Yesterday morning was one of the most important times of the year at The Osprey Nest, the summer home of the fish hawk couple known as Ozzie and Harriet – their first two born this year, David and Ricky, fledged out of the nest within a few minutes of each other, leaving young June as the only nestling Here you see the beginning of the daring departure:
It was a gusty morning. Both of the “boys” were constantly flapping their wings in the breezes, while the much smaller June seemed to be wondering what was happening. Then, David (the oldest and largest) seemed to make up his mind and moved to the edge of the nest as his mom, Harriet, watched. He took off into the wind and peeled down behind the nest where I couldn’t see him:
Harriet soon took off after David:
Then, Ricky did the same thing as David did while his mom was gone. Harriet was quite excited when she returned alone, calling loudly. Ozzie came in response to the calls, but didn’t seem surprised and June still seemed to trying to figure out what was happening.
I saw and heard two ospreys that appeared to be David and Ricky soaring high over Great Cove shortly thereafter. It always amazes me when ospreys fledge like this by instinct – no driving instructor, no video study, just flap-flap-feels-fine, and up and away. Soon it will be June’s turn, and I have no doubt that she’ll do well. After all, in the fall, they’ll all be expected to travel alone to Florida or south of there without a GPS device.
In the meantime, life in Maine will progress. One thing that immature ospreys apparently can’t do by instinct is plummet dive for fish. They seem to have to learn how to do that on trips with their parents, especially their father. This means that they’ll be returning to the nest for awhile to feed on Ozzie’s daily deliveries, learn to hunt, and to make their protective Mom feel good. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 17, 2024.