I tried not to check on the Cowlitz Nest today because I was so afraid those two little Ospreys were dead. I have complained about the mother, Electra, eating food and then letting the father, Wattsworth, take the fish off the nest when she hadn’t even fed her babies. They were crying so hard for food. Thin little rakes they are. A big fish came on to the nest around 2:30 ish nest time. The starving kids could only fight while Electra ate. Then finally they stopped. I thought the little one had died actually. Electra ate her fill and Wattsworth is at the side of the nest waiting to take the fish. She is feeding the chicks right now as I type. Let us hope that she fills those little babies from the tip of their talon to the top of their crop. They need it.
It is unclear to me how long chicks can go without food before there is damage. If you followed the Glaslyn Nest, the chicks were without food for 48 hours. Mrs G is an excellent mother. The circumstances were just so different. Raging storms and force 11 winds along with intruders put the Glaslyn Nest at risk. Aran had injured his wing and could not fish. Glaslyn Wildlife spoke to experts and supplied a fish table for the family. Despite eating on the Sunday, the chicks began to die that afternoon not having anything since noon on the Friday. The oldest first and then the youngest on a subsequent day. Aran is still healing and gets his fish from that provided by the community. Aren’t people kind?
Electra finished feeding her two chicks. They were still not looking full. I wonder if their little bodies can only hold so much. Or maybe get that crop filled and drop the contents into the stomach so that they could eat some more. That would be brilliant. I feel so sad for these little ones.
Well, good gracious. The little ones cried long and hard enough that Electra is feeding them some more fish. I couldn’t stop crying.
Here is a brief video clip of part of that feeding.
They are still being fed. I think they both remind me so much of Tiny Tot when he was starving – well, gosh. Tiny Tot has several times when he had not eaten for 72 hours. Diane needed fish and when she started bringing in big catfish herself that nest at Achieva turned around. Today Tiny is a force to be reckoned with and it is grand.
I wish that when the two are full that Electra would sit on that fish. They would feed them several times before bed and food for in the morning. Oh, please, Electra don’t let Wattsworth take that fish!
The babies were still hungry as Wattsworth took the fish off the nest. Do we dare hope that he might keep it somewhere for his family and bring it back in a few hours?
UPDATE: Wattsworth brought the fish back and Electra is feeding the chicks again. Tears are pouring down my cheeks. I so wish this behaviour would continue every day on the nest but, for now – those little ones are feeling good and they will go to sleep tonight full not crying for food.
Oh, wow. Thank you Wattsworth. Look at the crop on that one chick! These little ones will have happy fish dreams tonight.
Tiny Tot is waiting on the Achieva nest for an evening fish – or he is really hoping an evening fish comes in. Me, too.
In Czechoslovakia, the surviving three White Storks were banded today. And they have names: Pankrac, Servac, and Bonifac. They were banded on camera. The bander was really gentle with them! Thank you to my friend, ‘T’ in Strasbourg for alerting me to the banding. I might have missed it!
It is better to watch the video. The bander covered them with a towel so that they would not be frightened. Here is the video:
Oh, and the three precious storks of Karl II and Kaia on the nest in Southern Estonia are doing so well. Nice fat little babies. Well fed. Watched over with great care. It is totally refreshing after the Cowlitz nest.
Thank you for joining me today. We can only hope that the fishing will be good and that Electra will respond in a positive way to the hunger cries of her babies. I so wish she had continued feeding them – they did do a crop drop. Now they need food to store for later. Send warm wishes their way! It is all we can do!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Cowlitz PUD, Eagle Club of Estonia, and Ziva Camera Mlade Buky.