I cannot but think that something terribly wrong is going on at the Cowlitz PUD Osprey Nest in Washington State. The two chicks, already undernourished, are crying out for food with their heads bent over in the middle of the nest. Electra is not there. Wattsworth has not brought in any fish. Perhaps something has happened to him but Electra has proven that she is a good fisher and she literally has two starving babies. They should be growing with fat little wings and bottoms and that is not happening. Why has she not gone to catch something?
It is 16 degrees C and partly cloudy where the nest is located. Thank goodness it is not the high temperatures in Florida right now or elsewhere in the United States. The Ospreys depend on the fish for their hydration but these days are critical for the wee ones. These two should have feedings every few hours – should have had since they were born – but haven’t.
For those who watched the Achieva Osprey Nest you might well remember the physical state that Tiny Tot was in at this stage. This can be turned around. Right now it would help if Electra would bring in a big fish for these two.
Electra is back on the nest brooding the two chicks. She is loudly calling Wattsworth. I wonder if something has happened to him? has he been injured like Aran was at Glaslyn and unable to fish? has something worse happened? Still, I would hope that Electra would go out and fish. It would be 7:40 pm there Friday night. If she does not go soon it will be too late. It is difficult to remember precisely when these two had something to eat. It was sometime yesterday. This is very, very disturbing.
I have seen no food today. There are the two little ones thinking Mom has returned with fish – but, sadly, she has nothing for them.
In St Petersburg, Florida, Tiny Tot got his fish. At 8:19:06 – after he had been food calling and watching – he took off from the nest. Jack must have flown by with a fish and made a drop for Tiny away from the nest. Maybe the adults will slowly wean Tiny off of getting fish on the nest.
In the image below Tiny Tot sees one of the adults with a fish. He is calling out loudly.
He immediately takes off to go and chase them and get that fish!
Tiny Tot returns at 8:49:29. The little bit of sunlight is quickly disappearing. Tiny Tot is not giving up any secrets as to how much of a crop he has or hasn’t. However, he was gone for approximately thirty minutes. He eats a lot faster than he did when he was younger so that could have been a nice size fish.
Tiny moves up to the perch at 8:54:27 where he will spend the night. Good Night Tiny. Happy Fish Dreams!
Meanwhile, Little Bob at the Foulshaw Osprey Nest is hanging in there. He had a really good feed today. Let’s hope this nest stays civilized and that none of us have to worry about this wee tiny tot again. Just look at the size difference between him and Big Bob the old meanie.
Thank you for joining me on this quick check in with these three Osprey nests. I wish there had been better news coming out of the Cowlitz Nest. Send all your warm wishes their way. It just feels like something has happened. Wattsworth wasn’t great at bringing in massive amounts of fish but he was delivering. It would simply be a tragedy if he is injured or has been killed. The fortunes -good or bad -on the nests can change as quickly as you can snap your fingers.
Thank you to the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust for their streaming cams where I got the shots of Little Bob and his two siblings. You can view them here:
https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/cams/osprey-cam
Thank you to the Cowlitz PUD for their streaming cam where I grab the still images of Electra, Wattsworth, and the two chicks. Here is the link to that nest:
And thank you to the Achieva Credit Union in St Petersburg Florida for their streaming cam where I get my stills of Tiny Tot. Here is that link:
