Happy Birthday!
May 19, 2017.
A landmark year.
Here is my little guy. Sorry the picture is not more clear, but that is the Doctor’s fault.
Love Ya!
Harriett
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Camera # 1
http://northriverdeckcam.axiscam.net:9000
Camera # 2
http://northriverosprey.axiscam.net:8000
Incubation
Incubation begins when the first egg is laid. Subsequent eggs are laid one to three days apart; clutches have 2-4 eggs. The female usually takes on most of the responsibility of incubation, seldom leaving except to feed. The male then takes over incubation until her return. Incubation takes from thirty-four to forty days.
Brooding
The first chick to hatch has an advantage over the siblings which hatch a day or two later. The first chick grows quickly and can dominate the nest. In years when the food supply is low, the dominant first chick can usurp the available food supply to the peril of the smaller siblings. This insures that at least one of the year’s brood might survive. The chicks are brooded by the female for approximately ten days. The young are too large to fit under her by this time. She will continue to protect them by covering the young with her wing.
Division of Labor
The male, dedicated to providing for his family, does all of the hunting until the chicks are six weeks old. The male delivers the fish to the female on the nest who tears off pieces to feed to the young. At three to four weeks of age the chicks start to exercise their wings by holding onto the edge of the nest and flapping their wings. Mom then moves to a near by perch to guard the nest. The female may leave the nest to hunt when the chicks are six weeks old. The young start to feed themselves at this time.
Incubation Period
36–42 days
Well, first egg was laid April 9, 2017. Do not try to calculate the day of birth, I will do it for you.
36 days from April 9th = May 17th, which is this Wednesday.
42 days from April 9th = May 23, which is next Tuesday.
The eggs will hatch in the order in which they were laid. The eggs were each laid 2 days apart.
Sometimes the 3rd hatch-ling does not survive because the older chicks usurp all the food; just letting you know.
Wish me luck,
Harriett
Material
Our Nesting platform took two months to build. There was what is known today as a “learning curve”. I’m sure you know what I mean, as you all seem to be computer literate. But the learning curve for the Doctor to master the use of his new tools and construction technique, was a long one.
Assembling the necessary material was easy: stop at ACE hardware on the way home; pick up two 2×6’s, each 8 feet long to be cut in half; one 1×6 8 foot long to be cut in half; a bunch of nails and screws, and four right angle brackets. All stainless steel of course. The guy at the hardware store even cut the boards for him. The 25 foot marine treated 4×6 post was delivered the next day by one of their trucks. How easy can it get.
Tools
Now he needed the tools. The Doctor has no tools. He thinks there is a screwdriver and pair of pliers in the kitchen drawer, and perhaps a hammer in the tool shed, but that is about it. Searching his big nest, he only came up with a pocket knife and a roll of duct tape. There was plenty of fishing line. The hardware store clerk gave him a yard stick. But he needed more! He needed some of the big tools like a saw and a drill.
Another great idea! Where to they come from?
“Not a problem” He suddenly realized.
The Doctor’s grandfather, Mr. Halsey Paul, owned the Paul Motor Company* in Beaufort for 45 years.
Surely there must be some tools in the old garage. And there were.
The Doctor went straight to Front Street and searched the old building. Jack pot! He found just what he needed.
A saw.
A drill.
Some screwdrivers
And this thing, a hanger of some sort.
Finally, he was ready.
So, collecting the material was easy. Obtaining the necessary tools was easy. Can you guess what was not easy?
Construction
Every time he hit a nail it went like this:
Or like this
“Must have gotten some defective nails”, he thought.
But the screws were no better.
Defective screws
Maybe the wood is too hard.
I’ll spare you the rest of the details; it took two months to build.
The learning curve was long. But on March 3, 2013 it was complete, just three weeks before Ozzie’s arrival. The Doctor was proud.
Ospreys have few natural enemies. If the eggs and the young, sometimes even adults, especially incubating females,are victims of predation,they are snatched from their nests by owls, under the cover of darkness. Eagles are another avian threat to osprey. Osprey and Eagles do not get along.
Even though ospreys, especially the males, fiercely defend their nests, a determined raccoon, fox, skunk or similar land predator might raid the nest to steal eggs or chicks. Ospreys tend to avoid these perils by building their nests on isolated spots such as islands, secluded trees, or on top of man-made structures such as The Taj Mahal.
The male osprey is a formidable predator, himself. He is a very large raptor, a bird of prey, with an average body length of two feet and a wingspan of over six feet. His sharp hooked, cycle shaped, beak easily tears flesh from his adversaries, not to mention razor sharp talons with death grip strength.
Before the presence of industrial humankind, Ospreys were widespread and abundant. However, the presence of guns, chain saws, toxic chemicals, synthetic fish nets and other modern products have brought harm to the osprey’s environment. All-in-all, however, ospreys have survived recent ecosystem changes fairly well.
Being fish eaters, they were one of the many species that were affected by the use of the pesticide DDT. Egg shells of the osprey became thin and weak, and reproduction was essentially extinguished. A ban on the use of this chemical in the United States led to a resurgence in osprey populations. Although the threat is gone in the U.S. and Canada, DDT is still used in other developing countries like Venezuela, and residues continue to be present in osprey tissues today.
Other threats include power lines, gunshots, and other forms of poisoning. Polluted lakes, rivers, and streams, and the loss of forested habitat along major waterways are additional threats.
Eagles worldwide are the main competitors of ospreys for the ecological niche of an aerial, diurnal, fish-eating, raptor. Different eagles compete with ospreys in different parts of the world. These eagles often rob ospreys of their catch and might also drive them off good foraging and nesting areas, or kill their young. The speckled appearance of osprey chicks camouflages them in the nest and may be an adaptation to minimize predation by diurnal avian predators like the bald eagle.
Harriett Raptor
Raptors are believed to have the keenest eyesight in nature because of the size of the eyeball and the eye muscles designed for rapid focus. Diurnal raptors have full color vision and two concentrations of cones (one directed to the side and one directed forward) in each eye, which control color perception.
The sharpest point of vision at these concentrations is called the fovea. When the fovea works in unison, they give raptors accurate depth perception, which is very important for birds of prey that must focus quickly when chasing moving objects.
The keenness of vision is related to the agility, size, and color of prey a raptor hunts. When a bird bobs its head, it is using its eyes like a range finder and focusing in on a specific area.
This special transparent eyelid closes laterally across the eye and is used to
• keep the eyes moist
• protect the eyes during flight
• protect the eyes when feeding themselves or their young
When humans close their eyes to blink and sleep the upper eyelid closes. Depending on the species, raptors have eyelids that close from either the bottom or top, for blinking and sleeping.
An additional form of eye protection in most raptors is a bony shield that projects above the eye. The bony shield adds protection when raptors pursue prey into brush, protects the eyes from injury while hunting, and also gives raptors a menacing appearance.
Harriett laid her first egg April 9th. She laid her second egg April 11th;
her third egg was laid April 13th…….The gestation period is 36 to 42 days.
Does any one know how to add out there?
Well I guess not.
Projected birthdays are May 17th to May 22cd.
The eggs will hatch in the order in which they were laid.
I will tell you now; it will be a struggle for the third hatchling to survive.
The second camera is on the birdbath. There is a lot of activity there.
Camera # 1
http://northriverdeckcam.axiscam.net:9000
Camera # 2
http://northriverosprey.axiscam.net:8000
Love,
Harriett
“Oh good grief”, said Harriett.
“I thought you and your friends were up to the task. After all, it’s not that hard to become a thoughtful osprey observer”.
The Doctor was embarrassed. He tried to blame it on his poor writing skills, but Harriett would have none of it.
“Now get yourself together! Get inspired! Pull yourself up by your own boot straps. We have a lot to do. Prepare the world for The Show”.
Again, grudgingly, the Doctor is reminded of their mission.
He smarted from Harriett’s reprimand, but he knew she was right. He could not let his gift of telepathy be wasted. It is a precious gift.
“I cannot ignore it.” He reminded himself.
“I know!” he stammered towards Harriett.
The providence of nature, the destiny of the biological Classes and Orders as well as all of humanity for that fact, depends on his due diligence. The Doctor suddenly realized one again that he was a key player in the events that would direct the future course of life on earth.
I love the process of incubation. It provides an unparalleled time of peace and reflection….. tranquility. Of course it would not be possible without Johnathan’s protection. Jonathan has already proved he is up to task. That does not mean I am not keeping a constant surveillance of my own environment; as you can see, my perpetual 360 degree survey continues. You cannot be too careful within the Nature-environment into which I have been born.
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 | Harriett Raptor on First flight |
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