The Forum Has Moved!

3;33pm One more afternoon just because it is so lovley to see the sparkling water and see who shows up on the sandbar. It really is empty over there. Does everyone leave when the Osprey's go?

Was she as tranquil as she looked in your s'caps, everyone?

Yes, Bluebird1, she was. I kept trying to see if she was calling out at all and I was never able to see her make so much as a peep.

Yesterday afternoon I was going to comment on the 'into the nest poopshot' that JKR documented yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Mom came home and distracted me. Other than very young eagle chicks who are not able to project their excrement beyond the edge of the nest (I imagine it is the same for osprey young) I do not ever recall seeing that happen.

I think the evidence of said event is documented on the larger of the 2 stones on the nest. Looks like it has a bit of a splash of poo on it, on the far edge. Hardly the kind of good-bye we would have anticipated but maybe it is significant, who knows? Image at 400x zoom.

Poo-splashed rock, soiled just before last sighting of a juvie on the nest Tues. a.m. Sept. 11


Question: will we get to see the nest dismantled and the cam cleaned? Or, do they turn off the cam before doing those chores?

Thanks for your memories, BET

The next major "out of the norm" event was the hatching. Instead of the every other day, all three hatched within 26/30 hours. (I can't find the page in the forum with the time details) Not only that, we were able to watch Mom literally open the second egg with her beak - hatching the chick.

There is some general information on hatching events at the begining of the thread.

Brief Overview of Nest History

June 12th --- One egg hatched sometimes before dawn.

June 12th ---Second egg hatch in the afternoon. ( twins !)

One egg may be compromised after being covered with plastic early in incubation stage.

June 13th -- amazingly enough the Third egg hatched ! We have three chicks.

6:41pm no activity on the nest but a few white birds out on the sandbar now and then

It's lonely here without them...

OUT

8-10pm

A fiery Sunset over the river

8:39pm.............Of course,as expected, the nest is empty. I just want to thank you BET, for the excellent sequence of events for us all to read. Many like myself found this nest late and did not witness first hand the things that happened to this family. Your post really helped to fill in the gaps, so to speak. I also want to thank all the regular posters here who graciously shared this nest with us newcomers. What a lovely family this was to watch! And I don't think I will ever be so impressed with a bird in my whole life as I was with this mom. "Awesome" is a much overused word but that describes her to a tee. This is definitely a nest I will watch again next season as I can't wait to see what the future holds for "our little lady". Good bye all...........talk to you soon. I will continue to check this site if it is still operational in case we have some word on the 3rd chick.

Beautiful summary Bet!

Be safe precious Calgary Osprey family!

Gorgeous sunset picture BET!

I too want to thank the regular posters here for the warm welcome. It makes all the difference in the world.
carolyn

BET, the only way that sunset photo could be more perfect is if our O family were sitting on the nest!

Thank you to everyone for allowing me to watch and learn with you about this beautiful, majestic bird.

I didn't realize how emotional bird-watching could become, or how empty it would feel once the family left.

My sentiments match everyone elses:
Dad's skills, along with his commitment to provide for his mate and young were stellar. Memories of him bringing Koi to the nest will remain with me always...I like to think that he enjoyed surprising them with this delicious treat - any time he could get his talons on one. :koi:
Mom, well, she just exceeded anyone's expectations of what we thought she could handle. All at once, she was dealing with losing her mate, the physical trauma of the hailstorm, and suddenly realizing she has become the sole provider of her chicks. I'll never forget watching the video of her coming to the nest when the hailstorm began - leaving her protection in the trees to be on the nest with her chicks even though she could not protect them from the hail. How powerful and deep the motherly instincts must be!
Her fishing skills improved daily - some catches were almost as large as herself. She tirelessly kept bringing those fish home for her young to plump them up for migration while sacrificing her own preparation for migration.
She then had to deal with one of her chicks going missing - either migrating early, or trapped on a balcony?
And finally, leaving all of us in awe, she does not leave for early migration - but uses every additional day to continue to build and strengthen her chicks. She's the last to leave...possibly sitting on the nest those last 2 hours waiting for her missing chick before she leaves. She's truly remarkable!
I'm just amazed by having witnessed these powerful instincts that kicked in for Mom as required.
Speaking of instincts - it's mind-boggling to think that the juvies, who have never migrated before, know where to go.

May they all have a safe journey to their winter home. What a privilege it would be to see Mom back again at this nest next year. Our thoughts are with all of you precious Osprey...may you enjoy a long, healthy life!