Ospreys Return 2013, Spring Cannot Be Far Behind

Osprey upon arrival from spring migration taking its perch at the top of our Cedar tree

When St Patrick's Day approaches we here on the shore begin to think towards nature. Each place has its signs of spring to note the incoming season, here on the shore the return of the Osprey is one of our most notable. It is something to look forward to, it is something to mark the passing of time. Early this week the significance of the prospect at hand came into my conciousness, and I spent much of the week peering out the windows and searching the skies for the first Osprey. One might say I became rather obsessed with this observation.

Unexpectedly, while sitting down to dinner on Friday night, March 15, we saw a bird with a huge wingspan sweep past our big kitchen window while surveying the area. Its presence brought us to the window just in time to see it swoop up to our giant Cedar tree and take its predictable place on a bare treetop branch customized by an Osprey in previous years. It then became official. The Ospreys had returned!

Part of our anxiety about an Osprey failing to adopt our territory this year comes from a terribly upsetting incident that happened last year after our 2012 pair had sucessfully birthed and raised three healthy offspring. Three-quarters of the way through their parenting experience one of the pair disappeared. They had very effectively supported each other, parented and provided for their chicks by that time. We and our neighbor family had watched with awe at the miracle of birth and growth happening outside our home windows. The dedication, ingenuity and love of this couple for their brood was awe inspiring. This family of Osprey were like our house pets, we watched then from our kitchen windows all day long. As time went on our fan club became extremely dismayed that one of the pair, the father was no where to be seen. We thought he had flown the coop and left the mother to care for the babies herself. This misconception soon came obvious for what it was, a tragedy. While on a walk on our street I found the male dead, hanging from an electrical service. He had been electrocuted somehow and was hanging from the wires. Seeing his body suspended there, and passing it daily, was like seeing a terrible car wreck happening over and over again. The pain of seeing the honorable father at such a crushing end was heartfully painful to our loving group. Being so far off the ground there was nothing we could do to bring his body down. We had to wait for time to take its toll.

Two Ospreys in Cedar tree top after she arrived the following day.

The day after the male showed up and perched in the tree, the female swooped in and arrived. She took her spot in the tree top. If you look in the photo above you can see the second Osprey sitting in a clump of needles at the zenith of the Cedar tree, on the left side of the photo above the logo. They rested for a few days to acclimate themselves after their long journey, but they have moved on to the Osprey platform and are now sitting as if hatching eggs. I don't think there truly are eggs in there yet, but it is their time to add to the nest and practice parenthood. So it begins again, and we are sooo grateful for the opportunity to have a ring side seat for all the action.