Blog # 396 Race Against Time


On Osprey Time

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“Mombrella” shading her three chicks, courtesy of Cynthia Sedlacek.


Today Moana is 3 weeks old with his/her siblings Makani (19 days old) and Lani (17 days old) not far behind. The staggered birth order helps to ensure that at least one chick (the oldest and largest) is likely to survive. The three nestlings at Salt Point are growing before our eyes, with their weights doubling every week in these early stages. Daily changes are visible as the young birds gain muscle strength and coordination and grow their feathers. The three offspring are imprinting and forming critical attachments with their parents, especially to Ursula, and learning the finer points of being an Ospreys. It is a race against time: the sooner they grow, the more time they will have to learn flying and fishing, critical life skills they must master before migrating thousands of miles in September. 


The offspring progress through four stages. Osprey hatchlings grow slowly during their first days and change to nestlings within the first two weeks. At about ten days old, their growth begins to accelerate. Nestlings progress into fledglings after going through a period of rapid growth during weeks four to six. They approach their adult size by day 30. Food demands are highest during this rapid growth phase making fledglings vulnerable to starvation keeping Orpheus busy.

 

S-shaped growth curve showing the rapid growth period, courtesy of Dyfi.


Moana, Makani, and Lani are in this accelerated growth phase, changing their size and appearance daily. Lani’s growth is the most evident since (s)he is the smallest and differs significantly in size from Moana and Makani. By day 35 (June 28), the growth of the male chicks will level off, but the female nestlings will continue to grow, becoming 20% bigger than the males. 


The three-week-old nestlings are well camouflaged—a light spinal stripe and dark sides make them resemble twigs in an empty nest. One sharp warning call—a harsh Cheerp!—from Ursula and the chicks lay flat and still in the nest—their defense against predatory bald eagles and great horned owls.


The 3-week-old nestlings camouflaged as twigs with a light spinal stripe and dark sides


The three-week-old nestlings are well camouflaged—a light spinal stripe and dark sides make them resemble twigs in an empty nest. One sharp warning call—a harsh Cheerp!—from Ursula and the chicks lay flat and still in the nest—their defense against predatory bald eagles and great horned owls.


Some researchers consider this defensive behavior as feigning death or “playing possum,” a common behavior in the animal kingdom. Pretending to be dead is thought to make the prey less desirable to predators that hunt only living prey. However, eagles eat both live prey and carrion so there is no reason to carry on this ruse. The purpose of staying still is most likely to enhance the deception of the camouflage. With feathers imitating the shades of twigs, the motionless nestmates usually go undetected when unattended in the nest. Ursula is a good first-time mom, but she is not as attentive to her brood as Ophelia was in her early years. Unlike Ophelia, Ursula takes 1-3 minute breaks numerous times during the day, regardless if Orpheus is nearby leaving the young exposed to the elements. Ursula often took frequent breaks during incubation as well, but the eggs were fine and the nestlings are thriving.

 

Until they learn to fly, the young nestmates will be vulnerable to predators. Besides the two avian predators mentioned above, Ospreys must be wary of climbing nest raiders such as red squirrels, raccoons, and snakes that take eggs and young birds. The best protection a nestling can have is hiding under its mother’s mantling—partially held out— wings. 


Keep watching the Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam on YouTube and visiting the Osprey family in person at Salt Point. The nest cam offers you a unique opportunity to learn about the secret lives of these unique raptors. Over the next 3 weeks, the hatchlings will do little other than sleep, consume colossal amounts of fish, sleep again, and rapidly transform into magnificently adult Ospreys. Wing-flapping practice begins at 3 weeks old and becomes quite comical as the nestlings struggle to gain muscle strength and coordination. The chicks are halfway to fledging. In 3 more weeks, the nestlings will be so close to fledging that they’ll be able to taste it. To fly… to fish…to be an Osprey. The race against time is on. 


3+ week-old Osprey, courtesy of Andy Morffew.



Eyes to the sky!

Candace 


Candace E. Cornell 

Friends of Salt Point 

Cayuga Osprey Network

Lansing, NY 

cec222@gmail.com 

EYES ON OSPREYS

WATCH!

Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam 2021


READ!
On Osprey Time—A Blog  on the Ospreys of Salt Point & the Fingerlakes


VISIT!
Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail



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HELP PROTECT OSPREYS

  • Avoid getting too close to nesting sites during the breeding season. If an animal vocalizes when you're near, you are too close! Back off Immediately.

  • Carry binoculars to view wildlife from afar.

  • Restore, clean, and preserve lakeshore and wetland habitats. 

  • Recycle used fishing lines, which can be hazardous to Osprey. 

  • Join the Cayuga Osprey Network and volunteer to help monitor Osprey nests. Write to: cec222@gmail.com.

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