Bird Watching: Waiting for the Osprey eggs to hatch., 1 by MargaretK

MargaretK wrote:
Burd, you're right, it does seem like a miracle.

Pete, great shots.

Good information, Tiger.

Dad has been coming and going three or four times in the couple of hours each day that I've been spending at the nest. He'll go and catch a fish at Big Hooks insistence and may eat the head off before bringing it to the nest, but he occasionally responds to her demands by bringing it in live and flapping. This is particularly harrowing as Big Hook is such a klutz, carrying it around right next to the chicks.

Big Hook doesn't seem quite as comfortable and confident as she did last year. When Dad was sitting on the eggs, he'd settle down and barely move. Big Hook on the other hand was constantly looking around, getting up and repositioning herself. Since the chicks have hatched, this restlessness has persisted and both Madame X and I have noticed that she continues to move sticks around the nest, often perilously close to the chicks. Yesterday, I thought I was going to see a repeat of the awful events of the day before, when she was attempting to negotiate her way near the chicks, she stumbled a bit. She appears in robust good health and I don't think her clumsiness around the chicks is an indication of anything sinister. The fact that the eggs were visible and likewise the chicks could be seen from the time of hatching shows that the nest cup is much more shallow than in previous years. She is probably aware of this and is trying to build it up, but in so doing, is putting the chicks in danger.

Yes, nanny, I agree, cautious optimism. Who'd have thought that watching Ospreys could be so nerve-wracking.

I'll post a few shots from yesterday. When I first arrived at the nest, it was actually drizzling. In the more diffuse light, the eggshell from the new chick, along with the new chick.