June 04, 2006
Osprey Cam Videos
Nest Update: On Sunday, I packed up my VCR and headed out to the Blackwater Refuge Visitor Center where we have a TV monitor that broadcasts video from the Osprey Cam. My aim was to capture some video clips for our cam watchers so they could get a sense of what the family looks like in moving images.
It was a very productive day, and just by observing the family for a short time, I was able to get some insights into the family dynamics. The biggest news is that our father osprey is indeed doing some beak-feeding to the chicks. Several cam watchers had been looking out for evidence that the dad was feeding the young, and they had sent in a couple shots that looked interesting. I still did not think he was feeding them because we couldn't see food in the shots. But today while watching the video, I was able to see the father fly in with the food and then -- before the mother took the fish away -- pass off a couple pieces to the oldest chick. So our father osprey has another skill -- he is now a beak-feeder.
As for the chicks, the oldest is clearly in charge and dominates the nest, but the most interesting insight I had was that he picks on the second and third chicks more than he really does the smallest. Maybe it's because the smallest is so tiny that he does not pose much of a threat at this time. But the second and third chicks clearly get pecked the most and often assume a subordinate posture at meal time -- sometimes even before they're pecked.
None of the fighting that I saw was life-threatening though. Mostly snapping, beak grabbing, pecking, pushing, and general action that is common in a nest filled with raptor young that must fight to establish their position in the nest hierarchy. But even with the bullying by the oldest, the second and third chicks must be getting enough food because they looked very healthy.
Besides being bigger, the older chicks are also darker now as they reach their two-week birthdays. The buff-colored plumage that the chicks were born with is being replaced with a dense, wooly down. Osprey expert Alan Poole calls this wooly period their "reptilian stage," when "they are black, scaly, and often crouch at danger, reminiscent of their reptilian ancestors." This second down covering will last another 10-15 days. If you visit the osprey slide show posted by the Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River, you can see the reptilian stage up close.
I have posted four videos from our Osprey Cam; these were captured on Sunday and they can be played with the Windows Media Player. I tried to keep the file sizes small, but because there is moving action in the clips, the file sizes are still a bit large. Right-click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" to download the clips to your computer. They will play better if you download them directly.
The first video (14 MB) shows the mother osprey returning to the nest with a stick. Right after she arrives, the father returns to the nest with a small fish. The oldest and youngest chicks are near him (the second and third chicks hang back) and the father somewhat hesitantly hands off a couple pieces to the oldest.
In the second video (13 MB), which immediately follows the first, the mother osprey takes the fish away from the father and proceeds to feed the oldest and youngest chicks. Again, it's interesting that the oldest lets the youngest sit beside him and get fed.
In the third video (8.5 MB), the youngest chick and a sibling start a fight that turns into a rumble, which ends with the oldest chick putting the two middle chicks in their places. I did see the oldest peck the youngest (not in this shot), but again the oldest seems to spend more time working on the middle chicks.
And in the fourth video (7 MB), the youngest takes a peck at a middle chick then promptly falls onto his back and lays there like a turtle that's been flipped and pinned to the ground. After laying there a bit, the youngest then struggles to right himself.
Because the youngest is so small, he often gets stuck under a bigger sibling's body or wings. Since he is just over a week old, he is still not very strong, but seems to hold up fine despite all the physical action in the nest.
All in all, the family looks good. The parents work well together and the chicks look like normal, active young. If the parents can keep the food coming, all these young just might have a shot.
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
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