Trouble has been brewing on the Achieva Osprey Nest in St Petersburg, Florida. It began with a lone intruder last week. Indeed, Tiny Tot gallantly held off a single adult intruder with Jack sending them packing. That bird has returned several times. What we are witnessing is happening at Osprey Nests around the world. There appear to be several issues: a lack of Osprey nests, the return of the males to their natal territory to breed, and a return of juveniles at this time of year (this is happening in the UK). These cause an established couple a lot of angst. Thank goodness all of the chicks from the Achieva Nest have fledged although Tiny Tot still uses the nest as his base.
This morning Tiny Tot was alone on the nest at 6:44.
When I took this shot, it was 8:53:13 and Tiny Tot was on the nest and the intruder was on the perch.
By 9:12m, the intruder was on the nest and Tiny Tot was mantling to protect its head from attack. You might recall that Tiny Tot successfully used this technique to keep the intruder at bay on 27 May. Here is a short video of Tiny doing its best that day:
By 9:25 the intruder was getting bold and moving closer to Tiny Tot who is now on the nest edge.
Tiny Tot flew off the nest and made an unsuccessful attempt to return at 9:27. By 9:30, the intruder had the nest to themselves. At 11 am, there is an adult bird on the nest and an adult bird on the perch.
Things were happening fast. It is not clear if this is an intruder couple or if Diane or Jack is one of the birds. Diane has a distinctive white pattern on her left wing. At 11:46, the bird on the perch is on the nest and one of them is evicted from the nest at 11:46.
And great news. It looks like it was Jack up on the perch. He is there now – 12 noon – protecting the nest. Let’s hope that Tiny Tot arrives home soon and safe!
If you have watched the Glaslyn Nest in Wales, the home of Aran and Mrs G, you will know that Aran was seriously injured by an intruder. Several of his primary feathers were lost and he was unable to fish. He needs to heal and get his strength up now that all of his 2021 chicks are dead for migration. These intrusions can lead to even more serious injuries to the birds and even death.
Jack is still on sentry duty. Tiny Tot has not returned to the nest yet. I will bring you updates this evening.
Thank you to the Achieva Credit Union for its streaming cam. That is where I get my screen shots.
