May 31, 2006
Mom and Dad
Nest Update: Thanks to all those who sent in photos for our latest Gallery update. We saw some wonderful shots of the osprey chicks interacting with each other and the parents.
A couple funny shots to point out: In this photo the three oldest chicks are standing together in a little huddle, which could be a contest to see who's the tallest. And in this shot, we see how the chicks usually look after a meal -- stuffed with fish and passed out on the nest. And we've also seen a few photos showing the fourth chick looking in dad's direction as if to say, "Can I get food from you?"
Although it would be great if the father osprey pitched in and helped feed the youngest, it's not normally in the nature of the father osprey to do that kind of work. I've heard of a few accounts where father ospreys suddenly started helping with the chick-feeding chores (including one nest where the mother died and the father raised the young on his own), but most fathers do not instinctively beak-feed the young, and we've never seen it happen on our cam.
Something interesting to note though: On the current Connecticut Audubon Osprey Cam, viewers have noticed that the male osprey has been beak-feeding the female while she's on the nest. We've heard that some osprey couples exhibit this behavior, although again, we have never seen it at the Blackwater Osprey Cam.
Our male osprey has been a terrific father, so it's hard to hold it against him if he doesn't help out with feeding the chicks. He's been very busy not only fishing for four chicks but also fishing for the mother and himself. In addition, he must preen his feathers so they remain in top condition. And he has to keep an eye out for intruders and sometimes escort them from the area. So dad's juggling a lot of balls right now, and he's been doing a fine job with this very crowded nest. We just hope he can keep up the meal deliveries once the chicks get larger and have much bigger appetites. But by then, the mother osprey will be doing some of the fishing as well.
We also give a "hats off" to the mother osprey. She must not get a lot of rest with four squirming chicks that are always seemingly hungry, and lately she's had to deal with the added hardship of a hot spell. Earlier this week, we had high temps and bright sun. Since the chicks are not able to regulate their own body temperatures for the first couple weeks after birth, the mother had to cool them off by shading them with her body, which she did tirelessly.
We continue to be greatly impressed with the skills and attentiveness of our two osprey parents. If this was our couple from last year -- with the father that would disappear for most of the day, doing who knows what -- we might be down to two chicks by now. But at this point, the mother is managing to get food to the youngest, especially after the bigger siblings have had their fill.
One other cam moment I wanted to point out: We sometimes see the chicks suddenly drop face down into the nest as a group. This is usually because one of the parents has sounded an alarm call. Osprey chicks instinctively know that an alarm call from a parent means they should lie flat and look like they're part of the nest. It's a defense mechanism for times when a threatening predator (or even a human) is too close to the nest. The alarming situation in these photos did not last long.
Questions:
A few cam watchers have sent in questions, which I thought I'd answer here. One cam watcher asked if a mother osprey will pester the father if he is not bringing in enough fish, and the answer is yes. A mother will call and call if she wants him to bring more food or she wants him to come watch the chicks so she can get a break. Some fathers require a lot more pestering than others.
Also this same cam watcher asked about fish deliveries. The father osprey has increased his deliveries since the last two chicks appeared, and he's really dropping off a lot of fish, including a couple quick fish in the early morning before most of our North American cam watchers are online. At night there isn't any feeding.
Another cam watcher asked if the chicks can pull off fish pieces by themselves, and the answer is no. The little chicks' necks and beaks are not strong enough to pull apart tough fish meat. So even if a fish is laying right in front of them, they still need a parent to help them eat it. Eventually they will get strong enough to tear apart fish by themselves, but as those who watched our Eagle Cam remember, it took about six weeks before the chicks could start to do that on their own.
Wallpaper:
In celebration of the remarkable (and for us, record-breaking) four-chick nest that we have this year, I'm posting a couple wallpaper images that have been loaned to us by two very talented photographers. The first photo was taken by photographer Bob Quinn at Blackwater Refuge, and it shows an osprey couple on one of our river platforms. And the second photo was taken by Canadian photographer Eric Cote, and it shows an osprey fishing along a beautifully scenic lake. Much thanks to Bob and Eric for allowing us to post these beautiful osprey moments.
To save a photo as your desktop wallpaper, just follow the instructions below, and enjoy!
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| 800x600 | 1024x768 |
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| 800x600 | 1024x768 |
For PC: Click on the link for your resolution. When the image finishes loading, right-click on it and choose "Set As Wallpaper" or "Set As Background" from the pop-up menu.
For MAC (OS X): Click on the link for your resolution. When the image finishes loading, drag the image onto your desktop, then open System Preferences and click "Desktop". Drag the image from your desktop to the "Current Desktop Picture" sample screen.
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
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