Blog # 272 Hope

Hope, Ophelia’s first hatchling, was born May 20, 2020, after 38 days of incubation.  Born semi-precocial, Hope was born weak, wet, and relatively helpless, but in a few hours it was able dry off, open its eyes, and hold its head up with a neck made strong from breaking the egg shell (pipping). Ophelia’s second egg has yet to hatch, as they can take up to 42 days to pip. If the second egg laid does not hatch by Wednesday,  May 27, it is unlikely to be viable. The third egg laid has until May 30 to hatch. 

Hatchling Hope at 2 days old. Courtesy of the Salt Point Nest Cam. 

Ophelia’s behavior and that of all adult females changes once the first embryo hatches.  Instead of flying away with the fish delivered by Orpheus, as she does while incubating,  she takes the fish from Orpheus and stays at the nest. Ophelia will carefully tear small morsels of flesh from the fish and feed it to Hope. Ophelia will feed the hungry chick first and eat whatever is left over. When there’s a nest full of hungry youngsters,  the mother is often left with just the fins and tail. 

For the next few weeks, Hope must stay next to Ophelia to regulate its body temperature. Like its parents, a hatchlings pants to cool off. By a day old, Hope was 

able to stand weakly with head wobbling and beg at any movement near the side of the nest. If it is not Orpheus bringing a fish, then the young hatchling collapses back down Ophelia off eggs revealing Hope age 3-days old.. Courtesy of the Salt Point Nest Cam. 

into the nest cup. Hope is now 4-days old and getting easier to see with the nest  camera. 

The crop is an extension of the esophagus, which stores food as the bird eats, courtesy of Steph Baker. 

Hope is kept warm with a short, thick, buff-colored coat of down that will be replaced in  10–12 days. There are dark and light lines down its back and a slight bandit mask on its eyes for camouflage, as it blend remarkable well into the nest. As it grows, Hope will develop a crop—an expanded, muscular esophageal pouch near the throat, which is used to temporarily store food when the young bird eats. It develops quickly, becoming a large and conspicuous part of the body when it is full of food. The crop is an important adaptation made to store fish for a few hours without which the parents would have to continually feed their chicks—a near impossible task. When chicks are fed, you can actually watch the crop bulge as the young bird eats. 

Orpheus (L), Hope (4-days old), and Ophelia with a large sucker. Courtesy of the Salt Point Nest Cam. 

Except for feeding times, the hatchling sleeps in the nest cup made of grasses and  moss. This background gives it an added degree of camouflage when Ophelia leaves  the nest on warm days to fly around for a few minutes of exercise. When Ophelia does  this Orpheus is usually standing guard on the perch or in a nearby tree. Ospreys have  to be very protective of their young as they are vulnerable to mammalian predators.  Raccoons and red squirrels can climb into Osprey nests and prey upon eggs and newly 

hatched chicks. That is why Osprey platforms have metal anti-predator bands around  them.  

However, most threats to Osprey nests come from the sky. Large predatory birds prey on unprotected Osprey chicks and eggs in the nest. Great horned owls are common predators and will attack nests despite the parents’ defense. And while it’s not common,  these owls are capable of stealing away with adult females as well. Bald eagles, who routinely steal fish from Ospreys, also attack and kill Osprey chicks in their nests. Even great blue herons have been observed raiding Osprey nests. 

Watch this video showing the ferocity of an osprey mother protecting a chick from a surprise attack from  a great horned owl. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace 

Candace E. Cornell  

Friends of Salt Point  

Lansing, NY 

cec222@gmail.com 

Errata: Ophelia’s eggs were laid serially on April 12, 15, and 18, not on April 13, 16, and  19 as reported in Blog #271. 

Read!  

On Osprey Time (blog) 

Ospreys of Salt Point

Explore! 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail   

Watch!  

Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam

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