Thank you all for your reports on the ospreys. I injured my shoulder again and I'm going to be one-armed for a while so please continue sending me any osprey reports you can. I greatly appreciate every sighting and keep them all for use in local osprey population studies and conservation.
Husband Dave and I went to SP after my doc apt. at 3:15 pm and saw both Odin and Orion flying well. Odin made several attempts to fish dropping down from his perch next to the creek and Orion circled the platform and made an unsuccessful attempt to land on a limb and opted for the nest. Odin's fl;edge date was July 31 and Orion was Tuesday August 5. Unlike last year's fledges which were behind schedule as are most new nests, these chicks have ample time to learn the finer points of flying and fishing before migration. Just as we were leaving four intruders came to the nest en masse, circling it repeatedly as they were pursued by Ophelia and Orpheus. Odin was sitting in a tree nearby and Orion sat on the nest platform during the entire encounter which lasted over seven minutes. (Most encounters with intruders around the nest last one to three minutes.) The intruders were especially aggressive, staying close to the nest and not letting Orpheus and Ophelia drive them away over the lake as usual. The parents repeatedly flew close to the nest and chirped at Orion. (I assumed they were checking on him.) The intruders never got closer than 50 feet from the nest as Ophelia would base them instantly. I plan to discuss the apparent increase in intruders in the area in an upcoming blog. The next important date, which could happen anytime now, is when Ophelia leaves for her long migration 2K-4K miles depending on her destination. (I consider her migrated, when I have not seen her after three days of six- hour observations.) Between that time, we should see some very fine flying from the adults and the painful learning process of flying and fishing. After Ophelia leaves on migration, Orpheus will continue to bring fish to the nest for Odin and Orion until they can fish for themselves and are officially juveniles. Once again, thank you each and every one for you continued help. I can not tell you how much it means to me and it is crucial to the information I am trying to gather. Please send any questions you'd like address in a blog. 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/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
