All month, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the local osprey! Finally, I saw them for the first time last week. I thought they might be a bit late this year due to our late start to spring, but maybe I was just late going to check.
I’m happy to see them back again and I hope they have another successful year after 3 chicks successfully fledged last year. When I first visited the nest again, there was only the female on her own. But soon enough, the male showed up and they chatted together at the nest. I watched the male fly off for a time and return with nesting material already.
I imagine they are re-affirming their relationship after being apart for the winter, but according to the experts, osprey return to their nests sites out of attachment to the site rather than their mate (Bierregaard et al., 2016). Returning to their old nest is very beneficial to the success of their young as it allows the pair to save time and energy.
They’ve continued to occupy the site and yesterday, I watched them as a Bald Eagle passed by overhead. Bald Eagles are a tough competitor for Osprey; they will steal their nests, steal their fish and prey on their young. They both flew up from the nest and circled over the area, but did not seem too perturbed by the eagle in the vicinity.
Today, they were quite boisterous and loud and I saw three Osprey circling overhead not far from the nest site. I wonder if they are competitive males or juveniles from previous years returning for their first summer in the north. Osprey in their first summer remain in the south while two-year olds make their first journey north, but often do not breed successfully yet (Bierregaard et al., 2016). I remember a third male hanging around last summer. I will have to continue watching and see what happens. I can only hope for the best for our pair!
Resources
Bierregaard, R. O., A. F. Poole, M. S. Martell, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2016). Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.683
