Blog #256 Meet Myer and Ms. Liberty

I held my breathe while rounding the bend of Myers Road toward the park entrance; will they be there? In a small hillside meadow is an Osprey platform built about four years ago called the Myers Hill nest. The first year at the nest was a bust for the female, Ms.  Liberty. Her mate was a slacker, a poor provider, whom she wasted a breeding season with and later summarily dismissed. Her new mate of two years, Myer, has been a  model partner, always attentive and providing ample fish for the family.  

Myer bringing a brown bullhead to his nest, photo courtesy of Karel and Cindy  Sedlacek.  

Named after the long since vanished Lansing lakeside community of Libertyville, Ms.  Liberty guards her nest. Myer flew from the lake toward the nest with a small bullhead secure in his talons, allerting all within ear shot of his latest catch. A pair of intruding  Ospreys suddenly appeared on the scene, looking for an unoccupied nest. Ms. Liberty lifted from the nest, and following Myer’s lead, chased the interlopers in circles above the Myers Hill nest. The contest continued for several minutes as Myer rebuffed the offenders’ persistent attempts to claim the nest. Loud warning cries and aggressive shrieks attracted an ever growing audience of avian and human onlookers. 

Ms. Liberty protecting her nest, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  

Suddenly, this high-pitched encounter ended. The intruders flew off with Myer chasing  close behind. With disaster averted and peace restored to their home, Ms. Liberty and  Myer perched on the nest, Myer still holding the fish in his talons. Myer ripped off much  

of the bullhead’s lips and face before Ms. Liberty grabbed the fish. For the rest of the  hour, the two shared the fish until only bones and fins were left. When they were  satiated with fish, Myer sealed the deal by mating with Ms. Liberty.  

Myer about to mount Ms. Liberty, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. 

Myer approaching Ms. Liberty to mount her, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  

Myer mounts Ms. Liberty, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. 

A receptive Ms. Liberty lowers her head and raises her rump to give Myer access,  courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  

A satisfied Myer dismounts, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. 

At the beginning of the breeding season, competition for the best nesting sites is intense. Scores of unmated Osprey intruders—so-called floaters—typically pester breeding pairs, testing the strength of their pair bonds and their commitment to their nests. A particularly aggressive, robust intruder could break up a newly formed pair or displace an older, ailing mate, confiscating the prized nest and seducing the remaining spouse.  

Myer patrolling around his nest on Myers Hill, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  A sleeping Myer in his nest with Ms. Liberty on the perch, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  

Intruders, Ospreys without nests and mates, float from one colony to the next, looking for possible mates and unused nest sites. Such floaters are important to the overall 

Osprey population by serving as ready replacements for missing and lost mates and by continually adding to the genetic mix. However, overly persistent intruders can stress a  breeding pair so much that they fail to breed, as was the case last year with Ophelia and Orpheus at Salt Point. Let’s hope for a successful breeding season for all our area  Ospreys!  

Eyes to the sky!  

Candace  

Candace E. Cornell  

Friends of Salt Point  

Lansing, NY  

cec22@cornell.edu  

Report New Osprey Nests! 

If you find an Osprey nest NOT listed on the Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail, PLEASE email  me the date, nest location with nearby cross roads, if any Ospreys were in the nest, and  the nest’s GIS coordinates if possible. The ongoing Finger Lakes Osprey Survey depends on reports like these to locate and track the rapidly expanding area osprey population! Please email your reports to cec22@cornell.edu. Many thanks for your help!  

Read!  

On Osprey Time 

Ospreys of Salt Point 

Explore! 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail  

Guest Photographers:  

Videographers and photographers Cindy (Bogette) and Karl Sedlacek are intrepid raptor  enthusiasts, musicians, and local IT experts. Cindy and Karel record the daily life of the 

Cornell University Red-tail Hawks on livestream.com/ karelsedlacek and share their  captivating photographs with the Lab of Ornithology.  

  

During Osprey season, they regularly observe Olive and Olin at the university’s  McGovern soccer fields and keep an eye on select Osprey nests in the Ithaca area,  including the Stewart Park, Inlet, Union Fields, and Cass Park nests. “I love being with  the birds and trying to capture some of their beauty,” says Bogette (Cindy’s name is  derived from the feminine form of “BOG” (Birder On the Ground.) 

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