Two Ospreys appeared to be in high courtship-like flight over Michigan Hollow
yesterday. I wonder if there is uncharted nest somewhere in the extreme
southern Cayuga Basin.
Bill E
From: Candace Cornell
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2014 6:58 PM
To: cayugabirds-l
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Two Osprey chicks, perhaps 3 at Salt Point
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 as part of the Friends of Salt Point website. 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
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