Osprey Tales

Harriet has been kind to the Doctor today. She has freely shared her thoughts with him.

“It’s been a long time since you’ve been so relaxed and comfortable communicating with me,” said the Doctor.

“I don’t intend to be distant or non-communicative,” replied Harriett.  “But in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been very busy lately.”

“Congratulations on your two hatchlings,” continued the Doctor, hoping to encourage her into additional thought transmissions.

“Thank you,” Harriet replied. “These babies certainly do seem to be strong and healthy. If my third egg hatches, it will probably be today or tomorrow. You can tell the world if I give birth and sustain three chicks into fledgling-hood.”

The Doctor smiled.

“We’re all rooting for you.  You have all of our support and best wishes, Harriett.  All of your readers care for you and love you.”

“Kind words,” Harriett continued.  “You H. sapiens sometime annoy me with your air-conditioned nest and internal combustion machines. But I don’t want to be confrontational. I appreciate your love and concern.”

“What about The Mission?” Asked the Doctor.

This thought transfer upset Harriett greatly.

“Don’t talk to me about The Mission right now. Can’t you see I’ve got my wings full!”

There was a long silence.  The Doctor began to feel uncomfortable. Their telepathy was disrupted. The Doctor feared he had offended her. After a minute or two. She transfered the following thought:

“I really do appreciate you Doctor. And I really do appreciate all of your friends and my readers.  I can’t help but be especially appreciative of all the baby names that are coming in.”

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 Potential baby names continue to arrive.

Eun (Gaelic for “Bird”)

David

Ashley

Chance

Justice

Jesse

Tracey, Pacey, and Casey (all gender-neutral and they rhyme)

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The names keep coming:

Prince

Edgar

Bruce

Grace

Helen

Libby

Nikki

Sunny

Travis

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“Okay, okay,” said Harriett. “Enough baby name suggestions! There’s a lot going on here. Good grief! Don’t distract me with such frivolity.  Let’s get real….”

“Darn Harriett, you seem to be a little bit touchy today.”

The Doctor’s comment agitated Harriett even more.

Harriet took a deep breath. She collected herself and told Ozzie to go catch a fish.

Then she confided in the Doctor that the experience with Ivan the Terrible had really shaken her. She was trying to get it out of her mind. It was a nightmare that did not happen. She just cannot imagine life without Ozzie, and that monstrous Ivan the Terrible really made her sick.

“Praise Triple O!” Was all Harriett’s brain could construe. Her ethereal spirit could not verbalize her Thanksgiving. ” Thank you Triple O“. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Triple O…….. words could not express her appreciation.

Harriett snuggled up with her two hatchlings to keep them warm. She also scooped her third egg directly beneath her brooding pouch to provide it with its best chance of hatching.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have three hatchlings she mused.

The Doctor sensed her sentimentality. He backed off gently.

“I love you Harriett,” he said.

“I love you too, Doctor.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Hi Harriett,

This has been quite a year!  I was anxious from the beginning went you and Ozzie returned so late. Then I wondered if the two of you would build your nest in the Taj Mahal, and then there was that scare with Ivan the Terrible.  By the way, Ozzie’s sky dance was spectacular.

We looked at the Doctor’s  pictures this morning and thought of some names for your babies.  Some names are in sets of 3 since there are 3 eggs – the kids thought they should go together!

Here they are:

1. Lulu
2. Squeaky
3. Yaya
4. King Kong
5. Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello
6. Mario, Luigi and King Kupa
7. Luke Skywalker, Princess Lea and Darth Vader
8. Daisy, Donald, Mickie, Minnie, Goofy

Best of luck with your babies!  Keep us posted.  Our last day of school is June 12.

Mary  and my kindergarten class.

Harriett’s second egg hatched this morning at 5:43 AM.

This morning she is quiet and comfortably confident.  She has Ozzie bringing in fish by the bucket load. Ozzie is happy and proud to oblige.

The Doctor has never seen them so happy.

A picture truly is worth 1000 words.

Harriett’s first egg hatched today at 3:46 PM.  Most of the hatching took place beneath Harriett’s brooding pouch. She seemed reluctant to let the world know what was happening. It caused a lot of excitement in the Doctor’s office; the office staff and patients all watched.

Ozzie has already brought them a bluefish. It looks like he ate the head off and is giving the rest to Harriett.

Harriett saved the tail of the fish to have as a snack later .

Hello, Mary Asbell’s class.  Hello, Mister Alex Glass’s class.  Hello, Beaufort Elementary school.  Hello children and grandchildren of the faithful readers.  And hello to the bridge world, who share the concept of age and time as being existential.

It’s time to think of baby names.  Last year Mrs. Asbell’s kindergarten class named Tweedy.  The year before, bridge player extraordinaire, who shall remain anonymous, named Riki.

I’m not asking for free advice. I’m just trying to have a little fun.  Here are some really cool facts about Osprey which I offer for your efforts.

Cool Facts About Ospreys

Ospreys are one of the most common and well-known birds of prey in the world. They are cool, too! Here are some fun, interesting and cool facts about Ospreys.

• Ospreys are found on every continent except Antarctica. They breed on all continents except Antarctica and South America.
• Ospreys eat a diet which consists almost exclusively of fish. This earned them the nickname “sea hawk.”
• Ospreys hunt fish by hovering over water and then diving feet first to capture prey in their powerful talons.
• An Osprey’s outer toe is reversible, which means they can carry prey (slippery fish) with two toes in front and two toes behind.
• While flying away with the freshly-caught prey, an Osprey will manipulate the fish so that it is parallel to the bird’s body, and thus aerodynamic.
• The oldest known North American Osprey lived to be 25 years old.
• During the mid-20th century, North American Osprey populations suffered great losses (along with other birds of prey) due to widespread use of the pesticide DDT. After DDT and other contaminants were banned, the Osprey recovered fairly quickly.
• Ospreys make large nests on the top of dead or live trees. They will also readily use nest platforms or other man-made structures like utility poles.

Now, name the birds!

Unlike most birds, osprey will continue to brood (keep warm) their chicks even after they are born. Often they will brood their hatchlings until the last egg has hatched.

Like all diurnal birds of prey, osprey hatchlings emerge as “semi-precocial” young.

Down covers their bodies.

Down covers their bodies and their eyes open hours after hatching.  
They will actively take food with their bills.

May 31                 Gestation day # 36

June 1                   Gestation day # 37

June 2 (Tuesday)                   Gestation day # 38

June 3 (Wednesday)             Gestation day # 39

June 4 (Thursday)                 Gestation day # 40

June 5 (Friday)                       Gestation day # 41

June 6 (Saturday)                  Gestation day # 42

June 7                   Gestation day # 43

June 8                   Gestation day # 44

Who remembers the gestation period of the Osprey egg? (34 to 42 days)

Who remembers if all 3 of Harriett’s eggs will hatch at once or one at a time days apart? (Approximately 2 days apart)

Who remembers the disadvantage of the 3^rd born? Who remembers the chances of a new born Osprey reaching one year of life?  (Depends on the food supply and strength of 3rd born)

Who remembers the perils a new Osprey chick must face?  (“Did you say fly to South America?”)

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“Are you ready for this?” Asked Harriet.

“Am I ready! You know I’m ready. The question is, are you ready?”

“Of course I’m ready,” replied Harriett without umbrage. Have I not done this twice before?”

“Yeah, sure, but that was with a singleton and twins. Do you think you can handle triplets?”

Harriet tried to disregard Ozzie’s imprudent remarks.

“You just keep the predators away and keep the fish coming,” she said.

Then she gave him a little ego boost.

“Who is the best fisherman on the East Coast and probably of all North America?” She offered with a twitch of her tail feathers.

Ozzie knew who she was talking about. It was he of course.  And if you don’t believe it, just take a look at some of the upcoming photographs and videos.

 Ozzie the Great Fisherman

Songbirds and most seabirds

Songbirds and most seabirds have altricial young, meaning that the newly hatched birds are blind, featherless, and helpless. Immediately after hatching, altricial birds can do little more than open their mouths to beg for food. They remain in the nest where the parents can feed and protect them while they continue to develop. For the first week of life, most altricial birds cannot control their own body temperature and must be constantly brooded (kept warm) by their parents. By the end of the first week, their eyes are usually open and their feathers are beginning to emerge. During this period, nestlings can experience remarkable growth by doubling their body weight several times!

Altricial young

Precocial species, such as ducks and many shorebirds, are born fully feathered, mobile, and with eyes open. Incubation periods are longer for precocial birds than altricial birds, allowing for increased embryonic development in the egg, and therefore they have relatively advanced motor and sensory functions at hatching.

“Quack, quack!” Said Mama Duck.”

“Quack, quack! Yourself,” mimicked Harriett sardonically.

“Wow!” Exclaimed Ozzie.

“Who do you think showed up today?”

The elusive Tricolored Egret passed through on her way north.  “How are you, Tricolored Egret,” asked Ozzie with baited breath.

Tricolored Egret was in no mood to chat. She was hungry. She found this nice place beneath the Taj Mahal where plenty of mature secondary consumers thought they were safe. She gobbled them up one by one.

Ozzie was distracted.

“Wow!” Thought Ozzie. “Take a look at those legs!”.

    
“That a girl,” encouraged Ozzie. “Eat them up.”

Ozzie thought the Tricolored Egret was attractive. Perhaps just a little more than attractive. Ozzie looked at Tri Colored Egret. It made him take a deep breath and his brain went into a zone in which he usually kept closed. “Wow!” He thought. Tricolored Egret looks good.

Ozzie never suspected Harriett could read his thoughts.

“Phooy,” thought Harriett. “It’s just his hormones talking.”

And she paid it no mind.

The Doctor thought this was funny.

The H. sapien that lives with the Doctor in his giant nest gave him “the look.”  No words ventured the audible realm.

Behind the Doctor’s giant nest that sits on the bank of the North River, the secondary consumers find an abundance of primary consumers from which they can consume the sun’s energy.

Some of the more familiar secondary consumers are the pin fish, speckled trout, juvenile blue fish, croaker, flounder, gray trout, jumping mullet, hog fish, sheepshead, and more.

       
“These are the consumers I like to consume,” said Harriett. “Speckled trout is my favorite.”