Osprey season 2010 - Two chicks in a shallow nest.

The power play was over in seconds and they remained close to each other for the rest of the afternoon.

Here's a family shot. That's Dad on the branch.

What is it with siblings picking on each other? Human or avian..it does not seem any different! Great shots again today! :)

Now that last one is nice. Family portait!

A bit closer.

You're right, Bea. Siblings = fights.

Big Hook flew off, but returned within a minute. Dad was still on the branch. The wind was howling from the south east and so they were landing with their backs to the camera. I kind of like this one of her tail above them.

Both chicks settled down for a nap. I hope you can make out the leg on the oldest chick stuck out to the side. So cute.

How cute is that. Sweet dreams little ones! The best part is Mom & Dad gets a little break!

Dad brought in a few large sticks to build up the sides of the nest. The shallowness of the nest continues to be a concern.

Last one for this evening. Chicks looking up at Mum.

The chicks are looking larger every day, I just hope my heart can stand the ups and downs of worrying about that smaller chick. Your photos and explanation are better than watching any daily soap opera on television. I can't wait to return to this drama every morning.

Margaret, Those shots are wonderful!!! The chicks look great and I love the shot of Mom landing!

Margaret thos chicks have really grown. They have reached the reptile stage already. They are not the pretties bird at this stage but I presume that Big Hook still loves them.

I seem to remember that the previous female is this nest was disabled. Did she die to be replaced by Big Hook? Is the male the same male that was in the nest previous.

Dad is easy to ID. There is an osprey in Nova Scotia who we always thought was the whitest chested osprey ever. However your male might have "Oscar" as he is called crying into his beer.

How long has dad been the resident male?

Yes duc, The Bold and the Beautiful pales against the dramas at the nest.

Yes, Resin the crop was nice and full, which was reassuring and over the last few days when I've seen Big Hook feeding them, they have received equal shares. However, I've heard from Madame X the young'un was being relentlessly bullied this morning and she wasn't sure if it had managed to get any food.

Thanks, Pelle. It was a different angle to usual because of the wind direction.

Tiger, the old female from the 2008-2009 season had been blinded in one eye and presumably perished. I'm still trying to get information on a banded adult female Osprey who was found dead only 3km kilometres from where our old female was hatched. Big Hook arrived on the scene only two weeks after the old female was seen for the last time.

As for Dad and how long he's been around, nobody really knows. I've seen photos another photographer took at this particular nest back in 2005 and it's unmistakably him. His eye colour is unique from what I've seen.

This is going to be a sit on the edge of your seat season,with 2 in a shallow nest.Great Photos Margaret,Thank you

I admit it is the the nest being so shallow that concerns me the most.......you know how us nanny's are! the smaller one seems to be showing survival skills dealing with the bullying which is good.

Cant help but worry,lets put up an invisable sheild to protect the chicks.Mines on !!

The situation with the younger, very much smaller chick, continues to be very worrying, as does the shallow saucer of a nest. Dad has been bringing in sticks and today there's a piece of black plastic garden mesh.

There are several shots of the big chick beating up on its smaller sibling. Practically every time the small one moves, the big one is onto it. Big Hook occasionally glances in their direction but seems quite disinterested. To me, the smaller one, whilst developing that reptilian look, isn't growing in size. Pete was there this afternoon and he is more optimistic. Let's hope he's right.

In this first shot, the bigger chick, with beak open, is about to lunge at the little one.

And lunge it does. Here it has the little ones head grasped in its beak.

A matter of seconds later and the big one pursues its small sibling across the nest.

And once again grabs it by the head.

The little one lays low as Big Hook and the bully are distracted by something - probably Dad arriving.

The size difference between the two chicks is quite pronounced considering the oldest is only three or four days older.

And once more, only seconds after that last shot was taken, the harassment starts again.

Another lunge. This was repeated many times in the couple of hours I was there and Madame X reports that it's going on from first thing in the morning. She also reports that the little one isn't managing to get much food.

Big Hook wasn't looking at me, but it's great when you get a shot with both eyes lit by the sun.

On a lighter note, Pete has a new tripod. A bit on the heavy side and not terribly manoeuvrable, but very sturdy.

LOL on Pete's new tripod. It must be so hard to watch each time the older sibling picks on the weaker one.

Amazing photos again!

Wonderful shots Margaret. That older chick needs a time out!! Must be a boy! My oldest brother never stopped picking on me when I was little! ( He is nice now at 55 !) :)

I bet it's a girl...lots of time the nasty ones are female. Now I really wish the nest was WAY deeper..so we would not be seeing this bullying. That older chick is TWICE the size of the younger one. Not fair! I remember seeing a story about an Eagle nest where this was happening, and they said the parents do not interfere, it's survival of the fittest. In fact, it was one of the last Eagle cams in Washington state I watched, where the older female was bullying the younger male...and he came through it and ended up being the first to take flight (maybe out of necessity). I sure hope the little Osprey can survive this and become strong and maybe eventually beat up the sibling a bit.

GP, the shallowness of the nest is really concerning and yes, if it was as deep as it should be, we wouldn't be seeing this taking place. As with the eagles you mentioned, Dad and Big Hook look on at what's happening with their brood with disinterest.

The previous two afternoons I've been there, Dad hasn't returned by the time the nest is in full shadow and I'm needing to leave, so I haven't seen the chicks being fed for a couple of days. Maybe this afternoon.

So sad he has to take so much abuse from his older one, hope all this makes him determine to survive and be strong.

The one thing that osprey parents never do is interfere in chick fights even if the chicks are killing each other. The reality is that if there is enough fish (and there should be) then both chicks will survive. The little one will learn to cover up and avoid the attacks from the bigger one.

Do we know what happens when the bigger chick has had its fill? Does it retire and let the little one feed? This is where it is crucial to have big fish. That way there is enough to go round.

Burn, it's awful seeing the bigger chick repeatedly pecking at its younger, smaller sibling. Behaviour at its most primitive level.

Tiger, I sure hope you're right. There certainly is no shortage of fish. I haven't seen them being fed for four days now. Dad typically arrives with a fish as I'm leaving for home. Additionally, I haven't been able to get a good, front-on look at the smaller chick to see if its crop looks full.

Yesterday, I was convinced that the smaller chick would succumb to the attacks by its older sibling that I was really surprised to see it there this afternoon. The size difference is still very noticeable and the older chick is more active (a worry in itself, with the nest being so shallow). However, each day that goes by is a bonus.

Big Hook was coming and going in her usual manner, although she didn't leave the area until Dad arrived to monitor the nest. Here's Dad, with the bigger chick close by and the poor little battler out on the sidelines. Look hard.

Dad with the little one next to him and bossy boots to the right.

AWW,so heart wrenching.still hoping

So right, Tamara. It's survived so far and as each day goes by, it's chances of surviving will increase.

Big Hook went off for a bath and landed back on the lower branch saturated. Here she's having a good wing flap.

She's getting ready to fly back up to the nest.

Last one for tonight. The nest was going into shadow. Big Hook was on the pole branch and Dad had been sent off to the other side of the bay for a fish and the bully was once again hammering his superior strength home.

Margaret ,the size difference is amazing between the chicks. Love the fresh washed shot... Lets hope for a growth spurt on the little one...

Great pictures Margaret. Big Hook needs to slap that bully up along side of its head!!

It reminds me of one of my neighbor's brats!