It's been frustrating since the Salt Point osprey nest is a few inches deeper than last year, but now that warm weather has come, I have finally seen this year's chicks—the eldest is 20 days old, the next looks about 17 days, and there may be a third like last year, but it is too difficult to see inside or through the stick nest to be certain. The female at Salt point, Ophelia, has started standing in her "Mombrella" (a term coined by osprey cam watchers) pose with wings partially spread, shading the chicks below and the little ones are now clearly visible panting in front of her or at meal time while being fed.
Female ospreys are the model of maternal sacrifice and absolute dedication as they maintain these poses for 18 hours a day from mid-June rain or shine until the chicks are too big to hide in the shadow she casts in late July. When temperatures are in the 90s or 100s, Salt Point's male, Orpheus, and other male ospreys hide in the shade of trees, but Ophelia, and the other mothers, must stand and shade their chicks. Ophelia can see the cool lake just yards away, but *never* takes off, leaving the chicks, to take a refreshing dip. Her refusal to abandon the chicks for even a moment to satisfy her own gratification shows the level of her stamina and perseverance. I spent weeks last summer observing her in awe of her tenacity and utter dedication to her nest and nestlings. For those interested, I summarize my osprey observations in a blog *On Osprey Time <http://www.lansingrec.com/parks/20-salt-point/salt-point-articles/27-on-osprey-time>* as part of the Friends of Salt Point website <http://www.lansingrec.com/parks/salt-point>. The highlight of the Salt Point and Osprey sites and blog are the wonderful photographs sent to us from photographers captivated by the point and the osprey family. The site will soon be expanding to include artwork, children's projects and reading, more local history, insect check lists, and much more. (Pardon the plug!) Good birding! Candace -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
