Together Again
Participating in the Osprey Steward Training/Refresher earlier this week was as always, eye opening. Sharing the CT 2020 Data Report with us, the project co-ordinator told us that the number of "active nests" (510), number of estimated fledglings (744), number of nests with data (733) all increased for 2020!! WOOP! WOOP!
Visiting both nests that I will once again monitor for the season about two weeks ago was purely for my own benefit. . Taking one photo of the existing nest serves as a benchmark to which I compare progress if (and when) the occupants return from their approximate 6 month "time away" which is usually spent in Central or South America.
An Osprey behavior that I find very interesting is that the pair does NOT spend their vacation together. In the Fall, the female is first to leave, followed by the fledglings, and finally the male. They do NOT migrate together. Furthermore, when it's time to migrate North to CT the following Spring (March), the male (like the Bald Eagle) is the first to arrive at the nesting site, followed by the female. After spending two to three years in the tropics, the fledglings will then head North to mate and nest.
More than happy to say that as of 03/26/21, both pairs have returned to their respective nesting sites!! As usual, the nest on top of the cell tower was totally gone so major reconstruction is necessary. I wanted to show you JUST HOW FOGGY IT WAS AT 6:36 am and believe it or not, that blob (beneath the tail of the "y" in "eye" of my watermark) in my first photo is a female Osprey, arranging the sticks delivered by the male
Scrambling to get to my other nest, when I arrived, I found the pair working tirelessly on the repairs to last year's nest, occasionally soaring over my car and I for a quick peek.
Yet I also realized that the site is used regularly as a drive thru COVID Testing Site so the timing of my visits will have to skirt the hours of testing.
seeing, saying, sharing...
Together Again
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