Bird Watching: Osprey season 2010 - Two chicks in a shallow nest., 1 by MargaretK

MargaretK wrote:
We came from here. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1129065/

First thread for the 2010 season here. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1109408/

Very sadly, one of the two chicks perished when its mother accidentally sent it flying when she stumbled in the nest. Astonishingly, a third chick hatched the following day. There were concerns that the new chick, being that much smaller, may not get enough food, as the older chick may dominate and the new one would end up starving. This hasn't been the case. Big Hook, the mother, feeds both chicks equally and the latest one, although smaller, seems to be catching up to its sibling in size.

The greatest worry is that there doesn't seem to be any clearly defined nest cup. The nest cup is a smaller nest within the larger nest structure in which the eggs are laid. During there first two to three weeks, the chicks are safely contained in the nest cup, the sides being too steep for them to be able to get out of. Big Hook attempts to build up the sides of the nest to corral the chicks, but when she moves sticks she may well displace one, or even worse, both of the chicks. Additionally, in her attempts to avoid stepping on the chicks, she stumbles and when she moves to recover herself, she is in danger of propelling a chick to the outer perimeter of the nest, as happen the other day. We will watch and wait - and hope for the best.

From this afternoon, the two chicks with Big Hook. I just love how their tiny little wings are showing and they look like two peas in a pod.