On Osprey Time

  Three perched fledglings are joined by a neighbor, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. All three Salt Point fledglings, entering their 15 th  week, developed rather quickly this summer, reaching the post-fledging dependency milestones of flying and fishing ahead of schedule, giving them ample time to develop their independency. The post-fledging period is harder to study as the fledglings roam, and their dependency on their nest begins to fade. Nest defense, however, is still sacrosanct, and it is defended by the adults and fledglings alike, that is unless you’re a neighborly Osprey teenager just wanting to hang out. The more the post-fledging-dependency period is studied, the more unusual aspects are revealed as they prepare the young Ospreys for a long independent life. Instead of feeding his offspring directly after fledging, Orpheus, and sometimes Ursula, leave food in the nest 2–3 times a day to ensure the young have the energy while they are learning to fish. It can take four ...

Osprey nest bursts into flames after wet branches made contact with live wires, courtesy of ABC4Utah. Many legacies of COVID persist today, one of which is deadly to the Osprey. Scratching your head? The connection (pun) is simple. Systems were broken and they have not been fixed. That includes New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) who has let their guard down protecting Ospreys. Since the onset of COVID, there’s been one if not more potentially nests catching fire annually, often killing the occupants, owing to NYSEG’s no longer taking precautions to stop this. This senseless loss of life enrages me to my very core. Nestling Ospreys and their doting parents were burnt alive as their nests atop utility poles explode into flames. The Ospreys’ big sloppy stick nests become serious fire hazards if they get so heavy the flammable nest materials make contact with the electrified wires. Tragedy ensures, birds die, and it could so easily have been prevented. The remedy is a simple $50 riser...

  Lilly flies about Salt Point, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. The Salt Point fledglings are in their twelfth week at Salt Point and busily exploring the area. Since fledging, the young have spent their airtime perfecting the art of play, flying in circles, steering amongst the trees, and chasing any bird they can find. Proper landing techniques and being able to balance on perches come with repetition as the young become more confident. All three fledglings use the small cottonwood snag on the lake edge for perching, preening, and resting between flights around the point. The fledglings sit on this perch for hours staring at the water as they develop search images of the fish they will soon hunt. Clinging to branches in the wind, they exchange distinctive low, repetitive whistles. The other day, two of the Salt Point fledglings demonstrated how they continually adjust their balance and footing with the help of their wings. If a fledgling falls backwards, it counters by rowing its win...

  Natural lighting as a fledgling takes off to fish, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. Like a child going to school for the first time, the young fledgling leaving the nest is exposed to a whole new world beyond their parent’s control. Ten-years of observations at the Salt Point nest (sample size = 29) reveal that maiden voyages, or first  flights, are usually spontaneous events that occur when conditions are just right: a gust of wind lifts a fledgling frantically flapping and trying to get airborne. Fledglings on their first short flights show only modest control as they beat their wings continuously to stay afloat. Gaining altitude is as problematic as steering. The fledglings usually stay proximate to the nest on first flights rarely flying higher than the trees as they circle the nest platform 2-3 times before their first landing. Several fledgling at Salt Point over the years have detoured to attempt landings on the snags before coming back to the nest but without success. Awk...