Nest Envy?

When I went out to do my regular check out, nobody was there.  We hung around for a while, and then a female returned, flew around and departed. 

Shortly thereafter, a male came by and landed in the nest to be met by a female.

I say "A male and A female", because within 10 minutes, there were 4 Ospreys twisting and turning in the sky above and around the nest!

So this begs the question..welcoming committee?  Another couple trying to take over the nest?  Jealousy?  What makes this especially interesting is when I try and look closely, I can not find any photos with two identifiable males in them...

Settling in..

Last night, we went to take a quick look to see how the Amherstview clan were doing.  When we got there, the girlfriend was in the nest and quite vocal.  She took to the air and did a few circuits before heading out to find the dad.

Dad was off at nest depot, picking up some more bedding for the nest.

Dad watches his new girlfriend try and land at the nest..is it just me or does he look bemused?

When the girlfriend came back, dad would not move over and she needed to do a bunch of circuits before she decided to land somewhere else.  Which gave me a few more chances to get a closer look at her.

Dad's got a new girl!

Today, we went out to see what was going on, and Dad has a new mate!  As we approached, one took off and the other stayed behind for a bit.  We got to see both in flight together and seperate, and were able to confirm one male and one female!

Formation flying

Check out the new girls necklace!

Dad guides in the new mate!

Dad's back!

Today, when I swung out to see any status updates, I saw Dad in the nest!  He has spent the entire day flying out getting sticks for the nest upgrades.  It looks like a complete renovation.  I hope he has a girlfriend on her way to join him soon!
Watching the male working on the nest can be fascinating.  He would disapear and you could see him diving to the ground to get sticks to bring back.  Sometimes he would discard the stick and not retieve it from below the nest, almost as if it did not fit as he expected.  He would also always approach the nest from the downwind side, so his approach could be slower.

Follow-up Visit Aug 16, 2011

So, how are the chicks doing.  Dawne swung out to check the afternoon of Aug 16.  There were some visitors flying overhead.

All three chicks were hanging out in the nest.

And dad delivered a fish.

And they shared a meal.

When I showed up, one of the chicks flew at me on their way to the happy hunting grounds.  I did not get a shot, but Dawne did.

All in all, while I was there, the only chick that seems to be hanging around the ball diamond is Nod.  But they seem to be doing well and having fun.

Two of the chicks hang out.

Aug 6--My how kids grow up so quickly!

So it has been nearly a week, and despite the cloudy weather we decided to go check on the "chicks".  Last we saw, two of the chicks had obviously gotten the hang of flying and were seen flying out of sight to the south.  The theory we had was they were off to learn to fish...but one was seen dogfighting with some redwing black birds.

So when we showed up this morning we were greeted with a very loud single chick in the nest, with dad on a nearby pole.  After a few minutes, dad flew off to the North and returned with a branch that must have been 6 feet long.

Is he from Griffindor?

For most of the time we were there, dad flew around, delivering two sticks and just flying around.  Nod, never left the nest, and Winkin and Blinkin were not seen at all.  Until the end, we noticed one of the other chicks on a pole at the very south edge of the field.  When I got closer, it became obvious that she had a fish she was eating on her own..

After she flew off, we left for 4 or 5 hours.  When we came back, there were two chicks in the nest, and one did a few low laps.  then a third showed up, giving us proof all three are still around.  They flew around, hung out on a couple of poles.  then I decided to play some music on my cell phone while waiting--and the first random song that came up was "Three Little Birds"..how appropriate:-).  then all three chicks gathered at the nest, and dad showed up with a mid afternoon snack!

So we have photographic proof of Dad and all three chicks still hanging out together sharing meals.  Great to see!

Aug 1--Nod is flying..a little dangerous..

When we went out this morning we were pleased to see Nod getting some pointers from dad..the 48 hours appear to be all she needed.

She did many circuits, flew past dad..and even tried to land beside him again... with embarassing results.

Hi Dad!

NOD--LOOK OUT!!!

DIVE-DIVE-DIVE!!!!!!

You knocked my feathers off!!!

On our way home, we saw a Kingfisher we have been keeping an eye out for..and when we tried to see him, we saw an Osprey (it was mature and male so it could be dad...) out fishing!