On Osprey Time

Early breakfast at the nest. Rosie is eating with Olan on her left, Lilibit on the right. 1  Just think, it’s only been a month—one lunar cycle—since Rosie came out of her shell!  The nearly helpless, downy newborn, unable to hold up her head, resembles her  parents now and is learning to flap her wings. Life at the nest is laid back for Rosie and  her siblings Olan and Lilibit, one day blending into the next, as the chicks transform into  full adult birds. In two weeks they will be full-grown. Days revolve around meals with  little awake time in between. The chicks are literally maturing as they lay there napping  in the nest, increasing in size and mass, and filling in their adult feathers.   Orpheus (on perch) and Ophelia guard the nest against an aerial intruder.  Ophelia stands guard over her brood in the mombrella pose, holding her wings partially  out to create shade for her offspring. As the weeks pass, the chicks are outgro...

Worn tail feathers of an immature Osprey.  Feathers are complicated structures vital to the lives of Ospreys. Feathers are some of the lightest yet strongest materials in nature. Flight feathers, critical to the  Osprey’s existence, are extra strong. Feathers can withstand raging winds, rain,  snow, high doses of sunlight, and collisions with tree branches. Feathers are flexible too. If bent, a feather shaft will straighten.  Much goes into making the complicated interwoven structure of a feather, but they  are not meant to last forever. As we watch the Salt Point nestlings develop, the  wing and tail feathers are growing in quickly and will be complete within a few  weeks. The young bird will keep these over a year, at which point they are  replaced during a process called molting. This first set of feathers are not as strong  as adult feathers as they are thought to cushion blows during the early stages of  flight and fishing. ...

  Massive willow toppled at Stewart Park in yesterday’s storm, courtesy of Kevin Ernste. Strong thunderstorms ripped across Upstate New York on the first day of summer, uprooting trees, pulling utility lines to the ground, and knocking out power. The storm cut a path of destruction from Western New York to the Adirondacks, and Ithaca was  not spared. Late afternoon yesterday, powerful thunderstorm hit the southern end of Cayuga Lake with a wallop. The City of Ithaca closed Stewart Park, Newman Municipal Golf Course, and a portion of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail until further notice due to extensive tree damage. NYSEG reports that more than 7,500 of its customers are without power. No humans were hurt, but the storm took a heavy toll on the local Osprey population. Dark thunderheads, 65 mph winds, hail, lightening, and a curtain of rain marched down the lake yesterday causing a swath of destruction. When the storm hit the parks at the end of the lake, it flattened several sta...

  One month old chicks with rusty-cinnamon nape of neck, courtesy of Andy Morffew. Rosie is a day shy of being a month old, and the others are close behind. They are already 70-75% of their adult weight and are quickly developing to resemble adult birds. Rose’s camouflaging brown and buff feathers set off a handsome collar of rusty-cinnamon feathers. Olan also shows hints of this collar. Lilibit is still in the reptilian phase. The chicks spend the majority of their day laying in the shade of their mother, digesting their food, and sleeping. Periodically wings will flex or a leg may stretch, but the activity is held to a minimum in the hot weather. However, the second that Orpheus arrives with a fish and gives it to Ophelia, they come to life and waddle over to the food. Ophelia may eat some of the fish before sharing it, or she will wait for the  Fish deliveries cause much excitement at the nest. young to feed first. Typically Rosie gets the initial feedings, but Olan and Lil...