Feathered Friends Amongst Oyster Cove
To catch up after my recent osprey update post, here are my ‘other’ birds I captured in the last week and a half. A mixture of some new and some regulars! Several came from my ‘new’ exit route when leaving for work. One of my mornings when leaving, on a whim I decided to drive over by our small community’s marina & tennis courts before heading out, and it was then I saw a red cardinal. He wasn’t too crazy about me even thinking about grabbing my camera and took flight immediately. I’ve not had a chance to capture a cardinal, and red IS m favorite color, so every morning since, I’ve been driving over to that area before heading out. Haven’t seen him since 😦 but I quickly found out the Killdeer are back from last year. This first shot was funny, he stood directly in front of a painted parking line…..or was he just painted on??!! 😉
Killdeer
There was a pair of them so maybe they are the same ones I posted about last year that had a little one (next photo). Hopefully, I’ll see more babies this year and can post to share, they are so cute!
Parent Killdeer keeping eye on the baby - June 20, 2011
Another morning, from the car I was shooting some type of flowering tree by the marina and didn’t realize a red-winged blackbird was sitting within 10 feet of me on the dock. He started singing and I turned and shot a few. I liked this next photo the best!
Red-winged Blackbird
Another morning, one was singing amongst the marshy reeds….
That same morning, the next photos were shot at eye-level from my car as this starling sat and fed on a mounded grass hill.
European Starling
European Starling
European Starling
Needless to say, with that much neat activity in the mornings, I did the community ‘loop’ when arriving home a couple evenings. Definitely quieter in the early evening, but I did get a treat and found this next little guy swimming around in the marina. I think he wanted to show off a little…..
Ruddy Duck
Ruddy Duck
From my balcony, I’ve had the regulars continue to visit or fly on by. The American coots had continued to appear in large rafts in the mornings and evenings, but I figured when you’ve seen one big raft of coots, you’ve seen them all! I’ve noticed the last few days it seems the coots have gone except for a few stranglers who have been coming up to the berm to feed. Always eluding me to share, I finally got a shot with the lighting right to show the coot’s pretty red eyes.
American Coot
American Coots
I was surprised to see the little ring-billed grebe had returned. He was all alone again.
Pied-billed Grebe
Of course, the American robin is everywhere, busy getting nesting materials while protecting their territory from the other birds. This fella was taking the high perch on the gutter and keeping an eye below…..and on me while he sang his song.
American Robin
A few other feathered friends who flew by my lens…..
Gull
Double-crested Cormorants
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vultures
Finally, many’s favorite raptor, the Bald Eagle. Even at a distance, here’s some ‘half-way decent’ shots I thought I’d share.
Bald Eagles
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Immature Bald Eagle
Immature Bald Eagle
Immature Bald Eagle
Well, that’s me caught up! I think! LOL As always, I hope you enjoyed….and thanks for stopping by!
The Oyster Cove Osprey Nest “Depot” Update
So sorry for the long absence, work and commitments prevailed over hobby, and trying to find ‘my time’ for my photo work & blogging eluded me. But trying to get back on track, I decided to first put out my latest information on our Oyster Cove nest. And then follow soon with another post on the variety of birds that crossed my path of life since my last post. Some great shots to share, so stay tuned for them!
Now on to our beloved osprey! Osprey activity in the immediate area of me is abundant in the early morning and late evenings. There’s always one here or there in the sky or daringly perched over Rt. 50 where two pair have definitely taken/retaken residency for this season. I’ll get some shots of these guys soon, you’ll be amazed at their craziness of living and rearing offspring over six lanes of highway!
Our Oyster Cove osprey nest platform has not been taken over by a pair for breeding. It has not had one branch added to what was left from the past winter. However, every morning before sunrise and as the sun rises, at least one osprey comes and perches on the platform. If I saw that osprey come from the Marshy Creek nest platform at Osprey Point, one or both of the osprey pair from the Kent Narrows channel marker have come screaming over to force the other off and then land or fly over as if to protect and possess it. This happens vice versa too! I’ve watched when a mate needs some space/time off the nest, they like to ‘own’ another perch nearby, within hearing distance of the nest, like Oliver & Olivia did with Lipincott’s channel marker. Seems these two pairs like it for their own and it’ll be a battle all season!
It is really funny to watch them get down right loud with threatening chirps to another osprey or any passer-by in the sky. Watching the nest every morning and most late evenings, I did take some photos before sunrise which aren’t very clear, mostly just for my records. So here’s a parade of photos of some that turned out half way decent to share.
I’ve been watching the osprey pair that were trying to settle over on the Kent Narrows South Entrance channel marker #5. It seems to be the same pair as before because they have tried building their nest on the same marker as last year, a marker that is narrowly dangerous for the success as pieces continue to fall down inside the hollow marker, and to sustain a large nest with growing chicks as well as a parent trying to feed them is almost impossible.
Last year, a violent thunderstorm destroyed their underdeveloped nest off the marker. The pair had been incubating eggs so it was so sad to see. I’ve been worried and thinking not again! But they seemed to have had a problem getting a base to stay to build on (maybe my prayers have been answered!) and have moved over to channel marker #3, a larger marker with a platform to build on. They have sticks accumulated on it all ready! They still like to perch on #5 and of course come over to our nest to scare off the other osprey. Here’s the pair’s ‘first’ residency and now their present one just down from it. I hope they keep on track! Once we get back on the water by boat, I’ll be able to share close-up photos of them during the season.
Now a few action shots I captured from my perch….
Since no one has officially claimed the platform as their own for nest building and breeding as yet, we’ll just have to call it the OC Osprey Nest “Depot, for all the birds who wish to stop to visit or to rest.
So far, these fellas have enjoyed it off and on!
And finally, some shots of some osprey interaction with eagles. I never see an eagle harrassing an osprey, it’s the osprey that chases the eagle. Over at CBEC I can see another platform that this year has a pair as well (I told you they’re everwhere!) where a pair of eagles were playing around his platform.
Another day, one of the eagles perches over the osprey and his nest. Maybe the eagle does like to tease, lol.
Finally, the osprey cannot stand it and begins the pursuit. Of course, the eagle will try to defend himself. This photo is terrible but you can see the attack stances they take.
That’s an update of Oyster Cove’s osprey nest and surrounding osprey. Oh, I almost forgot one more photo. The Easter bunny came by a few days ago to say hi before his busy weekend.
For those that celebrate, best wishes for a wonderful Easter holiday!
Very Inspiring Blogger Award
What a busy busy past several days with work! But I’ve not stopped taking photos and have a few hundred that I haven’t looked at yet……Geez Donna, you say! But there’s just been so much activity right before me, both air and ground, with eagles, osprey, comorants, coots, mallards, vultures, robins, blue herons, gulls, my returning grebe, and more. I’m sure out of the many flight shots I took, most will be out of focus as I tried to lock in on them as they cruised on by; but I’m hoping there will be a few awesome focused shots in the bunch. I hope in another day or two to be posting some selections to share. Please stay tuned for that….
This post is a special one for me! I’m honored to announce I’ve been nominated to receive the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by my friend bloggers MDPhotographers. They are a couple of cool guys from Maryland who capture and share a variety of beauty through their lens with striking composition and style. Please stop over and check them out. And thank you guys for this award! I appreciate your thoughtfulness and am very pleased that you enjoy my site!
In order to accept this Award, in addition to thanking my nominator(s), I am required to share seven things about myself. So here ya go!
1. I am a first-time grandmother to Benjamin who will be 10 months old this week. He is my sweetheart!
2. I am also happily married, and have a son & daughter-in-law, and a daughter & future son-in-law (wedding in November).
3. I love to go fast! (cars & boats)
4. I also love to go slow! (biking, hiking & photographing)
5. My all-time favorite musical artists are Bon Jovi, followed by Aerosmith & Prince; and now I’ll throw in a “180” & add Jimmy Buffet.
6. My husband and I are serious boaters, meaning we go boating whenever we seriously possibly can.
7. My favorite meal is cracking & eating a spread of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and washing them down with a cold one on ice. Delicious!!
I am also required and pleased to pass on this award to seven nominees of my choice. I thoroughly enjoy many bloggers’ sites who inspire me with their words and photos, along with a guaranteed smile and/or chuckle, so narrowing to seven is hard! Since there are a few that have already received this award, I’ve not included them in my nominee list… So here are my nominees, in no particular order.
7. Palm Beach County Naturally
Congrats my blogger friends! When you’ve got a moment, give their blog a visit, you won’t be disappointed!
Until next time, thank you everyone for another visit to my blog, I truly appreciate you!
A Bird’s Playground
Since my last post, Sunday and Monday were very windy keeping the birds to the trees and grounds, followed by a super calm Tuesday. When it is this flat & quiet, it’s like a painted picture; there’s usually at least a breeze and/or a rolling tide and/or boats rippling the water. Here’s two photos from that day about an hour before sunset to share, and to also give you a sense of my ‘backyard’ from my balcony where those birds I photograph pass through or stop by to visit. The first photo is my view to the left of our osprey nest (Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in background), and the second of my view to the right of our nest (Kent Island in background with Kent Narrows south approach entry channel markers 3 & 4). Just a big, beautiful playground for all those birds share!
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC)
Right is Kent Island and Kent Narrows South Approach Entry Channel Markers 3 & 4
Tuesday seemed to be my lucky day this week on birds. That Tuesday morning, we had an osprey visit our nest platform briefly. I watched & photographed from inside my glass slider to stay out of sight, he landed & immediately made threatening calls out to another osprey flying high overhead. I don’t think they were buddies! LOL Once the other osprey flew off, he settled down and began to pick at the nest a little, and then was off and gone. Here’s two shots at sunrise. It was nice to see an osprey on our nest platform!
Osprey
Osprey
That’s the only osprey I’ve seen land on the nest since my last post. But they are definitely in the area, those that I’ve posted on around us are continuing to secure where they’ve decided to begin nesting. I’ve also seen five at one time, so more are arriving or passing through. Hey, our nest just might be the Oyster Cove Nest Depot this season! We might have some interesting visitors and of course fly-bys, so it’ll be fun to see what happens.
After that osprey’s departure, I did step outside with my camera and immediately saw two immature eagles playing over at CBEC. It’s at a distance for cropping even for my telephoto lens but you can still see their fun!
Immature American Bald Eagles "Playing"
Immature American Bald Eagles "Playing"
Immature American Bald Eagles "Playing"
Immature American Bald Eagles "Playing"
They continued to frolic in the skies, chasing and entwining. It was pretty cool to see wildlife having some fun!
The next shots are a first for me of a Pied-billed Grebe, a plump pigeon-sized bird. He was alone, diving and feeding, and then gone. Just a quick visitor!
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Smilin' for the camera!
I did capture a small flock of cormorants flying by Monday at sunrise.
Double-crested Cormorants
Finally, a shot that I missed posting last time from my boat trip of someone’s waterside retreat, I just love how inviting it is….can’t you imagine being in it on a nice summer’s day?!! 🙂
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Oyster Cove Osprey Nest Update 3
A couple of days have passed, and we still are not really seeing any activity on our Oyster Cove osprey nest. The gulls seem to enjoy it the most. Our pair thought to be Oliver and Olivia have made residence on the new Osprey Point nest platform in Marshy Creek, either one or both seem to occupy it constant, as if to secure and protect it as their own. Only once have I seen those two come to our nest yesterday at 6:40pm, one did a touchdown landing and then lifted off to join the other as they both went back towards Osprey Point. I thought it kind of comical, as if it were a game.
The female osprey I mentioned I’ve seen off to my right perched on the Kent Narrows South Approach Light 3 marker has finally been joined by a male osprey. They seem to enjoy perching together on Kent Narrows red marker 5 most of the time. I had hoped to catch some close-up shots of them on our way out by boat on Friday but they weren’t there then.
Yes, we made it out on the water on Friday afternoon, the temps were unbelievably in the high 70’s and husband just had to spring launch the boat. We were only able to venture just south of our place and down towards the Miles River and into the Wye River, after we found going out that the GPS was not working properly. I love the Wye River, it circles Wye Island NRMA which is protected by Maryland DNR and boasts constant wildlife. We weren’t able to do the circle, but Friday was still no disappointment in just an hour of floating around and snapping.
Osprey - Wye River
Northern Gannet
Northern Gannet
Laughing Gull "Laughing!"
Laughing Gull
Laughing Gull
Laughing Gull
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Surf Scoters
Male Surf Scoter
Common Loon
Buffleheads
Buffleheads
Flocks of everything were everywhere, it was awesome. I still have photos I haven’t looked at….. 🙂
More osprey are arriving daily and several were about in the skies and nests along the waters. As we returned from our ride and reentered the Kent Narrows channel, we came back past the osprey nest that is located at Kent Narrows Yacht Club and Marina. Their nest is active every year and their osprey have returned. On our way out, the pair were on their nest; but when we returned, they had moved to the the KN green marker #9 in the channel across from their nest. A couple of kids were fishing below their nest.
Kent Narrows Yacht Club Osprey Nest
As we approached the osprey pair, they kept an eye on us over their shoulder. In the background of the next photo is the Rt 50 bridge over Kent Narrows. Kind of funny to see a tractor-trailer behind the osprey!
Osprey
Osprey are really quite tolerant of us humans, and those that nest and perch along channel markers in our area usually will stay roosted and watch you as you pass by them. Sometimes the younger ones will chatter a threat at you but they won’t attack. These two just watched us as we slower cruised by them. The male has the fish.
Osprey
Osprey
Osprey
I could have posted ten times these photos, I got so many good ones. They pose so nicely for you! As we continued to the public ramp, the two osprey continued their perch unfazed.
Osprey on Kent Narrows Green Marker #9
At the boat ramp waiting for Rick to get the trailer, these two mallards came up to me pretty fast at the boat, they were obviously locals who are probably used to getting fed along all the restaurants, docks, and boaters along the Kent Narrows. I know I disappointed them with no hand-outs. I kept telling them, “sorry”!
Male Mallard
Female Mallard
Male Mallard
And this fella was perched at a tree right there as well.
Red-winged Blackbird
What a glorious couple hours of bird ops! I hope you enjoyed seeing them through my lens, and as always thank you for stopping by!
Oyster Cove Osprey Update Part 2
I was really hoping that by not posting for a day would give the time to allow things to change for the better but it hasn’t for our Oyster Cove osprey nest. 😦
Both last evening and tonight I vigilantly watched the osprey activity that was occurring in my immediate area. If, and we hope it is Oliver and Olivia who appeared to return to our nest for a couple days, visiting it, inspecting it, and watching it from Lippincott Marina’s channel marker, giving me strong impressions they were a little leary, maybe spooked by the nest they abruptly left a month early last season. The activity on the new Osprey Point nest platform is constant, with periods of rest on Lippincott’s marker. But no venture to our nest that I’ve seen. I cannot tell if any nesting material has been brought to the other platform just yet. Here’s a photo from this day last year of the progress Oliver and Olivia had already made after arriving a day later than this year.
Oliver bringing nesting material to the nest while Olivia watches - March 22, 2011
I just previously said “we hope it is Oliver and Olivia who appeared to return”. It’s just nice thinking that they survived to return yet another year! 🙂
In the distant, the Oyster Cove community can now hear osprey calls. There are others that have also returned. In the last couple days, a female has shown up on the south entrance of the Kent Narrows Channel Light 3 Green. She’s been there constant since I first saw her, perching, eating fish, and even making threatening calls at flying intruders. Then I watched this boat quietly return last night at 6 pm and I didn’t hear a sound from her, she just watched it go by. I followed the first shot with a grainy close-up so you could find her.
Female Osprey on Kent Narrows South Approach Light 3 Green
Female Osprey close-up
So whether another osprey pair occupies our nest or we just have nest ‘visitors’ this season, we’ll not fret on Oliver and Olivia’s decision to relocate. There is a reason why they did and we would want them to go by their instinct to stay safe if so be it. Best of luck to them and I’m sure I’ll be sharing photos of them visiting our nest if another pair doesn’t! 🙂
And that means if my osprey blog doesn’t have an osprey family to document and follow daily as I’ve done the past two seasons, I’ll have to continue to inundate you the other photos of birds and wildlife I’ll now have time to share this summer!
With that said, here’s a round up of my best captures this past several days of some of our other feathered friends in my backyard.
The American coots are here feeding every evening. I keep thinking it’ll be the last night before they forge north on their migration. And luckily before leaving, they came real close to our berm and then rounded the osprey nest to head out, giving me some great close-up ops.
American Coots
American Coots
American Coots
American Coots
American Coots
I’ve also seen a pair of mallards quietly investigating the bushes around us, looking for a safe spot for nesting. Here’s the Mrs giving me a striking sunrise pose.
Female Mallard
Another day, these fellas were enjoying a sunset.
Two Male Mallards
The American robin is abundant in the community, so I have no problem locating one from my balcony as they scurry around keeping control of their little area.
American Robin
Not often but coming through our community are small flocks of common grackles (blackbird). Here’s one that posed on one of our walk-way path’s light, followed by one doing what appeared to be a mating-attraction dance for another grackle. He didn’t succeed.
Common Grackle
Grackle trying to attract a female
A couple I threw in of him giving his “Angry Birds” pose.
Grackle - "Angry Bird" look
Grackle - "Angry Bird" look
Finally, three shots of a herring gull who told the world he was on the osprey nest. And maybe trying to cheer us up pretending to be an osprey for us. 😉
"Herring gull pretending to be an osprey"
Herring gull tellin' the world he's here!
More tellin'!
Well, that’s the latest in our osprey saga. Thanks for following and visiting, and I know I can continue to share some wonderful photographs of the birds, wildlife, nature, and landscape captures throughout this season. Oh, and there will still be osprey photos once I get water-mobile, actually that’s when I’ll be able to give some really great close-ups of our area’s other osprey!
Oyster Cove Osprey Update
I’ve done a little bird detective work, and it seems that the pair of osprey that arrived to our Oyster Cove nest March 13-14 have taken up residence on the new Osprey Point platform erected last year. The last two mornings I did not sight an osprey on our nest or on the Lippincott channel marker as previous mornings, and in minutes would find one osprey on the nest platform at Osprey Point when I drove past enroute to work.
Osprey taking residence on Osprey Point's new nest platform on the left. Foggy morning on March 19, 2012
Arriving home yesterday and today, an osprey was on the Osprey Point platform; minutes later when getting home both our nest and the channel marker were empty.
Osprey on Osprey Point's new nest platform on left early evening March 20, 2012
Although I have not yet been able to positively confirm this pair is Oliver and Olivia by markings, I do know the eye colors of each match our pair. Instead of spending time this evening comparing markings, I wanted to post this update.
I do have a treat to share. Last night just before 5:30pm, I saw Olivia (we’ll say it’s her for the fun of it, but it was a female) landing on our nest platform. She was immediately followed by Oliver landing. I got some nice shots….
Olivia perches on Oyster Cove nest - March 20, 2012 @ 5:23 pm
Oliver arrives immediately to join Olivia
Olivia and Oliver
Olivia checking me out
Olivia and Oliver
They were perched for 3 minutes when a jogger came by, followed by a walker. They didn’t budge on the jogger but Olivia departed first as the walker approached, Oliver followed. You will see that when Olivia departed, there is a clump on her left talon. She flies down to and skims the water to try and wash it off. The dirt washed off but an entanglement was still attached. You can see Olivia use her other talon to pull it off. I believe it was fishing line which is dangerous to the osprey and you can see why. Yet they will use it as nesting material. Luckily, Olivia got rid of it!
Olivia departs the nest with fishing line entanglement on her left talon
Olivia heads to the water
Olivia skims the water to wash it off
Olivia rids the dirt but has fishing line still entangling her talon
Olivia uses her right talon to pull off the fishing line
Olivia keeps working to rid the fishing line
Oliver departs the nest to follow Olivia
Oliver departing the nest
Olivia flew down to Lippincott’s channel marker and landed. Oliver followed and appeared to be landing too but instead continued flight and flew over to CBEC and the back to the waters behind the nest heading south and circling, looking for a fish to strike.
Oliver attempting to land, Olivia watches him
Oliver continues in flight and heads out to go fish
Olivia stayed on the marker a while and then departed to her left, headed over to the direction of Osprey Point’s new nest platforms. We were headed out to dinner when this excitement occurred and hubby hung out while I photographed and made notes. Soon as Olivia left, we left and drove by Osprey Point’s platforms and there was an osprey perched. My ongoing detective work seems to be concluding the pair’s move to the new digs. Oh, and after Olivia flew off the marker, a gull landed on our nest. I think he was testing the waters to see if Olivia or Oliver would challenge him at the nest. Of course, he would lose if they cared about the nest enough to protect it.
Gull arrives on the nest after Olivia departs Lippincott's channel marker
I guess I’m not giving the kind of information we want to hear about Oliver and Olivia taking residence out of our sight. We could get lucky and have another pair of osprey claim the nest. Or maybe Oliver and Olivia couldd attempt to claim two nests, one for reproduction and ours so they have another ‘perch’ to visit like they did last night? Sounds like I’ve gone fishing now! LOL After three years of watching, photographing, and falling in love with this pair, it’s hard to let go. But Mother Nature is in control, which we are learning this season. It should be interesting.
That’s the latest, until next post, take care!
My Past Week Of Feathered Friends
I have a bit of information to pass on about our pair of osprey. Today, just before 7 am two osprey were perched on Lippincott’s channel marker when I left. I got home at 3 pm and didn’t see any osprey; at 3:45 pm I sighted one leaving the marker and headed west & away from me. No sightings rest of day/evening until 7:10 when I found a single osprey on the channel marker, followed by the second at 7:15pm. They stayed until dark. In that direction I keep mentioning that is west/away from me both now and previous day’s posts is on the other side of Lippincott marina where three nest platforms were erected late last summer but not occupied. I have been watching when passing them down Rt 18 all week and can see from a distance the last two days one and/or two osprey sitting on the center one. Today I was told that it does appear a pair has been on that platform a lot today. Has Oliver and Olivia relocated to an available brand new, clean digs instead of returning to a messy nest that they were spooked from last year and left over a month earlier than migration time? It could be possible. We will have to wait and see I suppose. Guess we couldn’t blame them though, huh?! I’ll keep ya posted!
With all the week’s drama, I still photographed some of our other feathered friends to share. We’ll start off with a raft of American coots who visited several evenings, feeding til dark, including tonight of which I took more photos but they won’t make this post. I do have a few to share that shows what they do when feeding. The first shows how they spread out as they busily eat.
American Coots feeding
If they are spooked by a noise, an oncoming bird, even a non-threatening gull, they quickly become a tight unit.
American Coots rafting up tightly for safety
American Coots rafting up tightly for safety
And then they spread back out, feed, and raft tight again. Kind of neat to watch them. 🙂 A couple more from another day…..
American Coots
American Coots
Marshy Creek, off to my left, continued all week to fill each evening as last week with canvasbacks, scaup, and ruddy ducks feeding and chattering. (Far left in the next shot is where the three new osprey nest platforms were erected)
Marshy Creek filled with canvasbacks, scaup, and ruddy ducks
Canvasback in flight towards sunset
Double-crested Cormorant
I just had to stop one morning close to the office at “Walmart Pond”, a water management pond created from the land developing around it, where I surprisingly often see & photograph waterfowl. That morning, the sun was rising and shining on a couple of Canada geese. They were quite obliging and posed in the reflecting water.
Canada Geese
Canada Goose
Canada Goose
Canada Geese
There is also a single bufflehead who is at the other end of the pond most afternoons. I decided to drive around a sort-of developed road and found out it came out to the other side, and perfect for getting closer to him. He did a little showing off for me for my extra effort to get to him! I’ve wondered why he’s alone all the time. Usually there’s at least two.
Bufflehead
Bufflehead
Bufflehead
Not a hop-skip-and-jump from this little pond, from my car I spotted a bird that looked different and pulled over to photograph him. He didn’t like me and didn’t stay, I was lucky to snap off three of him perched before he took off. I didn’t know until I edited the shots and identified him that it was an American kestral. My first one to see!
American Kestral
I got this as he took off. My shot actually caught him in my bottom corner frame so I just cropped the surround left & upper space. Not a very clear shot but I liked seeing the way his feather coloring striped his wing.
American Kestral
Here’s some fun action shots of a gull who caught a large fish but could not fly off without dropping it over and over again.
Gull with his catch
Coming to the realization he wasn’t going to make it, he swam to the edge of our rock berm with his catch. His buddies were waiting.
We know what gulls do when there’s food……attack to grab!
I wasn’t sure which gull got the fish this time but he was able to get lift-off with the heavy fish.
And then off he went, with his noisy buddies following…..
With him only to drop it! It was chaos after that, with one finally getting possession in the water and just floated while eating it.
Finally, early one morning a week ago, we had a pair of mallards below me on the ground, inspecting the bushes in search for probably a nesting sight. I took just a few and let them be. Maybe we’ll be lucky to have baby ducklings soon!
Female Mallard
With that I’ll end. I’ll keep tabs on the osprey and post as I can. Have a great week!
What’s Up With Oliver & Olivia?
This morning before daybreak both Oliver & Olivia were perched on their Lippincott channel marker. By 7:00 am, both had disappeared. And then at 7:12 am I found a gull on the nest. No sight or sound of an osprey. It’s a bit odd to find another bird on the nest after our ospreys return, as Oliver & Olivia both are fierce about anything near theirs! Unfortunately, I had to leave for work. 😦 I wondered what activity might be occurring while I was away.
Ring-billed gull on osprey nest
I arrived home at 5:00pm and found a single osprey on the channel marker again. Captured some shots of it looking all around while chirping, pooping, preening, and ruffling the feathers.
I slipped away and at a recheck at 5:27pm, I found the osprey was gone. It’s easy to step out and do a quick check which I did up til 6:51pm and still no osprey. Hmmm…..I had been looking off to my right at a boat leaving the Kent Narrows channel, turned to glance back at the channel marker to my left, and there were the pair on the channel marker again. They had come in and landed without me seeing them!
Now I felt better! But they didn’t get to stay long, a boat leaving Lippincott marina passed by them and the pair took flight and disappeared to the east. I wonder where they keep going when taking flight from the marker instead of coming to the nest. Are they fearful of the nest this year due to last year’s possible Great horned owl scare? As I watched the sun set in the warm foggy haze, I kept telling myself maybe they are just plain-down exhausted and aren’t ready to get gung-ho on the renovation yet!
Sunset over Kent Island - March 17, 2012
After taking a couple sunset shots, I retreated. A check 20 minutes later, and what did I see?
Don’t know how they keep sneaking back and forth without me seeing them, LOL. I didn’t get a frontal view of the chest so I’m not sure if this was Oliver or Olivia. There are two easy ways to tell the difference between the male and female. 1) The male’s chest is only slightly speckled whereas the female’s is more heavily speckled, called her ‘necklace’, and the difference is noticeable. 2) The female is larger than the male, and noticeable when they are side by side. When alone, it’s harder on the size but I felt this osprey looked to be smaller and might have been Oliver.
Only staying a couple minutes, it just kept looking down at the nest and then up and around. It took flight and headed down to the channel marker and perched. I hung out for a bit watching the waterfowl flying in for the night. Ten minutes later the osprey was joined by the second one. I’m terrible on dusk shots but here they are again, chillin’ as the night descends.
Tomorrow afternoon is calling for sunny skies and 66 degrees. That’ll give Oliver and Olivia another nice day to rest; and just maybe when I return home from work, I’ll find more action and new nesting materials on the nest. Until then!
Oliver and Olivia Chillin’
This morning before daybreak, I found our osprey pair sitting on Lippincott’s channel marker. This evening at 6:30pm arriving home, no osprey in sight. But from 7 to 8:15 pm until I could no longer see, both were on the channel marker again, preening their feathers and chillin’. At times, and I’ve seen this since they each returned, one will hang it’s head down for a while catching a little nap and rest. With the cloudy day and lateness, the photo’s not the best….
Oliver & Olivia chillin' - March 16, 2012
So how did our osprey pair get named? Oliver and Olivia were named by our community prior to our living here. Since then I have used photos each year to check for markings/coloring to previous year(s) as well as habits to confirm they are the same pair. A few facts:
Usually osprey mate for life. On occasion, when one loses a mate, it will challenge another pair to take over that relationship. But it’s pretty tough for that to happen if the pair are both healthy and can challenge back. When they migrate in the fall, osprey migrate separately, with the female adult departing first. If there are juveniles, the male will stay behind continuing to teach and help feed them until each one departs, and then good ole dad finally gets to head south too. Each one makes the trip alone. Osprey from the northeast/mid-Atlantic usually migrate as far as northern South America, 3500 miles. The adults will return in the spring, but the juveniles will stay one and a half years before migrating back the following spring. Juvenile osprey will return to the area of their place of birth. But they do not meet up with their parents. Once they find a mate, their next step is to find a place to build their nest. It can take a year or two before they find a place that is not used by another that they like, and then they have to figure out how to build a nest, let alone what’s all that mating about.
For those that followed last year remember, Oliver, Olivia, and their brood all suddenly disappeared before the end of July, more than a month than usual for osprey migration, and just less than three weeks of the chicks learning to fly. It was disappointing and frustrating not knowing what happened. In August a couple of adult ospreys were sighted, but no chicks. I contacted Lisa Mayo at Blackwater NWR for help in an explanation. Here was her response.
Their disappearance, “It’s just odd. Some chicks do leave for migration early but don’t head south right away. They might fly around the area and begin independently exploring their larger home region. But that doesn’t normally happen right away since the chicks usually spend some post-fledging time learning to fish and learning to improve their flying and landing. Maybe something in the area spooked your birds. A Great Horned Owl? A GHO is the chief enemy of ospreys and one of the few animals that can not only take a large osprey chick but can also take out the mother while she’s on the nest. Some areas have a problem with GHO’s attacking ospreys (they do at Jug Bay in Maryland) and others do not (we don’t even though Blackwater has GHO’s). Not sure why some areas have an issue and others don’t.”
We couldn’t come up with another explanation. And unfortunately across Marshy Creek over at CBEC, there was (and I believe still is) an active Great Horned Owl nest. Not liking what nature could have played, we hoped our osprey family were safe and had temporarily relocated further south in a safer area until migration. The nest at this point was only a home base that a chick could come to and holler for a fish (and dad Oliver was quick to show up with one!) or just perch for a while. By July/August, trees are popular to get out of the heat and into the shade.
I’m hoping with fingers crossed that last year’s possible GHO scare or attack doesn’t keep them from returning to the nest. Maybe I’m just a little anxious. Once we see some nest rebuilding, I’ll feel a little better!
Until next post, thanks for stopping by!
