Osprey FAQ

2003 Commentaries

July 19, 2003 Commentary: The timeline notes: July 15, 12:36 PM, both the chicks are lying motionless next to the grass. The hen is sitting on the perch and calling. The hen then circles the nest, lands and becomes very agitated, screeching and holding her wings out. Suddenly a shadow flies in from the north and the hen crouches down and then flips over exposing her talons upward. As the attacker flies by she flips back on her feet and watches the other bird as it flies away. The attacker makes several more passes and the hen leaps up at it. On the final pass, the hen leaps up and flies off. During the entire incident and for the next 30 minutes or so, the chicks don't move or make any sounds. At 14:00 (2:00 PM) the 2 chicks and the hen are all moving about the nest as usual.

Commentary:

This was obviously an attack or at least aggressive behavior by another bird. But what kind of bird could attack a full grown Osprey? In his excellent book “Ospreys, A Natural and Unnatural History” Alan Poole writes that he found seven Osprey carcasses, all of which were incubating females, were found with puncture wounds from talons in their bodies. All of the seven dead Ospreys had been partially eaten. Dr. Poole attributed the attacks to Great Horned Owls which nested nearby. Great Horned Owls are very large, and are adapted to taking large prey. An Osprey sitting on a nest at night would be a tempting target. However, the fact that the attack at our nest was recorded in the middle of the day would seem to indicate that it was a diurnal bird, not a nocturnal hunter like a Great Horned Owl. It is possible that an eagle would attack young Ospreys. It is also likely that an adult Osprey would be able to fend an eagle off. Another possibility would be an attack by a young inexperienced buteo such as a Red-tailed Hawk. Red-tailed Hawks are large and are fairly common on Long Island. A hungry inexperienced young Red-tailed Hawk might have overflown the nest a few times in the hopes of an easy meal. If that was the case for our nest, the young Red-tailed Hawk has now learned a new lesson –mother Ospreys will defend their young vigorously!

July 16, 6:00 AM, first chick leaves the nest, July 16, 13:19 (1:19 PM), second chick leaves the nest. The fledging of both young on July 16 was very exciting news. No longer bound to the earth the Ospreys we have been watching for months have now flown from the nest. Fledging refers to a bird’s first flight. Our birds are no longer nestlings; they have fledged and are now post-fledglings. This is a critical time period for them. No longer will they have to wait for their parents to come back to the nest with food. Now they will need to learn to hunt on their own, and to catch enough food to grow and to be able to undertake their long southward migration. Fledged young vary widely in how fast they become independent. Typically they are dependent on their parents for 10-20 days from fledging. It has been reported that some Ospreys catch fish within three days of leaving the nest. It has also been demonstrated that Ospreys, which have been raised by humans quickly, learn how to catch fish on their own, even though they have no parents to teach them. The young Ospreys will likely stay around as long as their parents are in the area. In that time they may visit other Osprey nests and beg for food. It is not uncommon for adult Ospreys to feed unrelated young – apparently they are unable to distinguish between their own young and a stranger. When the adults leave on their southward migration in late August or early September the young may stay near the nest for a few more days, but will more likely leave at the same time as their parents.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ospreys

Q. "Would the DPOF consider putting a transmitter on one of our ospreys? What a great way for all of us to keep track and keep in touch with 'our Ospreys.'"

A. This is a good question that I do not think has been considered by the DPOF. Our goal at the DPOF was to create a webcam and to watch “our” Ospreys through their nesting season. It would really be exciting to track one of “our” Ospreys via satellite. That being said, Ospreys are protected and permits, including a valid research proposal, would be needed in order to place a satellite transmitter on one of our birds. We will keep this question in mind and see if any of our members are engaged in research that would be enhanced by the type of data that satellite tracking an Osprey from this area would generate. In all likelihood, if this were to happen, it would be in a future nesting season, not the 2003 season. It is a great suggestion and an interesting project to contemplate.

Timeline

July 14, the chicks are practicing flapping and hopping for much longer periods. Early in the morning, the chicks took turns exercising their wings. The larger chick actually flew up out of the camera view for a
few seconds. Even the other chick was impressed as it watched!

July 14, 15:43 (3:43 PM), Adult brings a small fish and as soon as it landed in the nest the smaller chick lunged and grabbed it. The adult then took off leaving the larger chick screeching and circling around the nest. The smaller chick kept its head down and ate the whole meal in about 8 minutes.
The larger chick kept circling and flapping its wings in protest, and even lunged at the smaller chick, but it didn't get the prize. Even after the fish was gone, it continued to scold and threaten. Finally, after 3 or
4 minutes, the larger chick decided to exercise its wings on the edge of the nest and quiet down.

July 15, 12:36 PM, both the chicks are lying motionless next to the grass.
The hen is sitting on the perch and calling. The hen then circles the nest, lands and becomes very agitated, screeching and holding her wings out. Suddenly a shadow flies in from the north and the hen crouches down and then flips over exposing her talons upward. As the attacker flies by she flips back on her feet and watches the other bird as it flies away. The attacker makes several more passes and the hen leaps up at it. On the final pass, the hen leaps up and flies off. During the entire incident and for the
next 30 minutes or so, the chicks don't move or make any sounds. At 14:00 (2:00 PM) the 2 chicks and the hen are all moving about the nest as usual.

July 16, 6:00 AM, first chick leaves the nest. An adult was on the perch and the chicks were calling to it. The adult left and the smaller (# 2) chick started doing exercise lift offs. After several lift offs it went up
and to its right (west) and disappeared.

July 16, 13:19 (1:19 PM), second chick leaves the nest. Both chicks were in the nest, the larger (#1) was exercising and pacing about the nest, the other (#2) was lying down behind the grass. #1 took off for the perch but misses, (you can hear it hit the perch). The other chick sits up and watches as #1 circles above and around the nest. #1 finally succeeds in landing on the perch and #2 appears to call out in approval, then does a little victory dance. The two call back and forth as #1 sits on the perch.

July 17, the first full day after both fledglings have taken to the air. They have taken turns flying off, # 2 more than # 1, but return to the nest to be fed and rest. The adults bring small fish that are taken by one
or the other fledgling, but neither will share.

July 18, the hen and the young continue to return to the nest to feed. The competition for the fish the male delivers is fierce and sometimes violent as the young birds and the hen all go for it. The young then try to
steal the fish away from each other.

Week ending July 26, the chicks are spending time away from the nest but return for feedings. The adults will bring a fish and leave it for the young birds, who then compete for it. Usually one or the other will get the meal and finish it without the other getting any, but they both seem to get their share over the course of the day. All four birds spend the night out of the nest.

Visit our Ospreycam any time and this webpage again for an updated commentary for the week.