Bella & Beau 2019: Well, That Was Quick! (A Quick Update)
Osprey nest location: Cambridge, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
July 24, 2019 – #2
This morning, less than two hours after publishing my last Bella & Beau post, “It’s School Time” and talking about how the ‘teens’ fledging was imminent, my husband called out a chick was missing from the nest. What??
I ran out to the balcony. I didn’t see the fledged chick anywhere, and Bella didn’t seem fazed.
Bella and one lone ‘teen’ on the nest
It was a breezy 8-10 mph wind. With her constant 360° degree watch, Bella wasn’t giving me any signs of a fixed direction of the fledgling. I spanned my 180° degree view with binoculars for a flying or perched Osprey but no luck.
I looked off and on for the next several hours, trying to locate the fledged chick perched somewhere nearby.
During that time, the second chick received two feedings. At the first feeding, I could hear faint “fish fish fish” chirps. I couldn’t pinpoint the sound’s direction.
Much louder chirps were voiced when Beau arrived with the second meal. Bella was too busy taking the fish from Beau, but Beau heard the fledgling crying and gave me this ‘hint’ shot of its location.
Beau looking at our rooftop and the chirping fledged ‘teen’
Beau left the nest and flew to perch on the Cambridge tower. The fledgling got louder. No one was listening! Bella gave a few looks up at the fledgling but then continued feeding the second ‘teen’.
We were to leave right after that. Grabbing my camera and zoom lens heading out, we went to view our rooftop before leaving.
Bingo! Sure enough, there the fledged ‘teen’ sat perched!
Bella & Beau’s first fledged ‘teen’ on our rooftop
Fledged ‘teen’ looking a bit apprehensive
“How am I going to get back to the nest to eat? I’m hungry!”
(fledged for four hours at this point)
Beau on the top of Cambridge tower, keeping a watchful eye on the fledged ‘teen’
Returning 1½ hours later, we checked our rooftop to find it birdless. From a distance, the nest showed two Osprey on it; but the late afternoon sun’s glare made it impossible to see if they were adult or juvenile.
Finally back to my ‘perch’, I had confirmation the fledgling had actually made it back to the nest, yay! And, my oh my, it was crying “fish fish fish” loudly.
“My turn to fly is next!” says “Teen” #2
(hungry ‘teen’ has it’s back to us, pouting)
Mom Bella was watching from a sail mast, calling Beau for a fish as well.
Bella watching over the chicks while calling for Beau to fetch a fish
I didn’t see Beau anywhere but imagined him flying over Choptank River, with those raptor eyes spanning the waters for a fish to snare.
A fish for one hungry and definitely deserving newly fledged ‘teen’.
Ahhhh…..life is good tonight in Bella and Beau’s Osprey World as the sun goes down…
Tonight’s sunset over Cambridge Creek and Bella & family (nest platform bottom right)
