Bella & Beau 2019: Both ‘Teens’ Are On The Wing & Having a Blast
Osprey nest location: Cambridge, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
August 4, 2019
This week Bella and Beau’s two ‘teens’ are approximately 9 weeks old and fully grown in size. They still attain their white-tipped feathers, not acquiring their full adult plumage until 18 months old.
There is a noticeable size difference between the two ‘teens’ that tells us the eldest chick, considerably larger, is a female; and the younger, a male. Another gender characteristic is the Osprey’s chest. Female Osprey usually sport a speckled chest or “necklace”, whereas the male’s chest is more predominantly white.
Left – Youngest/Male Right – Eldest/Female
There was a sudden change in the eldest teen’s appearance a week ago I thought I’d share. In the next photo, she returned to the nest with a noticeably much darker head. Even the lower legs and talons looked dark.
Eldest ‘teen’ returning to the nest with a very dirty head, lower legs & talons
With her water dives, baths, and skimming since that photo, she appears to be not quite so dark/dirty, so I’m guessing she got herself into mud or muck, maybe plunging into too-shallow water or from resting on a muddy embankment. Otherwise, she appears to be fine. You’ll notice changes in her throughout photos.
So we left off with my last post confirming the eldest Osprey ‘teen’ fledged on July 24th; and, let me say, she looks to be having a marvelous time perfecting her flying, landings, and water-tests. It must feel exhilarating to a newly fledged Osprey!
Eldest ‘teen’ coming in for a landing
“Watch out!”
“Whoa…..”
“Touchdown”
“Whew…”
“And that’s how you do it!”
Eldest ‘teen’ coming in for a landing, with something to say
Eldest ‘teen’ in flight
Eldest ‘teen’ in flight
Eldest ‘teen’ in flight
Eldest ‘teen’ in flight
The youngest ‘teen’ stayed very attentive to his sibling’s practicing and maneuvering.
Eldest ‘teen’ skimming the water
Eldest ‘teen’ skimming the water
Eldest ‘teen’ skimming the water
Eldest ‘teen’ skimming the water
Youngest ‘teen’ watching his sibling
At five-day’s fledged, eldest ‘teen’ is skimming the water already, while the youngest watches
Eldest ‘teen’ coming up to land
Focused on making the landing
“Touchdown”
Eldest ‘teen’ landing after skimming the water
It was apparent the youngest wanted to fly, he flapped vigorously and ‘helicoptered’ over the nest day after day.
Youngest ‘teen’ practicing lift-offs
Youngest ‘teen’ practicing lift-offs
Youngest ‘teen’ practicing lift-offs
“I want to join you, sis!”
“Hmmmm…I don’t know…”
“What do you think? Can I do it?”
Youngest ‘teen’ and his apprehension
Mom Bella continued to visit the nest, to encourage her youngest.
Bella and her youngest ‘teen’
It is lonely on the nest for the youngest ‘teen’
On July 30th, I was out of town before sunrise, returning late in the day. My husband said the youngest had fledged. I went outside and watched the youngest ‘teen’ flying to the nest where his sibling was resting. I captured the landing.
Youngest ‘teen’ focusing on landing – “Watch out, sis!”
“I’ve got this!”
“I’ve been flying & landing all day, Donna, where have you been?”
Bella & Beau must feel proud!
The next morning…..
We haven’t seen an empty nest since early March!
The nest will continue to be home port where the ‘teens’ will come to cry and beg, and be fed for a few more weeks by the parents.
Beau delivering a fish
Beau does his ‘drop and go’
Beau delivering a fish and then quickly departing, the eldest ‘teen’ grabs it and won’t share
Beau with a fish for the nest
Beau encounters a Barn Swallow
Another time, Beau heading to the nest with a fish – and encounters a Barn Swallow!
Youngest ‘teen’ watching Dad Beau coming in with that fish
From a nearby perch, the eldest teen also sees Dad Beau and takes flight
Eldest ‘teen’ landing for the fish
Both ready for Dad Beau and that fish
The eldest chick goes to the nest ahead of Dad Beau
Beau delivering a fish
Eldest chick takes control of the fish
Beau’s ‘drop and go’
Beau delivers the fish and quickly departs, again big ‘sis’ taking the fish for herself
“Now where was that fair? I was waiting here first!”
Mom Bella to the rescue with another fish eight minutes later – “Yay, Mom”
Although Beau has his ‘drop and go’ policy with fish delivers, Mom Bella still has the sweet instinct of wanting to stay to feed her youngest ‘teen’. I watched her do it again this morning. Other times, she’ll pass a huge piece and allow him to feed himself while she eats alongside him.
Bella feeding her youngest
Bella feeding her youngest
Bella feeding her youngest
Bella still occasionally feeds her youngest ‘teen’ — how sweet!
When aggressive big ‘sis’ is around, the youngest always waits for leftovers
Bella & Beau will take the ‘teens’ out to the river to master the hunt of fishing so they can begin to catch and feed themselves. To further encourage the ‘teens’ to fish, Bella & Beau will slow down fish deliveries to force them. Something they’ve got to learn within the next 4-6 weeks before migration occurs!
Now onto a photofest of galleries from the past 1 1/2 weeks for your enjoyment.
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Youngest ‘teen’ (male) in flight
Eldest ‘teen’ (female) practicing a water dive & lift-out
Youngest male ‘teen’ coming in for a landing
“Big ‘sis’ is in the way, look out!”
“Whew, touchdown.”
“I did it!”
Youngest ‘teen’ coming in for a landing with big ‘sis’ in the way
I am seeing less and less of the eldest ‘teen’. I imagine she is exploring more and hopefully attempting to fish. She returns to the nest for a feeding and is wet many times.
The youngest is still a bit of a ‘homebody’ so keeps providing wonderful photo ops for now, including landing on a sailmast near my balcony.
Youngest ‘teen’ lands on a sailmast – great job!
Youngest ‘teen’
Youngest male ‘teen’ close-up
Youngest male ‘teen’ flying low over the water
Youngest male ‘teen’ flying low over the water
Oops, not sure if that was supposed to happen!
He quickly gets control and stays out of the water.
Youngest ‘teen’ flying back to the nest
Youngest ‘teen’ flying back to the nest
“I need a break, that was a close call!”
Youngest ‘teen’ practicing flight low over the water with an ‘oops’
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Donna’s ” perch”
Bella skimming the water to clean herself, returning to the nest to dry
Bella home alone
Bella home alone
Bella home alone at times….and probably enjoying the quiet solitude! 😊
As the Osprey ‘teens’ learn to master flight control, fish, and explore a vast new world they’ve now learned exists, Bella & Beau will continue to watch over, teach, feed, and protect them.
Bella and her nine-week old ‘babies’
What a great series! And I’m glad to see your own ‘perch’. Lucky you, with your ‘window on the world’! I have enjoyed watching our three chicks fledge, but haven’t noticed them doing the ‘water dipping’ that yours are doing. No doubt they do it around the corner from my view. As always, thanks for sharing! I have put together a series of my fledglings leaving the nest that I’m posting tomorrow. It takes a LOT of time to put one of those together, so I really appreciate your wonderful blog posts.
Thank you, Susan! Yes, I take way too many photos, always trying to out-better others of the same behavior/scenario, then whittling down….oh my, lol. I’ll be sure to check out your post and great news on your three fledglings!
Susan, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
These are incredible and brilliant photos Donna. I had no idea their wingspan was so big. You must be very pleased with all of them. So well done to you! 🙂
Thank you, Mike! It’s always a good feeling to live alongside this family, watch their season on a daily basis, and see their life cycle continue towards success. I’m tickled for sure! 🙂
Mike, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
My (pupa) ‘teens’ have all but disappeared, either naturally (when I wasn’t looking or away) or due to some other natural phenomenon in the middle of the night.
As for names, I would suggest, following the tradition of naming things alphabetically, and last year would have been names beginning with ‘C’, so this year it would be D… Hence Donna is an obvious choice for one and, in keeping with a ‘french’ theme for the male, David, (pronounced Daveed of course) for the 2nd. 🙂
It’s amazing many wildlife juveniles come into the world and are gone so quickly, and on their way. The Osprey take all summer, lol.
Great names ;-), yours are in the box! 🙂
Great action captures, Donna! I’ve often thought that some birds seem to just enjoy flying, and these young Ospreys’ first flights fit that bill!
Thank you, Ellen! They sure do look happy flying. When they land onto the nest, they will give a loud ‘chirp’ as if to announce they did it. So cute!
“Ta da!”
Ellen, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
Wonderful photos as always Donna! And wow! They’ve flown the nest! You have a fabulous platform for photography, nice. 😎
Thank you, John! The teens are flying all around, looking so happy at what they’re doing, makes you smile! 🙂
John, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
OK thanks Donna! 😎
It’s wonderful seeing all these photos you’ve been taking of the osprey family. Thanks Donna!
Thank you, Liz, and you’re quite welcome! I have a lot of fun when I see/know action is going on. 🙂
Liz, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
Through your terrific narrative and photos, I feel like I’m (almost) there, seeing the osprey young being raised. Excellent post Donna!
Thank you, Belinda, it makes me happy to know I can convey their season of life to you and others. There is so much more I don’t share; if I did, the posts would never end, lol. I have a hard time ‘cutting it off’ each time. 😉
Belinda, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
😊
Success! Great shots and so glad that things went well for the most part. 🙂
Yay! Thank you, Tom! 🙂
So nice to know that everything is going according to plan. Your photos continue to amaze, Donna.
Best,
Tanja
Thank you, Tanja! It’s been a successful AND roller coaster ride all the way for sure! 🙂
I imagine it’s not unlike watching your own kids grow up?!
It is kinda like that….. 😊
Tanja, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
Fantastic pictures, Donna. You are fortunate to have such wonderful birds to watch and we are fortunate that you watch them so carefully and skillfully.
Thank you, Tom! Our bay is super-fortunate to have the successful return of the Osprey in huge numbers after they were almost near extinct in the 1970’s. I am glad to share their success, even with just a family’s season, to whoever would like a peek into the Osprey’s world. So many people around our bay have no clue about the success story of the Osprey. If they are ever around me, they will learn real quick! 😉
Tom, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
Great Photos as usual Donna!!
Thank you, Reed!!
Reed, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post on naming the teens if you’re interested! 😉
Eagerly anticipate each “chapter” of your wonderful osprey family. It is very special. Will you name the teens?
Thank you very much! You know, I almost put a comment in today’s post asking for suggestion. I am glad you mentioned it, I think it’d be fun! I just updated this post adding the invitation. So what would you suggest? 🙂
Your post is a wonderful album of the family Osprey. I’m sure that you will treasure these scenes later on. I will remember them too. Time, pass so fast that surprises us always.
Thank you for your dedication toward the birds. 🙂
Thank you so much, HJ. 😊 It is fellow birders like you that inspire me! BTW, I just posted an update at the bottom of this post, on naming the teens if you’re game! 😉
How about… Brad & Bonita
Sounds great – it’s in the box! 🙂
Great photos. I loved the one of the teen coming in to land
Thank you, Chris! They really do land with such determination. BTW, I just updated this post on naming the teens, if you’re interested! 🙂
Beautiful photos and it was very cool to see your ‘perch’😊
Thank you, Diane! I love my perch. Beats housework any day! 😊 Hey, if you’re interested, I just added to the bottom of this post on naming the teens, if you’d like to get involved! 🙂
Oh yes, I would love that perch too! I have often wondered where you were when you captured the photos. It’s nice to see it😊. 😄That is funny about naming the teens as I read your story, I wondered why they didn’t have names like their mama and dad did…❤️love it!
What are your two choices? 🙂
Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice)and Bellatrix since they were born to be ⭐️ stars 🌟 and since the Orion constellation is a hunter😄!
Great unique names, Diane, yours are in the box! 🙂
Great pics Donna! and what a view from your balcony, amazing!
Thank you, Ashley! Now everyone can see my secret on why and how I get so many wildlife photos so easily! 😉 Hey, I just updated the bottom of this post inviting all in naming the ‘teens’, if you’re interested! 🙂
Some really fantastic photos Donna. Excellent job of capture and cropping/composing.
Thank you, David. Gets hard on the ‘same nest’ shot, so I do try to give a little change in some shots. 🙂
I do not know the sex? So how about “Bo” , “Boo”.or “Bess”.
We have both a male and female.
Sounds great, your in the box! 🙂
Yet another marvelous series of these amazing birds! Enjoyed seeing your perch, too!
How about Ozzie & Harriet? Or am I dating myself.
Thank you, Gunta! On my perch is better than housework any day! 😉
Great names & no! You’re in the box! 🙂
It has been fun ‘joining you’ on your Osprey watching. Some great shots. Here in the UK the few Osprey (though numbers are increasing) are not that sociable and seek out more remote locations. So it must be quite something to get such regular entertainment viewings of their daily lives. Sadly as you images show…. it will not be long now before the season ends and they depart till next spring 🙂
Thank you, David, I know ‘our’ Osprey are quite different than yours with human tolerance, interaction, and adaption. I follow some of the UK Osprey and know how very fortunate we are with them, and yes what entertainment! Yes, with a tinge of sadness, the season is quickly winding down. 🙂
Wow! Great story and amazing photos as always, Donna. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Isabel, and you’re quite welcome! 🙂
Amazing!
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome 😊
Hello Donna,
Oh, how glorious! How wonderful to see the “teens” thriving and doing so well. I feel my chest bursting with pride just following along on this journey 🙂 It’s great to see a glimpse of your special “perch” and although it’s already been said, let me also say “thanks” for sharing these moments. Your husband is also very sweet and supportive 😀
Thank you, Takami, and you’re quite welcome! It’s been a great roller coaster ride, ending with glorious success, it’s been a thrill for me to get to watch them grow daily. My perch is definitely a great spot for wildlife, and sure does beat house chores! 😉 Yes, my husband is, he’s a keeper. 😊
What a fantastic sequence of photos! Very well done. 😊
Thank you, Irene! 😊
What a great moments you captured dear Donna, fascinated me all. You are doing great. Thank you, Love, nia
Thank you, Nia! They are my little ones I keep watch over. 🙂
Wonderful post of the Osprey story…Bravo, Donna!!
Thank you, Indira!! 😊
Great photos, Donna! You’ve got a perfect spot to capture the Osprey family! My names suggestions: Betty and Beavis.
Thank you, and I do love my perch. In the morning with my cup of coffee and camera, what a way to start the day!
Great names, yours are in the box! 🙂
I love the intense look on both the teens’ faces as their gaze follows one of the parents.This is neat to watch as the parents are teaching in earnest now. Yesterday I was watching a parent Grebe with its young, I think encouraging it to get more food on its own, but still feeding it, occasionally, then the young one was swimming across the pond, flapping its legs behind it on the water. Not sure what that was about, maybe trying a take-off? There is some comedy about their take-off and practise, and oh, you have a great perch yourself and I saw where the nest is from your “roost”. I like the siblings’ white wing-tips.and am thinking about names.
Thank you much, Jane for all your comments! The expressions and behaviors at times are priceless. Just as your Grebes, actually watching young ones observing and learning from their parents with such intensity is amazing, and yes comical at times. It’s like they’re little sponges, absorbing it all! 😊
What an amazing photo journey this has been! Thank you for providing us with a front row ‘perch.’ 🙂
Names, hmmmm. How about Bart and Babs? 😉
Thank you, Eliza, and you’re welcome! It’s been a roller coaster ride of success, yay!
Great names, yours are in the box! 🙂
¡Que guay!
¡Muchas gracias!
Dear Donna, this was such a joy, thank you. I have enjoyed watching the osprey saga, and today’s series was excellent–interesting and exhilarating to watch the teens advancing in their young lives, excited to be on their own. I love seeing the photos of them practicing. We sometimes expect that birds are born with the skills, being nature and all, but there is much failure, goofs, practicing, and triumphs…and your photos here did an excellent job of pointing that out. Fantastic! Also liked seeing your perch. 🙂
Thank you, Jet, and you’re welcome! We know, no matter the wildlife species, getting a peek into their daily life is a treasure for us. On a continuous basis nets awesome behavior antics. I’ve had fun watching, learning, and sharing what I’ve seen for others with interest to see ‘alongside me’. And my balcony, it’s much more fun to ‘perch’ than to do housework! 😉
Thing 1 and Thing 2 would be too seussy, I guess. How about Headstart for osprey #1, and Slowly-but-surely for osprey #2? I think it would be awfully challenging to pick names for one’s kids!
Headstart & Slowly-but-surely sound great, you’re in the box! 🙂
Thank you, Donna!
What a wonderful thing to view everyday! Your images and narrative are superb!
Thank you, Deborah! I do love watching them. 😊
Donna, this has been another fascinating season’s documentary about these lovely birds. It’s a joy to be able to follow them in (almost) real time, and to admire the photos. RH
Thank you, RH, I am glad you’ve enjoyed their season of behaviors and antics. They are pretty special to me, and I enjoy watching & sharing their success of life! 😊