It’s been a week of great concern, brief relief, and then worrisome confusion at the Osprey Nest, home of Ozzie and Harriet. I watched the nest on Sunday through Thursday, sometimes multiple times a day. I neither saw nor heard Ozzie or Harriet on any of those days.
The nest looked abandoned, but it is deep and I can’t peer into it from my distant perspective, which is through a long lens stuck out of a car parked at the edge of a field. I was beginning to panic, but there always is the hope that I was just visiting the right place at the wrong times.
Then came sunny yesterday. When I arrived, the nest still looked abandoned. I decided to hunker down and spend some serious time there. Nothing relevant happened for 52 minutes. Then, there was a blur to the right: It was Ozzie! He flew onto a lower branch of an old birch tree near his home tree. And he had a good-sized fish in his talons!
Ozzie began to tear apart and eat the fish’s head, which is his usual starting point. The nest remained inactive and silent while he ate gustily. After more than 15 minutes of tearing and gulping, Ozzie stopped eating, defecated, looked at the nest and started calling with a series of loud, high-pitched Osprey “Cheeps.” And calling, and calling. This went on for more than 10 minutes without a response. And, of course, by then I’m thinking, “Oh God, she’s gone; Harriet’s jilted him or she’s dead!”
Then, there was a “Cheep-Cheep” from the nest that still looked empty. But, no. Soon, Harriet’s head appeared over the edge of the nest, looking down at Ozzie. When that happened, Ozzie flew to the nest, delivered lunch, and tried unsuccessfully to copulate with his mate. He then flew off over the Cove and Harriet ate hungrily without comment. The scene happened so fast that I couldn’t hand-focus my big lens well. Here’s Ozzie delivering the fish:
I don’t know what to make of this.
Harriet’s lying low in the nest for extended periods is consistent with egg-laying or egg-brooding behavior. But, it’s very early for that, based on past years at the nest and a little research. She didn’t appear injured, but then I haven’t seen her fly for over a week. I wonder if it’s somehow related to the higher temperatures and more violent storms brought on by Climate Change. Let’s hope that there’s a better explanation by next Saturday. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 3, 2024.)