On Osprey Time

  Ursula and two of her offspring waiting for Orpheus to arrive with food, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. With the fledglings flying about, the nest looks empty, and it is most of the day. However, the nest is still a noisy family meeting place for meals and a refuge for sleeping fledglings. The siblings’ days are spent practicing important survival and life skills derived from combinations of instinctive (nature) and learned (nurture) behaviors. Ursula takes it easy in the shade of the cottonwoods as she is no longer needed by her family. She’s begun feeding herself to make up for the weight she lost over the breeding season and visits the nest at mealtime happy to nibble at a fish. After she has regained her strength, she will migrate to her wintering spot somewhere in South America, dodging hurricanes along the way. At noon today, Ursula went to the nest calling for food. She was joined by fledglings O’Connor, O’Leary and O’Shea in an ear-piercing chorus of begging that probably tr...

  O’Leary in flight, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. They’ve taken to the sky, euphorically banking turns and touching the lake surface with their talons. The Salt Point fledglings O’Connor, O’Leary, and O’Shea took their maiden flights beginning on July 8th and are now perfecting their aerial skills. These free-flying young birds needed no coaxing from their parents to leave the nest but always return to the nest for mealtime. Finally able to touch the sky, the fledglings chase each other around the nest area, dipping into the lake and flying high. They are a marvel to watch. The fledgling plumage continues to grow on their wings and tail with the flight feathers still much shorter than an adult’s. They will retain their amber eyes and buff wing tips as their adult feathers continue to grow. As the young develop more flying skills, look for them in the cottonwoods along Salmon Creek. Steady landings are a constant challenge for young fliers as they struggle to coordinate their wings a...

  A male Osprey bringing a brown bullhead home for dinner, courtesy of Cynthia Sedlacek. There’s an air of excitement at the Salt Point Osprey nest. In a flurry of feathers and flapping wings powered by fish, O’Shea (#3) and later O’Connor (chick #1) took to the sky on their maiden voyages yesterday afternoon. On O’Shea’s second flight, she landed in the cottonwood on the left side of the screen and sat for over seven minutes before returning to the nest. She is the smallest, most nibble of the group, and was the first to fledge. Flapping flight uses a great deal of energy, and the nestlings seem constantly famished as they complete their eighth week of life. The remains of Hurricane Beryl will pass through the Finger Lakes within the hour and the wind and dark clouds are already building. Once one brood-mate takes to the sky, the others desperately want to follow. The pressure on O’Leary (#2) to fly like her sisters is intense today, but the wind may be holding her back. Meanwhile...