Osprey Diary: Koi fish make blustery days taste sweeter
It’s so cold.
I’ve overheard the crazy birds that live here in Kenue Park year-round call us that fly south for the winter snowbirds. In reality, I think that they’re the snowbirds. They actually live here when it gets below freezing and the snow flies. I’ve only seen snow a few times when it has flurried late in the year after we’ve returned to Okoboji, and I’m certainly glad it hasn’t been more.
But this week hasn’t been much better.
I laid my third egg on Friday afternoon and have really taken to incubating. I wasn’t too concerned with sitting on the first two eggs much because I didn’t want the first babies to get too far ahead of the third. However, now that they’re all ready, I’m working hard to keep them warm.
(Read last week’s osprey diary here.)
It hasn’t been easy though. The winds are fierce, the temperatures have dropped, and this incessant rain is driving me nuts.
Thankfully, our nest is quite nice this year. We have plenty of dirt left from bringing up clods of grass in other years, and so we’ve been able to dig down into that. It’s protecting the babies, and I can hunker down quite well to get out of some of this wind.
The husband has taken to less time on the nest during these blustery days, preferring to stay in the trees where the wind whips a little less. He does still bring me fish though. In fact, he brought me my favorite fish a couple of days ago — those crazy orange ones that we only see in the tiny little ponds in the area. I don’t know why the lakes don’t have them and only these little ponds in manicured areas do, but they’re easy picking and they’re delicious.
Until next week then. I’m going to do my best to keep my eggs, and myself, warm during these cold days. Pray for better weather!