Osprey Tales

I am very proud.  Jonathan is ecstatic; he started flying huge circles around the nest screaming a high pitched creech-scree-creeeh!

Nesting Facts

The female lays two to four eggs within a month. The eggs are Cream to pinkish cinnamon with bold splotches of reddish-brown.

Clutch Size
1–4 eggs

Number of Broods
1 broods

Incubation Period
36–42 days

Nestling Period
50–55 days

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.

Harriett Raptor

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Coming up:

The DDT story

One of the most widespread birds of prey, the osprey is found on every continent in the world except Antarctica.
The osprey is also called the ‘fish hawk’, as it is well adapted for hunting fish.

The Osprey is the only hawk on the continent that eats almost exclusively live fish. In North America, more than 80 species of live fresh- and saltwater fish account for 99 percent of the Osprey’s diet.

Captured fish usually measure about 6–13 inches in length and weigh one-third to two-thirds of a pound. The largest catch on record weighed about 2.5 pounds. Ospreys get most of the water they need from the flesh of their prey, although there are reports of adults drinking on hot days.

Coming up next:

A reversible outer toe helps the osprey to carry fish while in flight.

The osprey plunges feet first to snatch them from the water, sometimes becoming completely submerged.

Adult male Ospreys usually arrive at their nesting sites a few days before the females. Together they build or rebuild their nest from last year. After a brief courtship (including The Sky Dance), the female settles into her nest and continues to make it comfortable. If all goes well, eggs are laid. There will be only one brood each year.

Age at first breeding: 3-5 years

On average, the period from first mating to egg laying is:

1st Egg 16 days
2nd Egg 19 days
3rd Egg 22 days

Number of eggs: Usually 3

“I know what you’re thinking Doctor.  You certainly have been non-communicative this year. What’s the matter? Has your telepathy failed you?  I can feel your brain working. If you won’t say it, I will.”

“The doctor is calculating when I may lay my first egg. However he is nervous, anxious, apprehensive. Last year’s surprise of Ozzie’s demise and a nest of no eggs really shook him. But, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell him all along.”

This is nature. This is the real thing. You never know what to expect. That’s why our relationship is so important.”

Harriett

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Adept at soaring and diving but not as maneuverable as other hawks, Ospreys keep to open areas, flying with stiff wing beats in a steady, rowing motion.

Primarily solitary birds, they usually roost alone.

Nesting Ospreys defend only the immediate area around their nest rather than a larger territory; they vigorously chase other Ospreys that encroach on their nesting areas.

In breeding season, males perform an aerial “sky-dance,” sometimes called “fish-flight.”

With dangling legs, often clasping a fish or nesting material in his talons, the male alternates periods of hovering with slow, shallow swoops as high as 600 feet or more above the nest site. Sustaining this display for 10 minutes or more, he utters repeated screaming calls while gradually descending in an undulating fashion to the nest.

Goodness gracious! I’ve never seen such an industrious bird. I thought Ozzie was the cream of the crop, but Jonathan is impressing me more and more, day after day. He is tireless. In addition to bringing me nest material, he’s defending our Taj Mahal from intruders and if you been watching closely he has been doing a little sky dancing too.

To quote The Doctor, “I think she’s starting to like this guy.”

Wow! Jonathan has really proved himself this week. Look at all the sticks he has brought for our nest.

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I am busy arranging them so that we might have a warm and snuggly nest this year.
Not only that, we had two intruders attack, trying to take over the Taj Mahal. You should’ve seen Jonathan protecting me. Those two interlopers ended up continuing to fly North. It only took Jonathan a few hours the morning of Saturday 3/25/2017 to make it clear to them that The Taj Mahal is ours!
The Doctor tried in vain to snap a photograph of the four of us fighting. I understand this would be a difficult photograph. I thanked him anyway for trying to share this event with you all.

Channel markers are favorite osprey nesting sites.

Any place, high, safe, with a wide field of vision and plenty of fish will do:

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Ospreys require nest sites in open surroundings for easy approach, with a wide, sturdy base and safety from ground predators (such as raccoons).

Our nests are built of sticks and lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, algae, or any kind of flotsam and jetsam we might fancy.

The male usually fetches most of the nesting material — sometimes breaking dead sticks off nearby trees as he flies past—and the female arranges the nest.

Nests on artificial platforms, especially in a pair’s first season, are relatively small — less than 2.5 feet in diameter and 3–6 inches deep.

After generations of adding to the nest year after year, Ospreys can end up being huge.

This will be Johnathan’s second year. It will be my sixth.

Harriett

Imagine my joy. You all knew what I was thinking:
Jonathan would not return to be with me or
Jonathan found someone else or
Jonathan would not survive the migration.
I know you are as happy as I am. Thank God. Praise the Lord.

He is in pretty good shape too; he may be tougher than I had originally thought. It doesn’t matter though. The joy and happiness of having him return is overwhelming. I wish you H. sapiens could experience this wonderful emotion. It’s not all that common in the animal kingdom. Hopefully someday you will have the opportunity to experience it.

Jonathan arrives

Here I am calling to Jonathan when I first saw him.

Here we are together

I’m home

Ok,

A lot of you are saying I am beat up and scruffy. Hey look, migrating 4000 miles is no easy task.  A certain percentage of us don’t make it each year. I will not tell you the percentage. That’s something you should look up yourself.

Sure, I look bad. I’ve lost 50% of my body weight, stored fat designed to make the trip. You have to realize this is my seventh or eighth trip north and I know the dangers and arduous nature of migration. I have escaped a lot. This is not just a bad hair day.

So, don’t give me a hard time about the way I look today. I’m home, happy to be home and wallowing in The Doctor’s embrace.

“We can do it together,” said The Doctor.

And we have, we did. We all need a companion, confidant, lover to get through this life.

The need to breed has struck me. There is nothing in nature that can stop me from migrating north and returning to my home. The Doctor simply makes it easier. Not many Osprey survive the wild for 7-8 years. We have the most wonderful relationship you can imagine. With the Doctor’s encouragement and support I am optimistic we shall have a successful breeding season this year.

Love,

Harriet

March 15th 2017
The Ides of March.
The Doctor and his female H. Sapiens looked out the window at 6:03 PM EST.

There she perched, the magnificent profile of our Raptor.
The Doctor and his Female were elated. It was a wonderful lifting of the heart.
Happiness and joy filled the Doctor’s chest.

The Doctor thought it was odd that he received no telepathic thoughts.
The Doctor focused his telepathy like a laser beam.
“Welcome home, Harriett!”
No response.
Binoculars introduced concern.
The Doctor’s camera with its telescopic lens revealed:

“That’s not Harriett,” exclaimed the Female H. Sapien.
“No, no, no,” replied The Doctor.
“That is a bald eagle if I’ve ever seen one.”
“What is he doing here?”
“I don’t know,” said The Doctor, “but Harriett is going to be really angry if it tries to usurp the Taj Mahal.”

Osprey have very few natural enemies. Unfortunately, the bald eagle is one.