothing like last year when PeeWee was very frail and tiny!
10:16 am. #3 cowering after attack by #1 or #2 ( can’t tell difference). For no good reason. #3 just minding his own business and is attacked. There is no food present either. Wish Gracie would step in, but guess that is not the order of things
Attention Osprey Followers –
Please please forgive me it has been brought to my attention that it appears I said baby three had died this was not my intention baby three is alive and very well fed in the nest. I simply am trying to state that I am going to sign off for a while it is starting to remind me what happened last year with big Brothers pecking last night and this morning also the way big brothers are watching bb3 everytime he moves.
He was fed very well today he seems strong but as I said to me I am seeing the same signs as last year and I don’t choose to watch for a little bit I will check into comments.
My mistake please forgive me I’m only human.
–
Reply to Rjoneal, you do not need to apologize for stating what you saw and then commenting on it. I saw the older baby peck at the baby last night when there was no food even around. I decided I will check the message board first before viewing to see what other people are saying. That works for best me as I simply can not take the older bird being down right nasty.
Oops! I forgot to mention that George flew in and out with the whole fish around 7:40 a.m. I wonder what Gracie said: “Can’t you see that we are still eating the first breakfast??”
Between 10:15 thru 10:17am Thursday, Chick 1 let Chick 3 know who is dominant. Chick 3 submits. Then at 10:20 a small ugly donnybrook with all three right in front of Gracie Earlier it looked like Chick 3 looked to shelter itself by Mom from any harm after the 9:00am hour feeding.
Scrolling back, I see that there was less than 1/4 fish that Gracie was feeding to #3 around 6:20 a.m. He went to take a nap, and then he and #1 (I think) got up to snack some more. In the meantime, George flew in with a whole fish while Gracie was still feeding #1. Gracie was squawking at George and #2 was doing the same thing while lying down (so funny), so George took off with the fish. I think #1 got mad because now the new fish was done, so he started pecking at #3. So sad. He just doesn’t seem to be growing as much as the other two. I really worry about him, as we all do, but I’m trying to think positive thoughts.
To all: I just looked at comments while I was caught up on the video. It was 9:40:42, there is chick #3 standing right next to Gracie and chicks #1 and #2 are standing to its left. I’ll tell you all what I’m not going to do, I’m not going to read the comments because I find it simply amazing how people jump right into a panic mode without continuing to watch the video before posting the most insane comments … specifically that chick #3 has “met its demise.” How crazy is that??!! It is now 9:53 am, and chick #3 is lying off to Gracie’s left BREATHING AND CALLING TO BE FED.
CONFIRM YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU POST.
Oh, and I had forgotten that I saw this one earlier: Jill H June 29, 2016 at 5:50 pm OMFNG Lil One was pushed out of the nest!!! help?
Paul and Aidan, I really think that when you are moderating the comments and you see comments such as these you should review the tape yourself to confirm before allowing such outrageous comments to post.
Video clip from this morning 9:31 am. I didn’t even edit it just so I could get it posted ASAP
https://youtu.be/AIMKdwBlxGs
I should have put quote marks around the word facts!!
6-30-16 Reply -Steve W. I think its funny you call them Weebles, it reminds me when my children were young the toy, the commercial (Weebles Wobbles but they dont fall down.) Our lil Ospreys do fall down.
Anyways they arent trying to kill bb3 yet if they wanted to they would do it. Although the fighting has become more and more aggressive we just have to wait and see.
However, I would hope no one would like to watch any animal or anything be tortured at least not our Osprey Followers and Family.
Thanks for reaching out to comment to me.
1.
rjoneal June 30, 2016 at 7:52 am – Reply
6-30-16 am Reply -Betsy I dont know if I ever said thank you for the video that you made when I contacted you by email about the the babies doing beak kiss you titled it He’s my Brother on 6-28-16 I had never seen that before and what an endearing moment, precious! Anyways Thanks for all the videos and info with updates that you do. Love love our Osprey Family !
ps the video of George kissing Gracie 1st beak kiss was the best!
2.
rjoneal June 30, 2016 at 7:43 am – Reply
6-30-16 am Reply- DLena-welcome from California thank for the update on bb3 getting feed. Dont know if you are new or just now commenting but glad to have you here I am Rjoneal from Florida so we both like the sunshine and hot weather. Watching Nature is just like life you have disasters,heartbreak,Death, but when we have those joyful moments, loved ones, new life it makes us appreciate each day more. Even with life we dont always know what is going to happen tomorrow. So with the bad comes the good and It makes me appreciate the good that much more. Love Our Ospreys, love our Ospreys followers!
3.
rjoneal June 30, 2016 at 7:20 am – Reply
6-30-16 Reply- Carol IV Thanks for the words of encouragement. I have Osprey Zone on all my tvs in every room in the house and I pad and home computer but it always seems that when comments come in I am out and about or down at the lake or pool so I have my Iphone. It alerts me when email comes in. Well I just cant wait to reply even though I probably should so I just get those fingers going or I will use microphone and no matter if I proof read ,somehow while proof reading I touch the button post, drives me crazy.
Anyways did you see last night 6-29-16 starting around 2024.16 and 20269.13 bb3 got lots of fish from Gracie and at 2035.52 one big bb stands up puts chest out bb3 backs away from fish slowly he did get pecked after that but thank goodness even though bb3 was completely flat head down Gracie sounds alarm ( human emotions is she did this to stop the pecking knowing there is plenty of fish no need to fight) just a little enough to make big bb distracted and then Gracie tries to give him a piece of fish. Now both bb1 and bb2 are up and eating and bb3 has not moved an inch then he sees his opportunity while big brothers were eating he slowly moved away even more. Bb3 got plenty, crop so full and now it was dark everyone going to bed so hopefully they dont fight at night. I love how well Gracie seems to be stopping the pecking some of the time by either moving things around in nest or fish or even if she is on the perch when it starts she will fly down in nest. Of course there are many times she is right there in nest and is just watching.
Rj, I JUST call #3 Weebles, it’s been GREAT seeing him her fight to make it………keeping my fingers crossed.
That fish at 5:33am had to be one of the hardest I’ve seen them try to eat in 2 years. It was like the skin was made of steal. Took forever. They had another eating at 8:58am
aw have Faith. Do not give up on the baby Shortstack will hold his own. Everyday is a blessing and a new hope.
Little one gets right in there. That is way cool!
6-30-16 8:30am I am officially going off air for a while will try to check in with comments baby three has met his demise it appears.
I have watched for the last 30 minutes now every time bb3 lifts his head both of the other babies are pecking him back down for no reason at all this is exactly how It went with peewee last year. Can’t bear to watch it again definitely seems they are ready to get rid of the little guy.. Is so painful because even though he is small I do believe he is a very smart little bird !! I do believe that they are going to continue to beat upon him and torture him until he dies it is sad but the signs are all there and it has begun
I will miss talking with everyone and taking my beautiful pictures of the family but I will wait till this is over and baby three goes to heaven. I could be wrong but at this point I’ve been the one who has been very positive and now I see his time has come To an end.
I will always remember you baby 3 you were such a fighter and such a smart one. Hopefully if it is your time you will go quickly and not feel any of the pain!!
My heart is aching my stomach hurts I know it’s nature and it’s not cruel it’s just brutal but I am one who chooses not to watch this again so I will check in periodically.
Love the Ospreys, love osprey followers and family.
Wow-sorry you feel this way…it is a sad thing to see-but I have lots of faith and hope in this little guy…I am hoping for the best-I have watched many osprey nests and I believe he will be ok…he is learning to wait for his food and fish are plenty here…all will be well!!
1:10pm on 6/30/2016 – the older guys don’t seem interested in getting fed. So, the little guy has the food all to himself so far. I think this little guy is smart, spunky and he’ll keep surviving until hopefully the other two get tired of pecking him. Again, I missed the incident you referenced, thank God. I’m still hopeful that he will survive. 🙂
The little guy is gutsy and smart. He’s going to be just fine.
To OZ: There have been no new posts since I saw this just before 9:43 am and this is showing at the very top of the comments … nearly 4 hours. I know when I saw it the first words that jumped out at me were “met his demise.” Even though I had been caught up with the time frame of the video, the shock of seeing those words caused an instant migraine (and I do not use migraine to describe merely any headache, I was diagnosed by a neurologist many years ago as suffering from migraines). I sure do hope that people don’t go to OZ website, see those words and suffer a cardiac arrest from the shock!! And I do mean a literal heart attack and dying.
They are now a constantly on the Lil One..will not be watching for a while. I know the strongest survive and its part of the cruel side of nature…too hard to watch..God I hope I’m wrong
Gods speed to him..
Oh no, at 8:21 this morning, 6/30. Looks like the little one is caught maybe on some of that black plastic stuff. He it gets free.
7-30-16 8:18am Lil guy has been pecked and pecked by Big Bro, now it seems his left talon stuck in the black plastic….oh no…
8:19 AM June 30th Chick 3’s foot appears to be caught in the plastic
No I am wrong – whew
Noticed George is standing on one foot. Maybe this is normal?
Monica: I made a video on how to tell George and Gracie apart – see page 33 (June 7, 2016 at 3:43 pm comment) “How to Tell George and Gracie Apart” http://ospreyzone.com/comment-page-33/#comment-17261
whew I see them all!!
did someone say the baby fell out of the nest??
I was wrong the show is called … Life Story….not Born.
The lil one has been attacked 3 times this morning..5:33..7:41:50 and again 7:45:29..too close to food..as I said before if he can make this week..this is going to be hard to watch when feeding comes around.
6-30-16 Reply -Steve W. I think its funny you call them Weebles, it reminds me when my children were young the toy, the commercial (Weebles Wobbles but they dont fall down.) Our lil Ospreys do fall down.
Anyways they arent trying to kill bb3 yet if they wanted to they would do it. Although the fighting has become more and more aggressive we just have to wait and see.
However, I would hope no one would like to watch any animal or anything be tortured at least not our Osprey Followers and Family.
Thanks for reaching out to comment to me.
6-30-16 am Reply -Betsy I dont know if I ever said thank you for the video that you made when I contacted you by email about the the babies doing beak kiss you titled it He’s my Brother on 6-28-16 I had never seen that before and what an endearing moment, precious! Anyways Thanks for all the videos and info with updates that you do. Love love our Osprey Family !
ps the video of George kissing Gracie 1st beak kiss was the best!
6-30-16 am Reply- DLena-welcome from California thank for the update on bb3 getting feed. Dont know if you are new or just now commenting but glad to have you here I am Rjoneal from Florida so we both like the sunshine and hot weather. Watching Nature is just like life you have disasters,heartbreak,Death, but when we have those joyful moments, loved ones, new life it makes us appreciate each day more. Even with life we dont always know what is going to happen tomorrow. So with the bad comes the good and It makes me appreciate the good that much more. Love Our Ospreys, love our Ospreys followers!
6-30-16 Reply- Carol IV Thanks for the words of encouragement. I have Osprey Zone on all my tvs in every room in the house and I pad and home computer but it always seems that when comments come in I am out and about or down at the lake or pool so I have my Iphone. It alerts me when email comes in. Well I just cant wait to reply even though I probably should so I just get those fingers going or I will use microphone and no matter if I proof read ,somehow while proof reading I touch the button post, drives me crazy.
Anyways did you see last night 6-29-16 starting around 2024.16 and 20269.13 bb3 got lots of fish from Gracie and at 2035.52 one big bb stands up puts chest out bb3 backs away from fish slowly he did get pecked after that but thank goodness even though bb3 was completely flat head down Gracie sounds alarm ( human emotions is she did this to stop the pecking knowing there is plenty of fish no need to fight) just a little enough to make big bb distracted and then Gracie tries to give him a piece of fish. Now both bb1 and bb2 are up and eating and bb3 has not moved an inch then he sees his opportunity while big brothers were eating he slowly moved away even more. Bb3 got plenty, crop so full and now it was dark everyone going to bed so hopefully they dont fight at night. I love how well Gracie seems to be stopping the pecking some of the time by either moving things around in nest or fish or even if she is on the perch when it starts she will fly down in nest. Of course there are many times she is right there in nest and is just watching.
Wendy C.: re your comment June 28, 2016 at 5:36 pm This looks and sounds more like an alert that there was an intruder lurking, rather than a call for fish. They are constantly looking around and even ducking in some cases.
I am just seeing your reply to my post of “Gracie Has a Mini-Me.” Gracie had been doing solicitation (food-begging) calls and the little one started doing them as well. Shortly after George landed, he started doing alarm calls and eventually Gracie briefly joined in before going back to begging calls. The little one never stopped doing begging calls … in fact, it doesn’t know how to do alarm calls at its age.
Here are a few links with various osprey vocalizations:
http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/identification?p_p_spp=119196
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/105396/autoplay
https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/osprey/2015/07/23/calls-and-sounds/
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Pandion-haliaetus
Looks like a beautiful morning up in New York. And I was thinking about how old our little one is…… I believe I read that our little one was born one week earlier than last year? And that our little sweetheart peewee passed away on July 1st. So IF I’m counting correctly, our current cutie is working on 4 weeks? So IF I’m correct, I would think (and hope) that this is a good sign? Of course anything can happen, but there is still hope. I know our little one does get pecked, but it seems that for the most part, #3 and Momma have some sort of a ‘system’ going. AND so far, the parents have not stopped feeding the baby. That’s another good sign. God willing as long as there is a good fish supply and George keeps doing his thing, maybe, just maybe, #3 has a chance. Please God, make it so.
5:30 fish delivery..A of course ate first with B taking here and there..What is prevalent now the pecking order of food. First time B went after lil one because he was eating. The lil one got a few pecks and put head down (so happy he did). After siblings finish went in for his breakfast. Amazing how A’s pin feathers now look like feathers. If the lil one can make this week for sure he will make it.
CarolV has exact time..5:33
6:43a.m. It’s good to see how many commenters we have now ! I’m way behind on my reading! I hope little guy makes it and we can call him ROB B. I’m sure the Rob B. would love to see him defy the odds, too.!
And I still have to review the ID primer that Betsy posted. I can’t keep calling the two Biggies or Bruisers ! Off to the salt mines with the happy memory of a well filled trio-esp. little guy !
I hope the rain-maker gets employed soon- that foggy lens is hard on the eyes. HAGD, Everyone ! {;+)
5:33amEDT- George brings in a medium sized fish that is headless. The Biggies take the front line. Trey waits. The problem at this point is the amount the big two eat now. Hope some is left for Trey.
Trey managed some food before getting sent to the rear. About 6:02, he has circled around slowly and is joining in again. He is persistent without being pushy, which helps him sneak in.By 6:05, Trey is the last bird standing and getting full service. Yea !
Trey ate for more than 20 mins. uninterrupted, then joined the coma pile. Gracie gets to eat now.
Good morning all! Mr.Big is getting more aggressive with no.3-“slow down 1”..also I just noticed that no.3’s left foot is caught on a black plastic bag…oh oh!!
Oops…just looked again and it’s not caught any more…Have a great day everyone!
Carol…the way they all looked last night they shouldn’t have had to eat for a week ! Wee one/ Trey looked like a turkey his crop was so big. I think he’s doing good. He reminds me of E8 the eagles in Ft. Myers florida this past season. He was such a scrapper and sneaky the way he got his food.
6-29-16 10:46 pm I would like to clarify in my reply to Gina M when I said she doesn’t write books I was not talking about any one on Osprey zone other than myself. It just seems lately every time I make a post it’s like a page long I never used to post that long of a comment before. So if anyone thinks that I was talking about them I am sorry I was talking about myself and my long post that I make did not want to offend anyone.
Love our Ospreys,love our followers ! Goodnight to all !
That’s the trouble with written word…anyone can add inflection and interpret good or bad feelings depending on their heart.I know you have a good heart, and it’s sad that we need to go back and explain ourselves. Have a good day, Rjoneal, and keep up the good work.
My last comment — I forgot to mention this very important info: #8, a whole fish, was delivered at 8:24 p.m. I think they all ate well. I think #3 ate better this evening than earlier today. So glad his belly is full!
8:24pm- George brought in whole fish. Gracie started feeding Trey and one Biggie…Everything was good for 10 mins or so, then Biggie decided he didn’t want to share..did a beat down and Trey submitted. Biggie 2 decided he wanted to eat, so the big guys ate for a while, and Trey faded to the background.
I made a mistake in the comment I just posted. Fish #6 was brought in at 6:22 p.m.
Fish #7 was 6:54 p.m. I’m sure there were others brought in during the times I was away from OZ, but we all need to get on with our real lives, ha-ha.
Fish #5 – big whole fish delivery at 5:09. #1 ate until 5:44 and passed out, and #2 seemed full, so I think #3 was eating. It was difficult to see because Gracie was in the way. They all seemed content, but #1 started eating again at 5:51 and #3 was still trying. However, all of their crops looked full. They passed out until 6:20 p.m.
Fish #6 – headless fish. Either #1 or #2 ate first; our little friend did get some food in the beginning, but did much better when the other two were full. However, I think he got pecked on the left side of his breast during the day. I see a mark there. Hope I am wrong.
At 7:02, she brought a large twig with a lot of small “twiglets” sticking out to the nest and ended up stepping on the babies (#3 and I think #1). She just couldn’t get it into the right place, and #1’s neck was stuck between part of the branches. Really kind of funny. Finally got the neck out and she decided to move one of the older nest branches. Now she left the nest and the branch is still in the middle. Actually, it’s separating Peanut from the bully, who is trying to move it, so maybe that’s a good thing. At 7:42, George returns to the nest and tries to relocate the big branch, with little success. He ends up stepping on some of the chicks, who are trying to sleep. Both parents are there, but this branch is really difficult to handle because it sticks out all ways. George is stepping on the babes now, and #3 mimmicks Gracie’s squawking. At 8:36 p.m., Big Bird takes 1-2 pecks at Peanut, but it looks like they were misses. Now they are all conking out. At least there were a few bites for Gracie. I would think that’s the last fish of the night. If anyone has seen more fish deliveries, please let us know. Thanks!
6:54 – Fish #6 – whole fish
5:00pm-ishEDT This is the only thing I’ve had a chance to see-the arrival of a pinebranch that took over the nest! Gracie had a hard time getting herself in with it! Will have to get caught up….
so sorry…7 (not 5) pm
7:40pm..I see Gracie cursed at that branch for a bit, then wrestled it to the camera side of the nest. Then got tangled in it and rolled it back! George came in and “man-handled” it back toward right lower corner….No chicks were harmed in the making of this comedy……
Oh, Lord, not sure who brought the latest twig into the nest. (I still can’t tell the difference between George and Gracie). I don’t think the ‘kids’ like that twig. Seriously, there’s just no room in there for that twig. Or it needs to be re-positioned.
All the new branches in the nest make it look like each chick has his/her own space to rest – like room dividers 🙂
An answer to prayer! After feeding around 7:00 pm, Gracie brought in a big stick, to build up nest, but instead kind of dropped it across the center of the nest,
dividing the baby in one quadrant, the other two on the other side. Baby now resting comfortably hopefully out of reach of the siblings. Every day that goes by is a
chance for him to get a little stronger. Does Gracie understand more than we think about sibling rivalry?