The Happy Fairy

The Happy Fairy visited the Doctor last night.

“If you are worried about Harriett and Ozzie,”said she. “Do not. You do not understand Mother Nature like I do”.

The Doctor has been touched by the outpouring of concern, compassion and love coming his way.

“I didn’t know I had that many friends”, said he. “The Happy Fairy has even come to see me”.

The Female human that lives with the Doctor in the big nest had to break the news.
She did it gently.

Grief and sorrow seized the Doctor……

……..and he cried.

“Stop it! Stop it! This is silly,” the Doctor admonished himself.

The Happy Fairy understood. She understands Human Nature, just as she understands Mother Nature.

Mother Nature

“Let me explain”, The Happy Fairy continued.

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural, physical, or material world or universe. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic.

Mother Nature is the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth. For simplicity, let’s just talk about planet Earth.

Mother Nature

Mother Nature isn’t “cruel”.

It’s only human sentimentality that imposes human feelings on situations that makes it seem cruel. Mother Nature doesn’t care one way or another; cruelty requires consciousness which nature does not possess”.

“Listen, Doctor”, continued The Happy Fairy. “A bit of advice; learn to expect the unexpected”.

Nest Failure

Osprey nest failure is simply defined. An osprey nest is said to have “failed” if a living off-spring is not produced, survives, and begins its migration south at nature’s appointed time.

Nest failure is not uncommon.

Reports range from 10% to 30% from different years and locations. (Ex. July 2010 – Mobjack Bay, Chesapeake Bay, the failure rate was 30 percent, etc…)

No one knows for sure why some nest fail. Some of the more obvious reasons are:

1. Food stress

2. Predation- Raccoons, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl

3. Most of you know the DDT story – The Chesapeake Bay is home of the largest population of ospreys in the world. During the nightmare years in the 1970’s. The pesticide DDT nearly wiped them out. Nest failure rates approached 70%.

4. Human interference

5. Non-viable eggs – for whatever reason.

6. Idiopathic disorders

7. Lack of parental experience – young parents first-time or even second-time nesting ospreys do not always have their act together.

8. And of course inclement weather.

“Frustration Eyrie”

Breeding pairs whose nest have failed, often construct a “frustration eyrie”. Both parents bring in new nesting material, and live there until mid-August, when they migrate to South America. There will be no more egg laying for this season. They are simply responding to Mother Nature’s rules.

Be Happy

“So”, said The Happy Fairy. “Be happy. Life is beautiful”.

The Doctor smiled.

“Thank you, Happy Fairy”, said he.

The Doctor tried one last time, using his best telepathic technique to contact Harriett.

Nothing.

“Remember Bob Marley or was it McFarrin? I can’t remember”, quipped The Happy Fairy, just before she flew away.

“Don’t worry, be happy”.