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osprey 07/11/15 squirt
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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
Two “foreign” chicks just appeared in the nest – but only for a very short time. They were forcefully “invited” to leave by our chicks and did so!!
3:48 intruder…Ronnie pounces on visitor..
Okay dear Osprey family, question on chicks. I seem to see lots more black spots or necklace on one of them. which one do you think it is? I also see one chick dominating the outside perch to rest too.. It was easier to tell them apart as youngsters but having a difficult time now. The markings others have noticed are difficult to decipher, especially in the windy nest. Many thanks!!
Whoa! VF just landed, chicks screaming, Good Momma to the rescue! She landed on him and pushed him off nest! I guess the parents are around the nest more than I thought-another perk of having the cam perch for them! Thanks again, dear Paul & Tommy!
saw Ronnie (?) bring in fish this AM…have been away ..did Sandy catch a fish yet? 3:00-3:16 lots of yelling..3:17 off she goes..Ronnie comes back 3:20 if u play back u can hear Sandy in background before she comes back to nest
As I sit and worry about Sandy I wonder if she was the chick with the line tangled around her leg? maybe that hindered her/hurt her progress in some way or still affects her? Actually I think they both had something wrapped around them a month or two ago. Anyone think this is why she is needing more nurturing from Mom/Dad?
Sandy in the nest with headless fish, but not eating it. She seems to be waiting for someone to come & feed it to her/him. Looks like she/he’s falling asleep over the fish. Now squawking, but not eating on her/his own. Still a baby! Finally getting posts from 8/29, but took til 2pm. Glad to see them.
I saw that too Roberta! It was funny with the eyes closing and sitting on that fish when usually there’s such a feeding frenzy. There was a big lag in the posts so glad we’re getting a bit more up to date.
was that George & Grace in the nest together around 10 this morning?
I won’t swear to it yet but I think the nest sitter brought her first fish to the nest around 11:00 ish…… there is a parent on the camera just watching her…
I wound the video back…that’s the first time I’ve been able to really see the bird was wet. Excellent news-esp if that is the “nest sitter.”
Wow, saw chick in nest with fish, scrolled back about 28 min to see him take off and come back with a fish in talons! A first for me( think it is Ronnie,by all previous descriptions)and such a thrill to see!!
Was that Sandy who flew in with whole fish at 10:55 a.m. EST? Can’t tell.
3:35 EDT It was Sandy, but I wondered myself. After she had a few bites, she was in and out of that nest, wary when Gracie came with seaweed, then settled down to eat when Ronnie arrived after 2:00. Then she really started wolfing it down. Glad to see her eating so well. Family dynamics have certainly changed in the last week or so.
Believe it’s Sandy eating leftovers from last night’s fish banquet at 8:30 a.m. today. I guess refrigeration isn’t necessary. Now she’s checking out the nest and found another leftover fish. Delicious!! George brings headless fish to nest at 9:32, which was grabbed by Gracie.
I scrolled back a bit this morning to abt. 8am ish & watched something fascinating. Chick flies in & after moving around a bit goes to clump of weeds & unearths a pretty nice sized fish in the midst of the weeds, head & all. Gets busy eating it. Kind of like he had stowed it away last night to keep for later. Still not getting all the early posts. I get them a day later.
Sandy was alone in the nest at 5a.m.. Left about 5:30.Returned at 8:30 ate some leftover fish from last night and left again It is 9 a.m. and no fish have been brought to the nest yet. Hope today has as many deliveries as yesterday but they seem to start fishing later in the morning these last few days.
Beautiful full moon tonight….love it…..Sandy and her mom are enjoying it, I’m sure! 🙂
Now 11PM and after a short break, the fish eating continues.
It’s 10:15 and at first thought it unusual for Ronnie to be in the nest at this time till I realized she is still eating. There were a lot of fish delivered today most still very alive. Sandy is on the perch as usual. She is such a homebody. The moonlight is so beautiful tonight dancing on the water and so bright. Just looked at the nest and see Sandy asleep on the perch and surprisingly Ronnie is still there even thought she is not eating. Maybe she is spending the night in the nest also tonight. Tomorrow nights full moon will be the last one before all leave the nest by mid-September. It will be so sad to see an empty nest but they do need to leave as we know.
It’s so beautiful to see the nest late at night. Is it typical for Gracie to be in the nest late at night? I wonder if she knows she has to leave soon…:-(
GEORGE: WHAT AN ELEGANT BIRD. RH
It’s 10:00 PM and wonderful seeing the nest in the moonlight but is Sandy (?) still eating the same fish that he started on 2 1/2 hours ago?
What a beautiful night. It almost looks like daylight. And the ospreys are clearly seen. I wish it was that clear here in Florida. We are waiting to see what direction the tropical storm is heading, and hope it is not a hurricane.
Take good care during that storm; hope Erika calms down.
oh me too, I have a grandson in Orlando. Are you in southern Florida? I will be thinking about all of you and hope for no damage or injuries. We have a full moon here tonight and I’m in Fort Worth, Texas.
JeanneD, thanks for our hints re distinguishing between Sandy and Ronnie. They were both eating a fish tonight, brought in by parents, and I tried to go by what you said. If I understood you correctly, I think Ronnie ate the first fish, and that Sandy is the one who left half of a fish and flew away. The rest of the fish was eaten by a parent. All of this happened between 8:00-9:00 p.m. EST. I did a chick study the other day and felt that Ronnie’s dark streak on top of the head is wider than Sandy’s. Sandy’s streak was narrower. It’s just so difficult, especially with the wind. Thanks for your observations. Hope I made the correct choices.
August 29, 2015, 10:00 am
Marlene. I’m a little late in confirming that you made the correct IDs, at least as far as I’m concerned. Ronnie was closest to the front of the nest, and when he was on the perch, the “Spock eyebrow” was quite evident. When Ronnie came in this morning (8:30), the multiple spots on his chest were very evident, and when he leaned his head down, the blob on the nape was also visible. From that angle, it could almost look like a crown–oblong, with spikes on one of the longer sides: up when Ronnie is facing the camera, down when his back is to camera. Hard to notice the spikes when it is windy and he is facing away from the camera. Gracie, by the way has similar blotch. This “crown” is the only way I can identify her if I can’t see the dark spot on her right side.
Full moon tomorrow but looks spectacular across the water tonight
Hello all, I haven’t really had time to log on to the site. I don’t think I’ve commented in at least two days. I’m just hoping that Paul will have highlights of the ‘kids’ leaving the nest, in case some of us miss it when it happens. The days are already getting shorter. It won’t be too long before they’re gone…. 🙁
I have been away from the site for a few hours, but right now one of the chicks (I think it is Ronnie) is eating a headless fish with some weird stuff on the tail of the fish. It looks like maybe the fish’s tail is stuck to some kind of weeds.
About 7:45 PM EST each baby has a fish but all of a sudden they start sounding the alarm. Two birds did a fly by really close but it happened so fast I couldn’t identify. The Osprey babies are pretty big now so they are probably quite intimidating to whoever tries to trespass the nest. Never a dull moment!
7:50pm Alarms from chicks with what looked like parent coming off perch to chase someone.
Around 8:22pm Ronnie heads up to bed. Sandy still clutching fish. Gracie flies in to see what’s up and is there any fish left, sweetie?
The moon looked so good here, I took the dog out. Even prettier outside. See how interactive and good for you this site can be?
Sorry…didn’t notice video on pause so times are off. Gracie took over fish after kid left it about 8:05-8:10pm Must be moonstruck!
7:47pmEDT George brings in another big fish. Ronnie still working
on last one. Sandy claims it; George flies off and , within minutes, comes back with a stick. Dad’s working OT !
Maybe the fish were in hiding this morning, cause he sure has made up for it this evening !
7:15 p.m. = Ronnie is in the nest munching down on a nice fish herself, when Sandy flies in and starts complaining. Ronnie can’t stand another squawk, so she leaves, thereby allowing Sandy to have the rest of the fish, which she is eating herself. WoW, first time I have seen THAT! Ronnie must be filled to the gills, as they say.
It’s 6:57 EDT and both kiddos are in the nest talking loudly and I am guessing Gracie arrives with yet another “purchase” from nature with a new tree limb! One of the kids didn’t like it, so he/she flew off! What a beautiful evening there. Nest has been active the last 45 min.
6:53pm George comes in with a new branch. Eating chick makes him feel unwelcome. Poor Dad…pecked at, then yelled at by both kids….after he leaves, kid with fish moves closer to sib…
After having a fish that took an hour to eat, Ronnie is now verbally harassing Sandy. @7:13pm, Sandy gets the hint and takes off, leaving fish for bigmouth…Guess fish is like Chinese food…after an hour you’re hungry again…
6:10pmEDT George brings in a fish. I can hear 2nd kid on perch but he’s not coming down. Not normally an alarmist, but is there anything he could get a toe caught in? Or anything stuck on?
Thank heaven! 2nd kid squawking his way in. Sounds like even parents rejoicing! Now to get that fish from Dad!!!!!!!
And takeover @ 6:33. ” now go away, Pop” I feel much better now….Both kids fed and parents are on the job all good in the hood…..
On replay it sounded like chick flew in from a distance. Maybe Gracie was one I heard on perch.
5:17pmEDT Gracie brought in a fish, headless. One kid got it and I can hear the other on the perch.
I’m thinking that’s Ronnie again. I don’t think I’ve seen Sandy, let alone seen him eat, most of the day.
About 3:10pmEDT George came in with a tiny chunk of fish, which he ate. I can hear some chirping but no one came down from perch.
What happened around 3:00 pm? Saw I think one of the chicks come into the nest, didn’t see a fish, but then he/she started eating something in he/shes talon. Part of a fish?
2:30 EDT August 28, 2015
My take. I might have seen Sandy a little after !0 this morning when George was around, but all the other comings and goings were Ronnie, who finally got a headless fish from Gracie at 2:15. Look at the eyebrows, and you will notice that Ronnie’s do not follow the arc of the eye but trend upward–sort of like Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. Very evident for right eyebrow, not so much for left. That together with distinctive patch on back of head, when it isn’t wet and is in view, the white spot on beak, and many spots on lower chest, are all different from Sandy.
In a way I am a disadvantage because I do not have the sound on, so I have to pay attention to features and body language. In identification, it also helps to freeze the frame. Several days ago, Ronnie and Sandy were in nest together for quite some time, and they were really posing in front of the camera. Differences stood out. It’s just trying to pick them out when they are not still! (Sound is not on because my dog does not like it when birds are aggressive towards one another. Beats me how she knows.)
Possibly a sensitivity to pitch in aggression “voices”? My cats react to some of the osprey sounds and not others.
I accidentally checked in on the nest without turning the sound down while in a doctor’s waiting room. You should have seen the looks I got when they were at full tilt screeching for a fish delivery 🙂
2:17pmEDT Happy to see Gracie brought in a fish, headless. Someone gets to eat. Kid came in right before her.
I think it is Ronnie. Seems to be waiting for Gracie to leave before eating. Gracie needed time to come in for a close-up before heading to perch.
First fish of the day (I think), Gracie delivers to the very lazy Sandy, who shows little interest in fishing. My guess is Ronnie will show up and grab the fish from Sandy if she doesn’t start eating it soon!
I feel bad for Osprey Males. Imagine if A human female looked just like men only a little bigger.
It’s another magnificent day here on Long Island. Look how the sunlight sparkles over the bay. Just beautiful! Hoping the ospreys are enjoying this perfect day.
11:00amEDT Kid-I think Sandy_ hanging out in nest. I think I hear Gracie on perch and the kid is begging. I would imagine birds are similar to humans in that we all develop at differing rates and levels. But humans care for those of us who lag behind. Birds will not. Sandy needs to accelerate or die. Harsh but simple. I hope he clicks on to that soon.
and the BUGS are making me dizzy!!!!! Wasps, flies, gnats oh, my!
The sky and water are perfectly blue and the clouds look like they are cutouts pasted up there. BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
For CarolV. I agree with you. Sandy seems to want to be “spoon fed”. She should get out there and hunt for her own fish, instead of squacking to Gracie or George for food. Sandy even sounds somewhat hoarse at times.
Here is the link for the film; http://www.eesfp.org. “Help Wanted”
I can understand the need to lower the nest in case of an emergency situation. Lesson learned. BUT THOSE VIEWS!!!!!!
Sandy is continuously squacking, and Gracie seems to be talking to her.
10:25 AM This is the second time the nest sitter has come back to the nest wet… She is either not catching fish or she is dropping them before she gets to the nest… Then she sits and grumbles for someone else to go get her a fish
Between about 9:30amEDT to 9:45 Reflection of sun on water decreases from a “runway” of light to a few sparkles at the edge of nest. Mesmerizing
So busy rewinding and watching sparkly water that I didn’t realize George is back, empty clawed. Chick on perch chatting with him. Is he suggesting silently that kid needs to get a move on?
Not so silently…Daddy pep talk time “When I was a fledgling……..”
Sorry to ask again but I have not seen both adults in the next for a ling time. Has Gracie departed south?
Also, we have owls in the wood behind our house (Tennessee) A Great Horned Owl flew through our backyard with a snake in its talons last weekend. I must say it is more enjoyable watching the Ospreys with a fish!!!
Gracie is still there – I’ve seen both parents on the nest every day so far.
She was there last night. And fought off a probable stranger yesterday. I have seen George today.
OH that was a Stranger? I couldn’t tell I thought it was one of her chicks Duh! I was wondering why she was flipping out.
I have seen an Osprey with an Eel, looks very much like a snake. I’ve been watching a mother Cardinal feed it’s fledgling Sunflower seed on my deck. What a beautiful day. Hey all, do yourselves a big favor and watch Paul’s ” Help Wanted ” you’ll come away with a big smile. I know someone liked my recommendation of the book “Return of the Osprey” by David Gessner you’ll like the film too, it’s a must see, “Two Thumbs Up”
About 9:15-9:20 am Someone on the camera yelling so hard the camera is shaking….George drops in for some alarm calling. Even after he leaves whoever is there still squawking. VFs on the move?
Someone posted a note yesterday about Ronnie’s left foot looking bloody. He didn’t hurt himself, but caught a big, bloody fish. When he landed in the nest, he had the fish’s blood on his talon. I should’ve mentioned this yesterday, because I thought to myself that fans who had not seen the episode might think he was injured. Also, regarding that fight yesterday afternoon around 2:30-3:00 p.m., I also think there was an intruder. I’m glad most everyone felt the same. That was not the usual parent/child squabble. Hope the fish supply is plentiful today in Ospreyville.
Thanks Marlene. It was me who asked and I thought the same thing afterwards. Probably blood from a fish.
Kathy
You would think after watching for MONTHS i could tell who’ who!! But @ 9:19AM eastern time today, i saw an osprey in the nest that i could not recognize.Was it actually George, or a visiting osprey some people have mentioned??
Oh well,time for some AM caffeine, maybe i’ll be more astute then.
About 8:10amEDT George drops in with double clawful of seaweed. One kid follows him in and asks “Where’s the grub, POP!!!!!” ( Teens can be so disrespectful !) George listens patiently and takes off. A bit later the kid flies out.
Just before 9:00am Chick comes in and looks like its wet and drying out. Takes off.
EST:
It use to be easy for me to know which chick was which. Sandy, chick2 was easy. She had 3 black lines in her mask Ronnie did not have. Her body was shaped more like an egg and rounder and her legs were shorter and thinner like dad’s. When she ate she was more verbal as if to say “thank you”. George would occasionally feed her when she wasn’t getting enough. Ronnie was always #1 and seemed to get 3-5 bites more to Sandy’s 1 Ronnie has a longer and more cylindrical shape longer legs and longer hair on the back of neck. A lot more time was spent on him so he could carry on family traits. And of course he wasn’t pecked in the head maybe causing damage or slowness in learning. Sandy is fishing just look at her legs but I can’t help but wonder if she had any one on one teaching as Ronnie has had from dad. Yes, she likes the little attention she gets, but so did her dad. Remember how he wanted to be fed?
As I said these are my own observations.
God Bless All The Aunts And Uncles These Ospreys Have Had ~
About 9:10pmEDT Chick in nest…?Sandy…decides he wants to sleep upstairs. Makes 3 tries, flying around the nest each time he failed, til he finally fit in. Hope they all stay there nice and cozy……..with snacks
Beautiful sight @ 8:25. One lone chick surveying the water and full moon
., 8;15p.m. EDT A precious moment site, I think it is Ronnie, just at the great perch, the almost full moon, shining, incredible lovely site…silly, but wondering, what is he/she thinking, perhaps the next chapter in life …..
George in with headless fish about 7:45pmEDT One chick comes in to claim it and I can hear the other one.
Unfortunately, this might be Ronnie again, With as much as she ate before, where is there room? She just kind of sat over it, then moved it to her favorite corner, where she barely pecked at it. Ronnie seems to be shaping up to be a successful fighting osprey. Sandy, even I am starting to worry about.
About 8:05 the kid walked away from the fish, Gracie came in to claim it. I can hear the other chick but he hasn’t come in to nest.
It’s another beautiful moonrise.
A few minutes later….Gracie thumped up to camera perch with the fish,,,, Both kids were fling around and made approaches for the upper perch but someone didn’t fit and is settling on the stick. Should we guess Sandy? I would rather think he was cozy with Mom upstairs, getting a snack but……….reality bites!
EST: 7:30 pm
Now that’s the real George. He’s filled out nicely and still has that “wild” look in his eyes
About 4:41pmEdT ?George brought in a fish and the chick couldn’t hold it. Over the side and more for the neighborhood.
About 5:10 ?George brought in another big lively one and I thought it, too, was gonna jump, but both kids were there and someone got a foot on it. The parent is going out again so quickly it’s hard to tell who it is. Strictly dump and run!
Just before 6, ?Sandy stepped up to smile for the camera. Just after that, it looked like a VF buzzed the nest and Sandy did the alarm and even went flying out after it. When he came back he made a move for the fish and may have gotten a mouthful, but not much.
Abit after 6:35ish, Mom came in to save the day. She dug out the leftover fish the chick tripped over earlier and started feeding Sandy. Sandy made a try or two for Ronnie’s fish, but I don’t think he got any of it. Ronnie thought that fish was good to the last fin!
7:30pm Gracie is sitting in the setting sunlight surveying her domain and all is peaceful……..til Sandy starts squawking up on the camera perch……….
About 6:30 Gracie came with a headless fish-Ronnie was eating another fish. Sandy was also in the nest she made some attempts to get some of the fish then Gracie started feeding her. As I said earlier she seems to want to be fed. Someone asked earlier this week if it was normal that Sandy is only one day younger than Ronnie be somewhat less mature and more dependent? If Sandy doesn’t step up the pace Gracie can’t leave. Not that I want her to go but we know she must leave. Then George will assume the responsibility of the last weeks they are here making sure they are ready for the long journey. Sandy seems to be the child that just so enjoys being pampered by Mommy and Mommy seems O.K. with that.
Paul: Regarding the nest situation I saw an interview with someone from the Chesapeake Conservancy explaining that they do destroy the nest there because of parasites, bugs, mold etc. It isn’t that much warmer there than here so the cold weather may not kill off these items. Yet there are so many nests that are not tended to by humans or those in hot climates are not destroyed when the osprey leave and are reused year after year without any problems. So maybe the nest situation should be left to the natural way this has been for thousands of years . It is a great idea to lower the nest in the event of a problem as happened this season. Thank you and all involved for allowing us this extraordinary experience.
To all of those who comment: Thank you for the comments they are very helpful and enjoyable. And when and where is the first OZA (Osprey Zone Anonymous) Meeting? I know we are going to need it!!
Don’t know which baby brought a nice fish home this afternoon only to be attacked by an unwanted adult. She/he held her own, it got nasty. Both flew away, leaving the fish behind. The fish started flapping around and fell out of the nest. When the baby came back , it was probably Sandy, you could see it was looking for the fish.
That was Gracie ! It was a fight all right !
Kathy
Thanks Paul will take a closer look at the selections with regard to the larger sizes
about 2:25pm Just scrolled back the 4 hrs. to come in on a horrible fight between Gracie and a fledgling! Was that a VF? There were 2 partial fish in the nest so I don’t think it was a food issue. Grace was really after the young one and chased it out and over the water! Just scrolled back in time to see one was a whole fish and wiggled its way back out of nest. What a shame and a waste. Although there are enough other birds that will benefit, or even raccoons if there is any left. Comments for the afternoon haven’t posted yet.
QAbout 3:13pmEdt George brought a small whole fish. Both kids there but guessing Ronnie claimed it. Other chick is complaining
Did anyone catch the face plant that one chick did about 3:22ish? Looked like the wind caught her as she bent forward. All okay but it was funny…..
Yes Carol I was watching…OMG it was something. Glad baby ok. I was laughing……..
Can someone tell me what happened around 2:30 p.m.? I just scrolled back because I wasn’t home, and I saw that a fledgling brought a whole fish to the nest. One of the adults (I think Gracie) came from the perch above, I believe, and there was a HUGE fight. I never saw the parent and baby fight like that. I am wondering whether it was a VF. Anyway, eventually they both left the nest and the poor fish was in the nest by itself. He kept flapping and fell off the side. Poor fish. First attacked by both birds, then ends up dying that way. I just don’t know if that was a stranger in the nest. Thanks. I hope someone else saw.
3:16 PDT I see nothing has been posted since 12:14 so I don’t know where this will fall in rotation , but this seems to be the day to maybe take pity on the poor fish. Just in my going back 4 hours , 2 fish has met there end by falling over the edge of the nest and the fish that is being eaten now suffered for a while before slowly being eaten. It sure id tough being an animal of any kind . Your always food for someone or thing :))
just scrolled back to about 2:35, what was that all about? was that ronnie or sandy? or another bird?
I agree with others who have said it was Gracie defending the nest from a VF. It was definitely Gracie and she has never shown any violence towards her own chicks so I’m certain the fledgling was an unknown intruder.
2:56 pm PDT I don’t know what happened about 3 hours ago but it looked like maybe Sandy brought a live fish to the nest and Gracie or another female came down and started a major attack. Was the chick not one from this nest or the adult not Gracie. Ended with both flying off the nest with one chasing the other. The poor fish was left to flop around until it finally fell over the edge. This was a true aggressive fight not just trying to steal the fish.
It was very comical on the rewind. Gracie came in with a nice size fish. Both chicks are in the nest. As soon as Gracie drops in, the chick go straight for the fish and Gracie lets loose right away and leaves. The fish is flopping all over the place and the chicks don’t seem to know what to do at first. Then Ronnie to the rescue, got a firm grip so not to lose it overboard. I recall George loosing a fish one day when they were wee little, flopped right off the side and gone it was.
4:40pm fish delivered but went flipping out of nest, poor sandy?, kept looking around not sure what happened, next fish delivered at 5:15pm, found myself yelling at computer” don’t go near the edge with the fish!” 😉 just love these guys!
One kid in the nest squawking. The other one arrives squawking, quickly followed by Dad, who drops off a live fish and immediately leaves. The fish flops around in the nest between the two kids when finally one pinned it down.
Fish just now delivered (4:50) by Gracie? She leaves when chick took custody. Chick loses fish over side of nest. And you thought you were having a bad day….LOL
WOW….. Go back to what would have been ab 2:34pm ET. One chick brings in a fish, and another chick came down from perch. BATTLE ROYAL. Eventually they both left without the fish, but chased each other over the water.
Think I’m wrong about 2nd chick. May be Gracie or another adult………….
It gets better. “dead” fish wiggles it way out of the nest.
Chick come in with a fish abd before they could start eating Chick 2 comes and a fight ensues. Very Aggressive. wow
About 3:15 Sandy was in the nest picking at a piece of leftover fish. I do worry about her she seemed to be having a hard time eating it-she still prefers to be fed by Gracie. All of a sudden something happened-I think Ronnie swooped down knocked her over or landed on top of her and stole the fish. It happened so fast. I have watched this event about 5 times and cant figure it out. Anyone have an opinion on what happened?
Now 4:00 PM EDT When I scrolled back after being away from Osprey Zone, I saw that at round 2:30 Sandy arrived with a whole fish to empty nest. Right after, an osprey came in and started a fight. Vicious, trying to get Sandy’s head. Thought it might be Ronnie or as setranger, but replaying many times leads me to believe that it was Gracie. It was an adult, and had dark spot same place as Gracie on right side. Sandy had to let go of fish, then both birds were on right side of nest, side by side, and then flew off. Neither bird tried to take fish. I kept watching, and the fish, barely alive, or so I thought, started wiggling and worked self to side and over. I don’t think that the fish knew it was going to wiggle its way over the side, but it ended up being a quick death. Something to be said for tall towers. This shocking episode, did have a somewhat funny ending.
Anybody have any different thoughts? What would have made Gracie so violent? Glad to see Sandy handle self so well. And if it wasn’t Sandy, it was someone who looked like her.
Ronnie arrived at nest around 3:00.
WOW!!! What in the world was all that fighting about around 230pm eastern time? Then the fish escaped and fell out the nest!!
4pm EST. The chick that’s in the nest (SANDY)? Has anyone else noticed her left leg? It looks brown/bloody compared to the right one. Has something happened? She doesn’t seem to be favoring it, but I never noticed that before…..
About an hour ago (2:20?? Eastern), Sandy came into nest with a large fish and was immediately attacked. It was quite vicious. I couldn’t tell who was the aggressor, but it was an adult. Sandy got a brutal beating. Sandy let go of the fish, but the adult kept attacking, drove her out of the nest and followed her. Did anyone see Sandy after that? I feel so bad for her. The fish was flopping around and eventually flopped right out of the nest.
3:15 Aug 27, George brings in a life fish. Both Ronnie and Sandy are on the nest. Not sure which one of the fledglings got the fish? Hopefully, Gracie will come back with another fish.