The three nestlings continue to grow at that miraculously fast rate that some big raptors have to achieve to be ready for a long fall migration. Here you see Harriet returning home with new wall decorations:
She’s spending more time away from the nest, now that David (foreground nestling), Ricky (middle) and June (looking at Mom) are big enough to give predators second thoughts. Ozzie, a good Dad, still brings home the food.
The three fledglings already are trying out their wings in place, especially the two biggest/oldest, David and Ricky. They flap and flap and flap, raising themselves inches above the nest. Here’s David and Ricky flapping away and Harriet looking on approvingly:
Soon they’ll be helicoptering 10 feet above the nest and, after those yo-yo-like test flights, suddenly veering off on that first long (probably exciting and scary) flight. Those initial solos often result in crash landings in the surrounding trees as the youngsters work on acquiring that exquisite sense of balance and coordination that Ospreys get. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 23, 2023.)