All three chicks have fledged.

He does appear to be somewhat hen-pecked!

Big Hook had arrived at the nest with a fish much earlier. The one chick which was on the right hand branch showed no interest in the fish - too well fed - and dozed whilst Big Hook ate most of the fish herself. It did head down to the nest after half an hour and was fed by Big Hook. After she finished feeding, Big Hook went off for a bath and returned to the pole branch. the young one on the nest decided it wanted to fly up to the pole branch as well, but couldn't land there because it was occupied, so it landed on another branch out from and below it mother was perched, preening. It watched and called to her.

The fledgling actually went down to the nest when Dad landed and appeared to evict him from the nest, Pirl. These shots aren't very descriptive, but the fledgling is actually vocalising quite assertively to Dad, who takes a cautious step backwards.

Dad is almost pushed from the nest and another fledgling half flies, half scrambles up to the nest from where it had been perched below.

The sibling arriving at the nest. No reaction from the one already on the nest, other than mild interest.

Another shot of the one on the lower section of the pole branch.

Their communication is terrific as are your photos.

And the beautiful mother, Big Hook.

Wow! Lovely shots Margaret. Love that bratty chick giving Dad what for. Poor guy gets heck from all directions. LOL

Sure are beautiful birds. Those females (?) are as bossy as Big Hook. She sure is beautiful.

Poor Dad, he's one gentle bird! Wonderful pics. Margaret. GG agreed.

Margaret

Please let your fellow photographers and Madam X know how much we all here in the States have enjoyed watching the life of the Osprey family, through the bad and now the good times.

This has been such an incredible journey, that I feel so blessed to have been able to peak in on.

Makes me want to take a trip to your part of the world and to watch, (no matter how short of time) the goings on of their life.

Maybe some day.

Jan

Wow doesn't even describe your photos Margaret. That last one of mom is just breathtaking.

Agree with Duc on the last shot with Big Hook, really a wonderful shot! Its gone so smooth this time...minus some of the disagreements Big Hook had with Dad. lol

You're right about Dad copping it from all directions, GG and Kim, but it's OK, he takes it out on the poor Cormorants.

Thanks, Jan. I'll pass your message on, although Madam X watches the thread herself. Australia would welcome you if you were ever to visit.

Thanks, duc. I'm really enjoying the 7D now the glitches have been sorted out. The glitches were with me, not a fault of the camera.

Thanks, Burd. It has been a fantastic season, hasn't it?

I haven't been to the nest for a few days, so don't have any updates at present. The last time I was there, which was on the 8th, I only saw one of the fledglings, but could hear the sound of young ones a little farther up the bay. We're expecting rain this afternoon and again tomorrow and it's a solid overcast. Not even any point in going to the bottom of the street to photograph the Red-tailed Black Cockatoos that are new arrivals in the area. I can hear them making a racket as I write this.

Redtailed black Cockatoos,Lucky Girl...My pileated is back,thats as good as it gets here...LOL...Oh bite my tongue ....There have been few sightings of a Golden Eagle in our area..Yay..and More Bale Eagle sightings in the area too,maybe a year round nest is next

I sure hope you get to see the Golden Eagles, Tamara. I think the Bald Eagles are the most striking eagle of all.

I'll take the piliated.

Margaret--I'm glad that the chicks are so active. A wonderful season.

yes they are Margaret,I was just looking at some of my photos of them.Made me wish I had a real Camera..LOL..actually I didnt do too bad with the Digital . This one Eagle had to have been huge .

Hi All,
Margaret back from Africa where I followed all the goings on. Shame I missed the fledging - can't beleive it was so early(?). Any views why? also, can you hazard a guess as to the sex of the birds yet? Hopefully be down there this WE and glad that the 7D has worked out for you! Pete

Hey Pete, welcome back. I look forward to catching up and hearing about the African trip. You didn't bump into Denis, did you?

Looks like fledging was spot on target at 60 days, that's if the first chick hatched was the first to fledge. According to Alan Poole, 55-60 days is the norm. As to gender, there's no way of being sure, but I always thought the smaller one was a male and the other two, females. Males tend to be smaller and are likely to fledge before the females - precocious :)

I haven't been to the nest for 6 days, but will go this afternoon and will give an update later on.

Yesterday afternoon was dark and gloomy, but I went to the nest anyways as I was going through withdrawals. I went via the low path and had no idea there were ospreys in the tree above me until I received a warning from Big Hook, who was in the final stages of consuming a fish. One of the juveniles was a couple of feet from her. I took my cap off and told her it was OK, that it was just me, and she immediately settled down.

After about 10 minutes, Big Hook started a carry on, which heralded the arrival of another of her kids into a tree directly over the path and only 20' above me. The lighting and angle was dreadful. Here's a shot I took of the one above me. I've cropped it to exclude a branch.

I headed up towards the nest. One of the juveniles arrived - I have no idea if it was one of the two I'd just been watching. Big Hook flew onto the pole branch and then another juvenile did a couple of fly pasts. It then started some wonderful aerobatics. I only manage to grab a couple of lousy shots, but you'll get the ides. It was having such fun.

Certainly nothing amateurish about its flying skills.

In the process of flipping inverted just as it vanished behind a tree.

It soared and dived another couple of times before heading down to the water, pulling itself up at the last moment and flying back up into the trees. It really was grey and gloomy.

i love the fist one ,and I like the lack of color in the sky ,looks like a white backdrop in the other 2 shots. I think overcast days can make cool shots . Looks like they were having fun.

Love all your photos and information...
Thank you for this thread!

Love the first picture. The gray & gloomy skies don't hold these birds back. Looks like they are enjoying flight in any weather.

Your photos are fantastic, Margaret. The one of Big Hook looking at you is so great!

Love these Margaret. Wow! Did you ever get stared at by Big Hook.

These flight shots are wonderful, particularly so considering that it seems like such a short time ago we spotted one egg, then two, then three! We got to see the little hatchlings for whom we were all praying for their continued survival. Now they are developing into magnificent, graceful birds. Thanks Margaret for bringing us along on the journey.

Thank you one and all. It is amazing how quickly the time goes, GG. Now we need to see them with their own catch.

I may have worded things poorly on the close-up photo. That isn't Big Hook, it's one of the juveniles. The white scalloping to the dark feathers is a hallmark of a young Osprey. Neither it nor its sibling were perturbed by my presence. I had a look at the distance scale on my lens and this was the one that was 20' above me.

Amazing acrobatic shots. So great you got these actions in flight!

Incredible photos Margaret. That first closeup should be a poster!

Excellent close up!

These birds are such co-operative subjects sometimes. And when the lighting is just right, it's hard to go wrong.

I haven't seen all three juveniles for over a week, but I think they're all OK. At any one time I've seen two and heard a third. Yesterday I could see two together - even being fed together by Big Hook on the nest. Before that, one of them was eating a fish by itself and its sibling was sitting on the right hand branch, dozing, but would wake briefly to eye what its brother or sister had, give a brief pleading call and promptly go back to sleep. After about an hour, hunger pains must have made their presence felt and it flew down onto the nest to get its share of the fish.

Here's one of the juveniles heading down from the branch to the nest.

The one on the nest with a fish starts to mouth off as its sibling approaches.

Sorry I cut their legs off.

They both start mantling.

The one on the right pulls at the fish, but it's grasped very firmly by the one on the left. Tempers start to flare.

A bit of pushing and squealing.