Osprey Tales

The universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state and continues to expand today.
13.8 billion years ago all of space was contained in a single point from which the Universe has been expanding ever since.

After the initial expansion, the Universe cooled has sufficiently to allow the formation of subatomic particles, and later simple atoms. Giant clouds of these primordial elements later coalesced through gravity to form stars and galaxies.

Mount Olympus

Some mornings Helios, his chariot and steeds must rise behind Mother Nature’s clouds.  Helios has gotten used to it.  It’s no big deal.  His ego is not injured at all.  Mother Nature does not care one way or the other, anyway; every god knows that.  Nothing new on Mount Olympus.

The North River

The North River tries to awaken but MN’s clouds proffer sleep.  Mother Nature is getting a bad reputation around here.  Does She have any empathy, concern, sympathy or harmony with life?  Apparently not.  57% of newborn ospreys do not see their second birthday.  “MN, you are one harsh mistress,” thought Ozzie.

“I do not like you,” Ozzie let slip.

MN glanced up; took a good look at Ozzie, brushed his opinion aside, and decided to let him live.

Tweedy

Tweedy stands alone on her man-made perch.   Doctor’s custom design; better yet to come.

“Where did everybody go?” she asked nobody, everybody, the wind, the river, the sky.

Tweedy’s surroundings did not answer.

An ethereal, cosmic knowledge breathed down upon our child,

Tweedy felt it stir within her.  It was a strange forceful sensation; powerful, convincing and compelling; obligatory and ultimately irresistible.  Yes, it was.  Yes, it is; “#%&!” thought Tweedy. What is this thing?”

Instinct. 

“Instinct?  Is that all I have to go on?”  she questioned her surroundings.

Her surroundings did not respond.

“Oh, #%&!”

Tweedy realized she was on her own.

Mysterious omnipresent voice

“Ozzie, you had better check you thought processes and what comes out of your beak.  You do not know with whom you are dealing.  In other words, clam up you fool!

Tweedy, you are only two months old tweedy.  Feeling down is not an option.  There are a lot of feelings you have yet to experience.  Get your act together and follow your instincts.  Do not be one of the 57% statistics.

The Doctor

The Doctor watched Tweedy from the back porch of his big nest.  He could feel Tweedy’s distress.

Worried and concerned, he sought an urgent telepathic conference with Harriett.   He was immediately rewarded.

“Yes,” Harriett confirmed.  “I remember well the day I realized I was on my own.  It is a chilling realization.  It is so real.  As real as reality; reality: follow your instincts or perish.  That is just the way it is.”

Ospreys from North America, Europe, and northern Asia migrate south in the fall (ospreys from North America go to Mexico, Central America, and South America; ospreys from Europe and northern Asia go to Africa, India and southeast Asia).

Osprey are found on every continent except Antarctica

“Why don’t you just stay in the south, where it’s sunny and warm?”  asked the Doctor

The reason is because places like the tropics are too limited in space for breeding. We need lots of space when raising a family, and northern breeding grounds offer more room, food, and nesting habitats than the wintering grounds in the south.

Birds migrate from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources. The primary resource being sought by ospreys is food. To survive they must migrate to a climate where the fish are more accessible.

Ozzie grabs a snack

The mechanisms initiating migratory behavior are not understood by humans. Migration can be triggered by a combination of changes in day length, lower temperatures, changes in food supplies, and/or genetic predisposition.  We humans really do not know.

Ozzie, third from the leader, upper

Osprey cover thousands of miles in their annual travels, often traveling the same course year after year with little deviation in the path followed. First year birds migrate unescorted to a winter home they have never before seen and return the following spring to the area in which they were born.

The secrets of their amazing navigational skills are also unknown. Osprey appear to navigate using a variety of techniques, including navigation by the stars, sensing changes in the earth’s magnetic field, and other techniques that we have discussed before.

Taking a journey of several thousand miles is a dangerous and arduous undertaking; one hundred miles a day, 200 over large bodies of water.  It is an effort that tests both the birds’ physical and mental capabilities. The physical stress of the trip, lack of adequate food supplies along the way, bad weather, and increased exposure to predators all add to the hazards of the journey.  It is really tough.

The fact are not pretty.

Estimated mortality among first year birds is 57%. This rate decreases to 18% annually after the first year.

First osprey nests are often robbed by raccoons, american crows, and the common raven.

Nestlings are vulnerable to predation by pine martens in Canada, and goshawks in the norther latitudes.

Nest collapses kill nestlings. Collisions with power lines, adverse weather (i.e., cold rains, high winds, etc.) can cause high mortality among nestlings and fledglings.

The eagle-owl is known to kill both adult and nestling ospreys in Europe.

In North America, great horned owls are known to take over nest sites and have been documented to prey on young and adults.

Bald eagles compete directly with osprey for food resources and will often harass ospreys forcing them to drop fish.

A few each year in Africa are eaten by crocodiles.

Here are some more pleasant facts:

On average, ospreys reach full maturity at 4.8 years of age.

Osprey been known to live 30 years when safe in captivity. The greatest number of recorded breeding seasons for a single bird is 23 (Canadian Wildlife Service 2000).

Based on banding data, one osprey in the wild was 26 years and 2 months at time of recapture.

Stopover locations

Osprey often follow preferred pathways on their annual migrations. These pathways are often related to important stopover locations that provide food supplies critical to the birds’ survival.  One of the Doctor’s goals is to locate some of our important  stopover points so he can take steps to protect and save these key locations.

As always; Love,                                         Harriett

Although ospreys mate for life, they part ways each year for the fall migration. They migrate as individuals, not in groups or flocks.  They travel in small skeins like the ones we have previously described.

A skein of ospreys in V formation flight

Usually, females leave the nesting area first, followed by the males. Mates do not see each other again until they return to their nest in spring. It would be a very rare coincidence if a pair ended up in the same wintering place.

The young are left behind when parents migrate. A few days later, the young take off, too. Each one finds its own route south and winters in a different place, just as the adults do. They do not follow their parents, but work on pure instinct, following a fairly simple two-line program: Go south and stay over land as long as possible. This gets them to the Keys in Florida, the southeastern tip of Cuba, and many of them to the little peninsula on the south coast of Hispaniola.  From here they make a last leap of faith and fly to South America.

Tweedy stands alone.

Hey!  Where has everybody gone? 

The Pacific Northwest birds make a non-stop sprint migration over the western deserts and winter in Mexico and Central America. These birds rarely go as far as South America.

East coast birds go down the east coast, some fairly far inland, some along the coast, to the tip of Florida, over to Cuba, and then on to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Some winter in the Caribbean, but the majority make the arduous trip across the Caribbean to Venezuela.

From there, they scatter across much of the South American continent, some going as far as the Pantanal in Paraguay and Southwestern Brazil. Some truly overachieving birds even make it to Argentina.

                   
Migration Map of North American Osprey

Osprey tend to be as faithful to their wintering spot in South America as they are to their nesting area up north.

Harriett left Friday.  She wished the Doctor well and posed for a super photo op.

Ozzie left yesterday.  He magnanimously made a fly by of the Doctor’s big nest to show off his transmitter.

“Those are good birds,” said the female human that lives with the Doctor.

“No!  &@% $*#!”   Exclaimed Ozzie.  “Absolutely not!  What does he think I am?  Who does he think he is?”

“No!” Squawked Ozzie

Harriett knew it would not be easy and had anticipated this reaction.  But, Harriett had already thought out various contingency responses.

“The Doctor thinks you have a keen scientific mind,” Harriett expressed her new found respect and esteem. “I wish I had your exceptional perception, reasoning and ability to learn.  I have always been envious of your thirst for knowledge and superior brain power.  It must be rewarding to expand the envelope of the avian knowledge base.   It is one of the things that make you special.”

Had she gone overboard?

“Well, yes I know,” replied Ozzie with pride.

Apparently not.

But Ozzie was suspicious.

“Somehow I think you and the Doctor are in on this thing together.  What’s the matter, Harriett?  Don’t you trust me?”

“Trust has nothing to do with it!”  Snapped Harriett, almost too quickly.

Harriett took a deep breath, praying she was being honest with herself.  She scrambled for a response. Her heart was pounding, yet she managed a calm, seemingly rational demeanor, and said,

“The Doctor and I can stay in touch via telemetry.  We want to stay in touch with you too. I care about you,” Harriett continued.

“And the doctor and his readers care about you.  And think about everything the Doctor has done for us this year.”

“Oh yes, yes I am sorry.  Yes, to us the Doctor is a true friend,” Ozzie was happy to acknowledge.

“It’s really not such a big deal,” encouraged Harriett.  “You won’t even know it is there after a day or two.  And besides you are a pretty interesting bird you know.  Remember the time you organize the poop campaign against that crazy Venezuelan dictator?”  That was some kind ‘a funny!”

Ozzie could not help but smile.

“What we do in our youth!” He laughed.

Harriett felt she was making some progress.

“Ozzie, the human scientific community will be very appreciative if you will wear the transmitter.  Humans have launched rockets into space, deployed satellites to track you if you are so inclined to participate.”

“What else can you ask?”

Ozzie gave the matter careful consideration.  He concluded there was really no down side for him.

He thought, “why not?  No feathers off my back.  And you know I will do anything for my Harriett.”

Ozzie felt a sudden jolt of joy.  He spun around and said, “I’ll do it!”

Introduction to Osprey Migration

Every year, in the autumn there is a large-scale movement of birds from their breeding (summer) homes to their nonbreeding (winter) grounds.

European osprey winter in Africa.  American and Canada breeders winter in South America, although some stay in the southernmost U.S. states such as Florida and California. Some ospreys from Florida migrate to South America.

The osprey is one of five North American raptors that are true migrants.

Osprey are long-distance migrants, (as opposed to short or medium range).  They have ranges that extend from the United States and Canada in the summer to South America through Brazil in the winter.

It is not just osprey that migrate.  More than 650 species of birds nest in North America. Some are permanent residents, but the majority of the species are migratory.

Other long distant migrants, with which you are familiar, include geese, sandpipers, herons, terns, skimmers, oystercatchers, swallows, finches, and hummingbirds.

The Arctic Tern has the longest-distance migration of any bird, moving from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic non-breeding areas.  They can make the trip in just three months starting as a fledging, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 mi).

Arctic Tern

The Doctor’s Favor

Is simple and straight forward.

The Doctor wants Ozzie to wear a satellite tracking monitor for the winter, and he wants Harriett to talk him into it.

Perhaps the Doctor should not have described the favor as “small”.  Right now he is wrestling with how to approach Harriett with this request.  He realizes he has not gotten off with a good start.

The Transmitter

Is a solar-powered satellite tracking unit that Ozzie can wear like a backpack. This unit communicates with satellites three times per day to determine his exact location.  It will last all winter.

Argos/GPS transmitter

This satellite tracker is the newest, most modern device available and weighs just 30 grams, – the weight of a small packet of chips. This equates to less than 2% of the osprey’s body weight.  It is made by Microwave Telemetry in the United States.  This one ounce Argos/GPS transmitter has sensors to measure temperature, battery voltage and osprey activity, as well as a sixteen channel GPS receiver that calculates position, altitude, heading and speed.

” I am going to talk to Harriett about it first thing in the morning,” the Doctor promised himself.

“Well, it’s August,” announced the Doctor.

“August it is,” confirmed Harriett without a second thought.

Harriet on their new future aerie

“August is special. Isn’t that right Harriett?” proclaimed the Doctor.

“Special? Sure, special if you say so. Special in what way?”

Well, August is the month baby sea turtles emerge from their nursery.  In Florida they break out in July. Here in North Carolina, loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings emerge in August, to make their way toward the ocean. Watch this video to see their late-night scuttle to freedom.

http://usat.ly/1rJKDeW

“Many wonderful things happen in August, the Doctor continued with an overly buoyant enthusiasm.”

“How do you feel, Harriett?”

“I feel fine Doctor, why do you ask?” Harriett responded with suspicion.

“Well, you know……… It’s August,” prompted the Doctor once again. ” This is the month you, Ozzie and Tweedy will be migrating south. That is special, is it not?”

Sensing the Doctor had a secondary agenda for this morning’s telepathy, Harriett responded cautiously.

“Yes, August it is,” she repeated.  “And sure, August can be special. What else is on your mind?” Inquired our Bird feigning indifference.

The Doctor was having difficulty directing Harriett towards the conversation he had in mind.

He gave it another try.

“What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when July 31 becomes August 1?” Asked the Doctor.

A full minute of silence ensued.  Harriett looked around for the missing pieces.

The Doctor continued,    “Don’t you have a special emotional attachment to this month?”

“What? Emotional attachment?” Harriet chirruped, starting to become annoyed.

“What is the Doctor thinking?  Certainly not that emotions, especially human-like emotions, affect us Raptors.  He has something else in mind; I know it. Yes; he wants something.   I am sure.” Harriett concluded.

Harriett breathed in the serenity of North River on this particular August morning.

North River August 1, 2014

She surveyed the landscape, then returned her attention to the Doctor’s open telepathic channels.

“Like what kind of emotions are you thinking about?” She strung him along.

“Like any emotions.” The Doctor’s telepathy suddenly seemed weakened and unsure of itself.

“I like August.  It’s my favorite month,” piped up Harriett, baiting the Doctor to expose himself some more.

“What sort of emotional attachments do YOU have with this month; the approaching end to school summer vacation?” She smirked.

The Doctor cringed.  “She’s playing with me!”  The Doctor’s intuition was functioning well.  Yes of course, the Doctor realized.  This is the Harriett I have grown to know and love.  There isn’t anything new here.  She is playing with me; no doubt.  The Doctor was sure.  He knew Harriett better that she knew herself.

“I can play this game too,” thought the Doctor.

But he was worried.  What he has in mind is important to him and his readers. One small favor.

“Harriett,” said the Doctor.  “You are my most trusted friend, and, well………  I have a very special favor to ask.”

“I knew it!” squawked Harriett.  “I knew it was coming.  Can’t wait to hear what he’s up to.”

Temptation is the desire to perform an action that one may enjoy immediately or in the short term, but will probably be regretted later for various reasons: legal, social, psychological (including feeling guilt), health-related, economic, etc.

“I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”
― Mae West

Under the influence

Harriett realized she was under the influence; under the power, the alluring, the exciting, the seductive power of our topic today.

“Holy Moly, my oh me! Me my, oh!  No, is it so?”  Harriett’s brain was incoherently raving.  “Good Grief, it will not let me go!”  Her lunacy continued.

Harriett suddenly recognizing her defenselessness against temptation.

Eavesdropping on the Doctor’s cell phone calls was controlling her life.

“Get a grip! Grip, grip, grip……….” echoed the Mysterious Narrator.

Harriet flailed helplessly.   “Resist I cannot!”

Help!

It did not take long for Harriett to get a grip:

“Resist, resist, resist,” she was exhorting herself.

When……….

“Resist What?” Asked the Doctor.

A mind numbing shock wave washed over sweet Harriett.

Thunderstruck, she fell over backwards.  In shock she could only stammer, “Oh, #$%!  What?  #%&!  Hello,  Is that you Doctor?”

“Yes, Harriett it is,” replied the Doctor calmly, indifferently, almost reassuringly.

Harriett was sick with anxiety, helplessness and dread.  She became nauseated and began to tremble.

“Have you been receiving my latest thoughts?”  Harriett managed, in a near panic.  She feared the worst, and she realized the worst was about to happen.

“Yes I have.”

Harriett’s heart stopped.  She was about to die.  Then she realized the Doctor’s thought transference came across gently, nervelessly, lovingly and as clear as rebirth into a crystalline state of purity.

They were non-judgmental, compassionate, lovingly wise.

“Oh Doctor, I am so, so sorry….”  Harriett was mortified.  She began to cry.

“No, no, Harriett.  Do not cry.  Worry not my brave confidant.  I assure you. You are in good company. We are all tested at one time or another.  Let’s just chalk this up to a learning experience.”

“OK, ok, Doctor.” Harriett whispered timidly.  “Doctor, are you ….. sure?” she choked.

“Yes, of course.”

She wanted to tell the Doctor she loved, him but it didn’t feel right at this time.

Nonetheless, the Doctor’s telepathy skills are so improved that he felt it.

It was a Blue-Orange Sunrise this morning.

The Doctor Calls

“Harriett? Harriett, are you there?” The Doctor directed his thought, as the osprey flies, straight as an arrow, towards the platform.

Both O & H were perched high, upon their rebuilt home.

O & H slightly out of focus

“Is this as high as we can get?” complained Ozzie. “We are only 12 feet above the water line, for goodness sake.”

“Don’t complain,” enjoined Harriett. “We need to be thankful for the Doctor’s efforts. Besides, rumor has it the Doctor has bought an 8 x 8, 25 foot piling from the Happy Osprey lumber yard.”

“Chirp,” Ozzie chimed in.

“And that’s not all,” she giggled. “Today he bought 6 cedar three foot 1 x 6’s, two eight foot juniper 5 x 2’s, and a single five foot 2 x 6 of treated yellow pine.”

“How do you know all this?” Ozzie inquired.

“Well,” Harriett paused, her head slightly bowed.

Uncomfortably, Harriett shifted from right talons to left. And then she admitted; “I’ve been monitoring his cell phone calls.”

“What!” Squawked Ozzie.

“What do mean, ‘What?’?” Cringed our heroine.

“You know what I mean, when I say ‘What!’” forewarned Ozzie.

“Are you suggesting I should not have listened in?” (How coy can one get)

“You are @&%! right, that is exactly what I am suggesting!”

Ozzie was not happy.

Ozzie very annoyed with Harriett

“Ozzie,” she piped. “I like the way your brown brow stripes furrows at times.”

And………..Harriett skillfully talked her way out of another uncomfortable situation.

aerie*  (noun \ˈer-ē, ˈir-, ˈā-(ə-)rē\)

The nest of a bird of prey, built high in a tree, cliff or man-made platform.

“Watch where you put your wing tips, Ozzie.  The Doctor has the camera working again.”

“I can’t believe it,” said Ozzie. “I didn’t think he was that smart.”

Ozzie is zealously rebuilding the nest. Whoever coined the term “frustration aerie” must have been one of those half empty humans. From now on, this nest building situation will be called “Future Aerie”.

*Warning:  Do not Google “aerie”.  You will see pictures of bras and female underwear.