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.

Sitting, relaxing, although with a heightened alert for danger, incubating, waiting, is exciting, satisfying, fulfilling.   There is a lot of peace and relaxation associated with a brood.  But do not get fooled.  Remember this is nature and as we have found before, nature can be cruel and unforgiving.

I sit while Jonathan patrols our area for threats.  The Doctor says my head looks as if it is a cog wheel or the second hand of an old watch.  When I get hungry Jonathan takes over the incubation to allow me to get a meal.  I’ll tell you later what great fisher-birds we are; I must say, we are quite incredible, now I must call Jonathon as I am getting hungry.

I am so sorry for the disruption of our story.

The Doctor with all good intentions pushed every wrong button you can imagine.

I really thought he was better with IT than that.

Last night I had to fly in to correct the fiasco.  It took me about an hour.  Jonathan was kind enough to sit on our egg and guard the nest while I was gone.

Anyway, the cameras are now up and running.

Love,

Harriett

“3 eggs!  I cannot believe it!” thought The Doctor.

Harriett is so proud of herself she borders on hubris.

This is the first time The Taj Mahal has hosted 3 eggs.  Either the food supply is plentiful or Harriett is that much more mature.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp,” cried Harriett.  “Look at me!”

“And don’t forget Johnathan.  Well what can I say?”

The Doctor is happy to be back into full telepathic mode.  He was worried that he was out of practice and Harriett would not communicate this year.

“Silly Doctor,” transmitted Harriett.  Do you think I could be so small-minded?”

The Doctor’s cameras are equipped with an ultraviolet light source.

We’re cold, Doctor !!!!! Tell Mom to come back.

DDT thins the egg shells of many birds, especially the eggs of raptors.  The thin shells can not stand the female’s incubation and cracke under pressure, during the time DDT was in widespread use.

Rachel Carson highlighted the dangers of DDT in her groundbreaking 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson used DDT to tell the broader story of the disastrous consequences of the overuse of insecticides, and raised enough concern from her testimony before Congress to trigger the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Two Eggs

Parents

Proud Mom

The breeding season of migratory populations occurs in the spring and summer, with egg laying in April and May. Two to four eggs are laid over a period of several days, each 1 to 2 days apart. Both the male and female incubate the eggs, which hatch after approximately 40 days. Because incubation starts when the first egg is laid, the eggs hatch asynchronously in the order in which they were laid. Chicks that hatch first are larger and have a competitive advantage over those that are hatch later. If food becomes scarce, the smaller chicks are less successful in competing for food, and often die. This decrease in the number of chicks in the nest makes food more available to the surviving chicks, and increases their likelihood of survival. This process, common in raptors, is called brood reduction.

Ecological history

The stunning beauty of osprey clutches was not lost on the old naturalists. There was gamesmanship of climbing to nests to collect the eggs.

The 19th Century hobby of egg-collecting was called “oology”. There was even a little journal devoted to it, “The Oologist”, although this appears preposterous from our modern conservation perspective. The 20th Century result was museum cases full of dusty old blown-out eggs. These eggs have given us solid evidence of DDT’s affect.

Thanks for reading,

Harriett