Blog # 411 A Tale of Two Chicks
Garbage along a flooded stream, courtesy of Dreamtime.
I thrive at this time of year when the fledglings fill the skies, and everywhere you look there’s an Osprey fishing. But not all the chicks survive to fledge; many die due to strangulation, choking, and smothering accidents from plastic in the nest. While many nests in the Cayuga Lake Basin are surprisingly free of anthropogenic trash, plastic twine, fishing line, and plastic bags can be seen hanging from the occasional nest. Ospreys are notorious pack rats, adding items they find along the beach to their nests, perhaps for insulation. The list of debris they incorporate into their nests is truly extraordinary.
This is the story of two eggs that hatched in Florida in February. It is a cautionary tale as the same thing is happening in nests across North America. There is an Osprey couple that has nested for over ten years at the Pink Shell Beach Resort in Fort Myers Beach with a nest camera streaming live online. Two eggs hatched, but only one chick survived. The nestling died during a storm when the mother tried to shield the chick from the wind and accidentally suffocated it with the plastic that was in the nest. Among the garbage, these Ospreys used to build their nest was a child’s flop-flop, a few pairs of socks, plastic bags, rope, plastic lipstick tubes, a piece of tire, and items of clothing.
The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) was called in by the hotel to help save the second nestling who was struggling amongst the waste. The Fort Myers Beach Fire Department came to the rescue, transporting CROW’s wildlife rehabilitation manager up to the nest in a
Nestling entangled in plastic covering its nest, courtesy of Conservation Wildlife Foundation of NJ.
firetruck bucket where she removed the trash and the deceased chick. A medical check was conducted on the surviving Osprey chick, and it was returned to the nest.
Nestling, rescued from the water, ready to be put back in a nest, courtesy of Birds of Prey Foundation
Days earlier on nearby Captiva Island, an Osprey nestling fell from its nest in the water and was admitted to CROW. The nestling had crackeling in its air sacs and laborious breathing, a sign that it may have aspirated water. The nestling’s nest was overwater and inaccessible, CROW decided to foster the chick in the Pink Shell Beach Resort nest. CROW took the opportunity to introduce this Captiva nestling to replace the deceased chick in the Fort Myers nest.
The parents later returned to the nest with food for the chicks. After a brief adjustment period for the new family, the parents resumed feeding the chicks. The foster nestling was bigger than the chick born in the nest, but there was no competition. The mother treated the chicks equally and took good care of them both.
The two chicks were being fed regularly until a series of storms passed through that week. The father must have had difficulty finding food as the family did not eat for two days. This proved fatal. The biological hatchling died. The foster chick, however, was healthy, and the parents continued to raise it until it finally fledged.
My favorite nest debris photo. Male Osprey delivering Curious George to his mate, courtesy of dodo.com.
Ospreys will use anything they find to build their nests; plastic and other refuse are ubiquitous, strewn all over the landscape. It is our responsibility as stewards of the environment to not litter or leave man-made items in the wild. The future of our ecosystems, water quality, wildlife, public health, and quality of life depend on clean and healthy environments.
Pick up garbage, courtesy of honestlymodern.
The tragedy of the Osprey chicks is a reminder of the importance of picking up litter, it is our
social responsibility. Garbage that gets dropped and not disposed of properly ends up in our waterway where it pollutes and can strangle other wildlife. Everyone should be held accountable for their garbage and their waste. Reduce your waste, dispose of it properly, and pick up trash when you find it. Together we can fight the plastic blight for Osprey, other wildlife, ourselves, and our children. The happy ending, of course, is that the foster chick protocol worked well.
Eyes to the sky!
Candace
Candace E. Cornell
Friends of Salt Point, Lansing, NY
Cayuga Lake Osprey Network
EYES TO THE SKY!
WATCH!
READ!
On Osprey Time: Ospreys of the Finger Lakes
VISIT!
HELP PROTECT OSPREYS:
Eggs will be hatching soon. Stay 300 feet away from nesting sites during the breeding
season. If the Osprey vocalizes, you are too close! Back off Immediately.
Carry binoculars to view wildlife from afar.
Help keep local waters clean, healthy, and safe.
Recycle used fishing lines, twine, and nets, which can kill Osprey.
Join the Cayuga Osprey Network and volunteer to help monitor Osprey nests: cec222@gmail.com.
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