May 16, 2007
Missing Adult
I wanted to post a quick note since folks have been concerned about the family. I was at the Refuge on Sunday and both parents were there quite a lot in the morning. In the afternoon, it appeared that one parent was not there so much and it has been that way since.
It's hard to tell the difference between our two parents since the female has a very light necklace, but we think the bird currently on the nest is the female.
The mother has been incubating and occasionally catching a fish for herself from what we can tell. She's trying not to leave the eggs alone for long, but this isn't an ideal situation. An osprey couple are supposed to work together -- one incubating and protecting the eggs while the other is chasing off intruders and fishing. They might switch these roles on occasion, but both of them are needed since it's hard for one bird to do it all.
We've asked the volunteers and staff at the Refuge Visitor Center to keep an eye out for a second bird around the nest. They can see the live monitor at the Center and can also see the nest through the observation window on the second floor.
Right now we would feel better if we could see or hear that a second bird is around the nest even if he's not spending a lot of time there.
Sometimes male ospreys will take on a second family and split their time between the two nests. This isn't a normal occurrence but it does happen -- usually with one nest getting the short end of things. Also on rare occasions, males just up and disappear for a couple days, leaving the females on their own, but they do return. And finally sometimes something physically happens to the male to prevent him from tending the nest.
Biologists have observed that a female osprey will call out to other males if hers is not around to provide food. If another male is available, sometimes that male could "take over" a nest and become the partner, but you have to have an available osprey for that to happen.
We are hoping that the second bird will show up soon as it will be nearly impossible for one bird to do all the work needed. The eggs have to be kept at a certain temperature for the embryos to develop properly. Also an adult needs to take a break to eat and to preen their feathers, so they are properly maintained. Finally leaving the eggs alone invites predators.
So that's where we are now. We're just waiting for a glimpse of a second adult that lets us know we still have a couple tending the eggs.
If this goes on for a long time without a second parent, at some point the single adult might abandon the eggs or have to leave them alone for so long that the embryos will not develop properly for hatching.
We'll post any news on the cam page as soon as we hear anything. Thanks for staying with us during this very trying osprey season. :-)
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
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