Osprey season 2010. Towards fledging.

Margaret, the chick has really become a strong juvenile - I guess dad needs to be carefull - LOL. Thanks again for all your great pics.

Thanks for all the effort, in providing info on the chick. Your hot weather, does not make it easy on you. Wonderful pictures to describe the event.

They are all great, but that image of mother and chick facing each other is fantastic!

That is one brave Osprey chick! (Just like Margaret?)

Well, if I knew the sex was a female, I'd propose the name Amelia for that reason. Bold, Brave, likes to watch flying things…

Margaret the longest I have seen an osprey wait before they fledged is 66 days and that was considered very long. So your Aussie osprey chicks must behave very different to the ones I am familiar with.

I don't know about brave, GG. Foolhardy maybe.

Mrs Ed, even though we have no way of knowing for sure, this chick's size would point to it being a female, but not being certain, I reckon we should aim for a moniker that would be appropriate to either sex. What you you and others think?

Tiger, this chick, should it successfully fledge, will be in the area with both parents until May or June. When I looked at those juveniles at Loch of the Lowes headed off on migration, I couldn't believe how really young they still looked.

Thanks Rose, Rian and Burn. The heat is something we just learn to live with - but not without a lot of complaining.

I haven't been to the nest for a few days and am unsure about this afternoon and definitely won't be going tomorrow. However, Madame X has seen the chick lift a couple of inches off the nest floor during wing exercises. It is REALLY windy today and I just hope it doesn't decide to flap its wings with the wind to its back and fledge prematurely, as Harmony did last year.

Margaret, before this fast growing youngster leaves the nest, I must convey to you how much I have looked forward to your almost daily report. For an eighty-six year old birder no longer able to get about and witness such happenings in the wild, your dedication, comments, photos and observations have been so very much appreciated. Thank you, and may I wish you many more seasons of Osprey watching.

elageo, welcome and thank you for your very kind words. I'm glad you're able to continue to enjoy some elements of birding via this thread.

I did end up being able to go to the nest yesterday afternoon. It was quite a warm day, but there was a strong wind, which stimulates the ospreys to do some soaring and both Dad and Big Hook flew back and forth along the bay several times.

Big Hook and the still unnamed chick were standing together when Big Hook saw something high in the sky and gave a brief alarm call.

The chick promptly hit the deck.

The chick decided that seeing it was hunkered down it might as well have a snooze, which it did for about 20 minutes. When it awoke, Big Hook moved towards it and was about to push her chest into the chick. The chick didn't react and Big Hook, as she did when doing this same action last year, then flew off. It isn't an aggressive act but it's very purposeful, I don't understand what the purpose is. She did the same thing the other day before flying off.

Presuming this is the first chick that hatched, it is now eight weeks old.

Oh, and it's a year today since Harmony prematurely fledged.

When Big Hook flew off, she flew into the nearby trees, legs outstretched and claws widespread, obviously looking for sticks. She eventually found one that was to her satisfaction and returned to the nest. Because it was a land breeze, she landed in the opposite direction to usual. The chick is in her shadow as she lands.

The chick watched on with interest as she pulled and pushed the stick around for a while until finally, with a gesture that seemed to say "Ergh, that'll do", she again flew off and joined Dad in a bit of soaring.

The whites are really burnt out, but here's a shot of Dad as he whizzed past me at close range.

Last one for now. The shadows were over the nest and as the wind blew the trees, I was able to grab a quick shot of the chick for you.

Beautiful shots Margaret!! Maybe with that push of the chest Big Hook is kinda of saying stay put? Neat how you remember the details from previous season's of your Osprey. Still no name yet? Kinda can't wait to hear it!

Wonderful shots Margaret! I thought maybe the push was to say "Pay attention to what I'm going to do next". I guess we'll never truly know. I'm really enjoying this years nesting Ospreys!

Lovely shots, Maggie! I wonder if Big Hook is telling the chick, "you cannot live here forever, so start with the wing practice!" And the chick obeyed ;o))

Wow, that chick does look like it will be flying off soon. Come on Margaret, we need a name before it fledges.

Each and every photo is just beautiful!

Wonderful shots Margaret....that chick has grown and you have captured everythig so beautifully. It is a joy to visit this thread!

Thanks for you comments and I'm glad you're still enjoying it. Rose, I'm so happy to see you back on the computer again (even if it's still a PC). We're in the middle of a bit of a heat wave and I haven't been to the nest for a couple of days, but will go this afternoon regardless of the temperature.

Before I fired up the computer this morning I was thinking we'd better assign a name to this chick and yes, Mrs Ed and Resin, I think Whopper is appropriate.

A shot from a few days ago. Dad had just delivered a fish and was headed for the pole branch.

Yay.....it has a name!!

I just have to wonder how Aussie is doing.....

I often wonder the same thing. I'm convinced that I see Aussie everywhere.

There's another nest about 1.5km across the bay from where "our" family are. An adult male osprey was found on the foreshore under the nest about two weeks ago. At first they thought it was injured, but it turns out that it doesn't have any apparent injuries but it's not recuperating as quickly as it should be, so the rehabber is going to have it X-rayed and have a faeces sample tested. There are chicks in that nest but because the Norfolk Island Pine that the nest is in is well over 100' tall, I don't know if anyone is sure that the chicks are being successfully reared by their mother alone.

OH Iam too late ,Big Bird could have been a good name..LOL always a day late and a dollar short, is me !!!! whopper is most definitly a fitting one. Hoping the male from across the river turns out to be ok.and that mom can raise the chicks successfully.fingers crossed

Margaret that is very interesting about the chicks staying so long with the parents. Most of the chicks I am familiar with migrate on about 90 days and that is the last the parents ever see of them. Ocassionaly a returning juvenile intrudes at its former home but is told firmly to push off.

Tiger, for several months after fledging, long after Old Ma Osprey had disappeared, I would see Aussie sitting with Dad and Big Hook at the end of the bay and flying around the area. Same as earlier this year with Harmony, I'd see the three of them sitting in the trees in the same area or flying around. Then suddenly, probably in May, the juvenile wouldn't be positively sighted again, but on very windy days, it would not be unusual to see between six and eight ospreys soaring around the area.

Tamara, I'll be contacting the person who has been speaking directly to the rehabber today to find out how the sick osprey is.

Fledging is imminent. This shot is from the day before yesterday. It was lifting at least three feet above the nest floor.

I can't see any pin feathers left, so it should be well and truly able to fly.

A Laughing Turtledove landed on the branch above "Whopper", who bristled up.

The dove took off shortly after I took this photo. You could almost hear the dove's thoughts.

The day before yesterday, Big Hook did that action where she approaches the chick, adopting an unusual posture. It is actually predictable, except I have no idea what it means. She had been on the branch and Whopper was laying down on the nest. Big Hook started to make moves to return to the nest and I thought that she was going to do this action, which she did. She squatted down, like in this photo and I'm sure if the chick had been standing up, she would have done that chest shove thing. However, because the chick wasn't standing, she flew off, which she always does after going through these motions. who knows. Maybe the purpose will become clearer with more observation.

Yesterday afternoon there was very little action. Both Big Hook and Dad were on different parts of the pole branch. Whopper reclined on the nest. Here it is in its "Peel me a grape" pose.

Going back to the day before yesterday, here's a shot from the low path. As you can see, the foliage is really beginning to obscure the view. I hear you ask: "Well, why doesn't she simply move a couple of feet to the left, then those pesky leaves won't be in the way". If I was to do that I'd be impaled on branches after falling down a ten foot cliff.

Now to Dad on the pole branch. He was having a bit of a digestive moment. I've seen both birds do this many times before, but thought I's share this good look with you.

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"Ahhh, that's better"

"Do you have to photograph EVERYTHING I do"?

LOL Margaret, I don`t see why you should not share all the gory details with us. After all we`re interested in the goings on at the nest. Your our reporter and you have to tell it as it is. :0)