On Osprey Time

Rosie and Lilibit flying in tandem in the sky, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  The Olympic Synchronized Divers have nothing on Salt Point’s tandem-flying fledglings.  Olan and Rosie rise in the sky in perfect tandem, crying out as they circle, dip, and  bank, anticipating each other’s moves. They are joined by Lili for a game of three-way  tag out over the lake. Today’s wind is strong and unpredictable, carrying the three birds aloft and tossing them about. Even the flight-tested gulls are having trouble staying in  the air. Wind currents abruptly switch directions leaving the Osprey without air beneath their wings. Leaning far to the left and falling wing first, Olan luckily caught another current to rise on. Suddenly finding himself hundreds of feet in the air being buffeted by  the wind, Olan decided to return to the nest. He traced conservative wide circles as he  slowly came into better view.  Rosie rising in the air, courtesy of Karel...

Orpheus flying over Salt Point, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  Canaries have been used for centuries as sentinels or early warnings to the exposure of  toxic buildup of carbon monoxide in coal mines; the birds are more sensitive to the  odorless gas than humans. Osprey, as top or apex predators in many aquatic  environments, are the modern sentinels or canaries for shoreline communities. Ospreys  make excellent environmental sentinels as they readily habituate to living among  humans, especially in industrial and municipal sites where water contamination may be  severe  Ospreys are long-lived (25 years), breed globally, and have strong nest fidelity and a restricted home range, returning annually to the same or a nearby nest. Their aquatic  diet is >99+% fish, and they hunt and feed within a few miles of their nests. Fish species  captured can be identified based on prey remains at nest sites, direct observations, and nest cam...

Olan flying over Salt Point Natural Area, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  Olan readily explores Salt Point and over the lake as he improves his flying skills. Initial  flights had signs of a tenuous pilot, but gained confidence is winning out. Rosie is being   Rosie and Olan with Ophelia, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. Rosie making an awkward landing at the nest.  more tentative in her explorations, staying closer to the nest. It is such a thrill to see the  fledglings giving themselves over to the wind, trusting it to support them with a safe  invisible force.   Rosie making another awkward landing at the nest, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. Olan atop a branch above Salmon Creek, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.  Later in the day Rosie joined Olan in his rounds flying the length of the peninsula and  back, playing follow the leader, Olan flew high up and Rosie tried to keep up with him.  Olan has mast...

A fledgling jettisoning feces over the side of the nest, courtesy of Andy Morffew.   What’s the scoop on that fishy white excrement Ospreys jettison while in flight or over   the sides of their nests? We do it, they do it, all animals do it. Every animal excretes  waste products from its body (except for demodex mites, which don't have anuses and   simply store waste in their bodies until they die.)   Ospreys, like humans, defecate undigested remains from the food they’ve consumed.   Also like humans, Ospreys produce nitrogenous waste as a byproduct of digesting their   food into molecules usable by the body’s cells. Humans excrete excess nitrogen as   urea diluted in water or urine. Birds are more conservative.   Staying light for flight, Ospreys and other birds do not have heavy bladders like ours. They also need their metabolic water reserves for other things, such as long distance   flights. Ospreys and other birds excrete nitrogen ...