As of April 6, 2021, superdad hasn’t returned, sadly. Chances are slim now that he’ll make it back, meaning he has likely passed away from age or accident during migration. He is/was at least sixteen years old, possibly much older.
Mom returned on March 27, and the new, dark-legged male made an appearance late in the day on March 30. There were some courtship attempts on the 31st, but bonding started getting serious on April 1, and nest-building began in earnest. He’s likely a young bachelor and has caught on quickly. They seem to be cooperating well with nest building and pair-bonding.
The nest is coming along nicely, considering it was nothing but a small pile of sticks in the center on the last day of March. Once the male started bringing in sticks, mom did, as well.
Mom has historically started laying eggs 10-19 days after reunion with superdad. To keep track, the day-count timer is in the sidebar. As this is a new bond, so we’ll wait and see what happens this year.
It’s going to be an interesting season, and I’m hoping they are spared the trauma and drama of last year.
Both mom and dad were on the nest as of the evening of March 23, with dad making his appearance on March 22 and mom around 6:30pm on the 23rd. This has the potential to be their earliest egg-laying ever. The previous earliest date of reunion was March 25 (2017).
March 24-25: There has been a lot of stick gathering as they build up the rails, along with the beginnings of courtship and mating. These early days help rev up the hormones for egg production!
All resident ospreys have migrated. Safe journeys to all!
#3 departed on August 22 at 95 days old, 38 days post-fledge.
#2 headed out on August 26 at 102 days old, 42 days post-fledge.
Mom left on August 28, the first day of her normal departure window!
Dad was last spotted on September 15.
VIDEO: Last time #3 was spotted (August 22, morning)
VIDEO: Last sighting of #2 (August 26, morning)
VIDEO: Last time mom was on cam, two days before migration. Dad brought her a fish on the afternoon of #2’s departure, then later in the day, she headed to the cam platform, and that was it! (This vid is from August 26, and she migrated on the 28th.)
Both chicks fledged within 40 minutes of each other!
#3 went first and took the plunge at 05:52. He made a two minute round trip and returned safely to the nest.
Not to be outdone by her younger brother, #2 made her first flight at 06:30. She flew around the area for about three minutes before landing on a light array at the fairgrounds arena.
Video: Morning stick antics and a stick dance. The kids need to practice duck-and-cover drills. 😀
Video: When your sibling gets ahead in the lunch line, pull his tail!
Video: #3 finally started instigating sparring matches (a healthy development!). #2 seemed reluctant to participate, at first, but then reminded #3 who’s the boss for now with a beak grab and two missed pecks. #3 immediately–and wisely–cried uncle and took the submissive posture.
In this vid, mom loses a live fish in the rails and sends dad for another one. He gets back in about three minutes! There is also a very short bout of bonking/rivalry, more blackbird antics, and a full meal. 🙂
Feedings (7+)
05:45 Small meal from a dry tail
07:55 Fresh fish and a good meal.
09:03 Dad fed mom and #3 for a long time before mom took over.
11:09 Live fish.
13:14 Live bluegill. (after losing one in the rails at 13:08)
14:10
16:42
(more feedings with times not documented)
Other events
#3 got accidentally knocked to his back at 17:09 by mom (from the side of the nest cup down into the cup). Mom and #2 then snuggled down. He was trapped for just shy of an hour before mom got up. Her digging disturbed #2, who moved to the side, and a minute later, #3 was able to struggle upright. Whew! (Suffocation in that situation is a risk.)
Video: Live fish in the nest cup, plus #3 topples #2. (The chicks were unharmed.)
Week 2 Aggression
#3 is seven days old today, and #2 is nine days.
Week 2 is the peak time for aggression and sibling rivalry even when there are no fish shortages. This is a normal stage of development and, because of the abundance of fish, tends to taper off after week 2.
Typically on this nest, “bonking,” sparring, and aggression take place between meals and at the beginning of meals, with the meal itself being peaceful once the less dominant chick assumes a submissive posture with head down. This subdued, head-down posture does not mean the chick is injured, only that it is is signaling, “Okay okay okay! You win for now!”
Once dominance has been established, either the dominant chick will eat to satiety, then the less dominant will get some leftovers, or the meal will proceed as if nothing had happened, with the chicks eating side-by-side. If the rivalry starts up again during the meal, the cycle may repeat. This is a normal pattern among osprey chicks.
The behavior serves an overall survival purpose for a brood in general, though brutal on the smallest individuals. When there is plentiful fish, the behavior typically tapers off. But in a nest with scarce food resources, the aggression may be brutal from the beginning (with no cooperative feeding) and continue well beyond the first two weeks, even to the point of siblicide. This helps assure survival of the strongest chick or chicks. From a nest-success perspective, it’s better to have one or two thriving fledglings than three or four weak ones. Nature can be just as harsh as she is beautiful!
Over the next few days, as #3 enters his second week, we’re likely to see him defending himself sometimes and even picking a fight on occasion. Hopefully, by the first days of June, they’ll be in a gentler period.
In the first video, #2 first “attacks” mom, then pecks at #3 a few times, seeming to miss as much as hit. #3 takes the best action under the circumstances and goes into a still, submissive posture. #2 is starting to do the pinch-and-twist move, now, rather than simple pecking. A milestone!
In the second video, mom accidentally steps on #2’s head, and #2 gets up and lashes out.
Feedings (10)
06:38
07:40
09:00
10:00
12:38
14:07
15:24
17:23
18:35 Live fish in the nest!
19:35
Other events
An intruder landed with a fish at 12:33, and mom drove him off. This was not the visitor from a few days ago. (vids from both cams coming later)
Dad let a live trout loose in the nest and it ended up in the cup with the chicks–a new experience for them! Mom chose to eat an old, dry tail, but eventually retrieved the trout.
The day dawned with the welcome glow of sunshine, and apart from some wind in the afternoon, seemed a near perfect weather day for our osprey family. The nest seems to have dried out and the forecast for the near future is bright.
The chicks had seven meals and both ate heartily. There were a couple of episodes of short-lived bonking, but not during meal times. #3 was quite nimble (for an osprey chick!) in climbing out of the cup and had no trouble reaching the rail for fish, often ahead of #2. Though there is still a considerable size difference, it doesn’t seem as pronounced today.
Here’s to a great and fish-full weekend!
Feedings (7)
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
06:56 Mom fed both chicks from a huge fish until stuffed. At one point, #3 grabbed #2’s beak and toppled her into the nest cup. #2 was right up front and not shy about grabbing for bites.
08:54 Dad brought back the big fish and mom had a good meal before feeding the chicks again.
09:46 After mom had more fish, she fed the chicks a snack-meal. They weren’t begging much, having had two good meal earlier. There was a bit of bonking before the meal, and #2 got most of the snack.
10:39 Bonking before the feeding started, then mom was blocking the view during most of the feeding, but from what could be seen, both ate until they fell asleep.
12:40 Lunch time! Both chicks ate voraciously. #3 had a bite that was too big, and #2 stole it from him. (noted by Beth)
16:41 The youngsters came right up to the rail to gorge on a big fish. There was a little bonking shortly before the fish arrived, but the meal was peaceful.
18:55 #3 fast-crawled out of the cup and to dad on the rail with a fish. Dad fed mom and #3 a few bites before mom took the fish and fed both chicks.
Other events
Non-osprey. A cormorant caught a fish and was trying to subdue and swallow it when a pelican glided in to steal it. I don’t think the pelican got the fish, but I suspect the cormorant lost it. (vid below)
From the OSMP (Boulder City) nest: A pair of ravens harassed the brooding female, likely in an attempt to steal her single egg. They failed, but it shows how vulnerable the eggs can be to predation. (vid below)
#2 hit dad with a squirt after dinner. (vid below) 😀
Video: Pelican tries to steal a fish from a cormorant.
Video: Ravens harass the brooding OSMP female.
Check out the shadows in the lower left corner when the ravens are out of view to see them flying over the nest.
What a difference a day makes! After yesterday’s worries with wet chicks and hypothermia, today gave us the chance to breathe a sigh of relief. The morning started off with a visitor (possibly and offspring) spending some quality time hanging out with mom. The rest of the day was calm, with ten feedings and both chicks eating heartily.
#3 is a little behind the curve in size, but should catch up soon. He didn’t have a lot of fish his first couple of days, then there was snow and fewer feedings, then he had the issue with an obstruction and missed a few meals. He’s been eating like a champ since yesterday morning, and will be growing fast!
#2 hit a milestone of the first “bonking” (striking with beak at a sibling’s head). On this nest, the most prominent time for this is from day 7 though the second week. (More info below.)
There was a bit of rain before sunset, but all in all a glorious day for our osprey family.
Morning visitor
05:41 Male visitor lands on the nest. Mom makes a couple of get-off-my-nest moves, but no lunges. Then she goes to the rail and is calm.
05:42 Mom is calm on the rail. Visitor does nestorations.
O5:45 mom returns to chicks. Visitor on the rail.
05:46 Visitor puts a stick on mom.
05:54 Visitor picks up leftover fish and eats.
05:55 Visitor departs with fish.
06:10 Visitor returns with fish and mom fish calls to him.
06:11-06:47 Visitor putters around the nest and hangs out on the rail.
06:47 Visitor flies off and then returns. mom is fish-calling.
06:48 Dad arrives with a fresh fish. Visitor is interested. Dad lets go of the fish and visitor heads for it, but then dad picks up the fish again and flies off.
06:49 visitor flies off.
08:02 Visitor lands on nest again briefly with mom giving excited guard calls. Stays only a moment and flees dad.
Handsome visitor chills on the rail.
Video: Visitor places a stick on mom, and she is not impressed.
VIDEO: The visitor is on the far left at the beginning, then flies off and returns on the right. Mom started fish calling as she saw dad (off-nest) with a fish.
Dad brought in a fish, and was giving the soft peeps he does when all is well. He released hold of the fish, and it looked for a moment like the visitor might take it, but dad seemed to think better of it, reacquired the fish and flew off. The visitor followed. (A short time later, both mom and dad warned the visitor off when he returned.)
Feedings (9)
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
07:52 Mom ate before starting to feed the chicks. Both ate voraciously.
09:41 Both ate from a fresh trout. #3 had the most.
10:46 Another feeding! Both ate, and all is calm.
11:57 Lots of fish to be had, along with a close up of the chicks.
13:34 Both chicks ate well and had full crops.
15:34 More fish! #2 took the lead after possible “bonking.” #3 came in late, but mom was done with the feeding and swallowed the tail.
16:44 The chicks ate, but neither was enthusiastic. They are soooo full of fish.
17:44 A good feeding with both (already stuffed) chicks getting bites, though #2 got the lion’s share of this one. Mom repeatedly tried to feed her a long piece of entrails, but she couldn’t manage it. 🙂
18:41 Mealtime! #2 bonked #3 a few times, then they settled in for a food meal. The chicks are so stuffed, they ate didn’t bother to get up for a lot of the bites. Like having dinner on the sofa!
20:14 Last meal (probably!) of the day. Wow. The chicks ate and ate. Where do they put all of it?
VIDEO: Mom and #3 eat fish eyes. Mom eats the first fish eye, then feeds the second to #3, who drops it. Mom dutifully retrieves if and re-feeds. #3 had no trouble with it the second time!
Notes
We had the first incident of “bonking” this morning. Historically for this nest, the sibling rivalry stage runs from about day 7 through the end of the second week. (Chick #2 is seven days old today, so right on target!) There may be incidents after that, but that has been the peak period in previous years. This is a perfectly normal developmental stage, though it can be tough to watch sometimes. On this nest, there is usually plenty of fish, so the behavior has never persisted or grown deadly. We’ll observe to see what this season brings!
After a cold, wet night when both chicks were at serious risk, the day held promise. Both chicks ate, though perhaps not as voraciously as expected until the evening meal. Intermittent sluggishness seemed to be the most noted behavior, with the overnight and morning cold likely to be the culprit. There were improvements throughout the day, with the 6pm-ish feeding being the most normal since yesterday morning, and both chicks looking good at the same time for the first time today. At the 7pm feeding, both seemed robust with full crops. Whew!
Hypothermia risk: During the night (with temperatures in the 30s) and in the morning, #2 exhibited signs of potential hypothermia (see notes below). We don’t know for sure if hypothermia wass the cause, but based on the conditions yesterday and through the night plus behavior, it appears to be the likeliest explanation, but still best-guess speculation.
With mild to moderate hypothermia, there shouldn’t be any long term complications, and the outward signs abated once she got adequately warm and dry.
Moderate hypothermia: slow, weak pulse, slowed breathing, lack of co-ordination, irritability, confusion and sleepy behavior
The above is for humans, but it parallels what was seen in #2 overnight, as well as this morning, though less pronounced. The bolded parts could be observed. The others may have been present, but we have no way to know.
The body of chick #1: Today, mom carried off the body of chick #1. She first removed it from the nest cup, then shortly thereafter, flew off with it
It’s almost always a full day before she removes deceased chick’s. I don’t know what triggers her decision/instinct to remove it, but she seems to fixate on it once that moment hits.
Sometimes the deceased chicks are carried off, and sometimes just moved to the rails. When she carries them off, she starts out with them in her beak, unlike with a fish where she would leave the nest with it in her talons. This year, we had the benefit of cam 2, which showed that as soon as she left the nest, she transferred the body to her talons.
As for what she does after that, my best guess would be that she drops the body at a distance from the nest. Today, she returned quite quickly.
VIDEO: Mom removes the body of #1 from the nest (full version — scroll down for the safe/non-graphic version) (Trigger warning: This video shows both the deceased chick and mom moving the body. Please don’t click on the video if you don’t want to see it.)
VIDEO: Mom removes the body of #1 from the nest (“safe” version) (No graphic imagery and is from cam 2 only)
Feedings
06:45 Both ate, though #3 had trouble with some of the bites. #2 fell asleep after a the first bites, but woke up to eat more. She appeared a tad sluggish overall.
08:50 Both ate, though #2 was sluggish and didn’t eat much. #3 seemed to eat his fill.
10:17
11:30 Both chicks were a bit lethargic, and it was a light feeding with neither chick begging much. #3 had a bite or two. #2 had more, but not a full meal, and her crop still looked empty at the end.
15:33 #3 went to mom for fish, but didn’t beg and slept.
17:50 Both chicks ate well and looked the best they have since yesterday morning.
18:55 Both ate a bit, but their crops were full at the beginning. Looking robust! Finally!
First feeding after a tough night
Notes
01:25-01:34: Mom got up and knocked #3 to his back. The movements looked abnormal, to me. When righted, he didn’t lift his head, and he seemed awkward when moving. Given the bone obstruction from earlier, was concerning.
During this time, #2 had her head up and did some fairly continuous beak gaping, which was unusual. She even worked her way out from under mom to gape in front of her. Not normal. Anything unusual is worthy of watching closely and is worrying. The gaping continued beyond the time frame noted above for a total of about 15 minutes before finally being under mom again.
Hypothermia is a very real possibility, especially if #2 is damp, and the gaping is reminiscent of #1 right before they perished.
(I’m using him and her arbitrarily just to help distinguish between the two.)
02:29 UPDATE: #2 worked her way out in front of mom again, did some gaping, then mom got her back under about three minutes later.
03:07 UPDATE: Mom got up to go to the rail for a minute. Both chicks stayed fairly still in the nest cup at first, then #3 jerked his head up and flopped to the side, before righting himself. #2 didn’t move significantly until mom stepped on her when she returned to the cup, at which time she lifted then dropped her head and wriggled a bit.
05:20 Mom is off. Both chicks are moving with nothing obvious wrong. #3 did a little begging when mom and dad were near. #2 didn’t beg, but did track them. As of 5:30, mom is back on and dad is gone, hopefully to get a fish. Mealtime will give us a lot more info.
Mom has mud on her beak from aerating the cup, indicating that the bedding is damp to wet.
07:18 The first feeding (06:50) after that very tough night was a success. #3 seemed feisty and robust, so we can assume the problem bone digested. Whew!
#2 ate, but took a break in the middle of the meal and appeared a tad sluggish.
#2’s abnormal gaping (trigger warning: the body of the deceased chick is visible in this video, so please don’t watch if it will distress you)
We may start to see the beginnings of sibling rivalry over the next week, a stage that typically tapers off at this nest by the end of the chicks’ second week.
The tragic demise of #1
It seems the demise of #1 this morning was ultimately due to hypothermia, but it was an unhappy accident that led to it. When mom left the nest cup, there was a tall wall of snow around it; # 1 wouldn’t have been able to climb the barrier. However, mom found the old large trout tail from yesterday and pulled it up out of the snow, creating a clear pathway for the chick.
#1 climbed into the snow “canyon” and had a meal while bounded on both sides and in front by wet snow. This situation not only chilled the chick and got it wet, but made it extremely difficult for it to move or turn around, making a return to the nest cup in time an impossibility in the end. RIP, little one. 🙁
The snow wall around the nest cup when mom left. Mom pulling the fish free from the snow. The narrow “canyon” created. #1 in the snow canyon while eating #1 blocking #2’s way (a small blessing)
