Osprey Chicks Practicing For The Big Flight Day
Such a hectic past two weeks, which kept me away more than I like from our nest; and WOW what great change in just little over another week! Our little ones have continued to grow and are now starting to actually look like ospreys. They both look very healthy, filling out nicely in their bodies, which means on-the-go dad Oliver has been doing his job in keeping their bellies filled with lots of fish deliveries.
They definitely like looking around to the outside world from the inside edge of the nest. If you’re close by, you can hear them chirp softly. Another noticeable change is the growth of their wings and length of feathers. And lots of practicing with their wing-flapping! They are still awkward with them and will fall over when they get unbalanced, but their strength is much stronger and soon we will see some scary lift-offs!
I’ve noticed Olivia is now leaving the nest briefly at times, either for a circling flight above around the nest or a quick disappearance and return with some materials for the nest. Maybe she’s teaching the chicks some flying techniques. I know she must be very happy to finally get a bit more freedom from the nest!
And when momma returns, her kids are happy to see her!
Did you catch a sight on the little bird coming in to his/her nest home beneath as well? That was luck, lol.
Here are some other photos giving you an idea on just how big the chicks have gotten.
Finally, a couple photos I captured this past week. Caught a momma duck (need to still identify species!) with her babies swimming along Fisherman’s Crab Deck. I thought they were cute different colors.
The next one was taken last Saturday late evening of Parsons Island from my balcony while a strong thunderstorm cell was passing over Tilghman’s Island just south of us. I’ve not been very lucky in capturing lightning but this time I got one! (after lots of trying!)
Thanks for your interest in Oliver and Olivia, and the wonderful comments. I do enjoy sharing my photos with you and appreciate your time and patience! Until next time!
