Posts Tagged ‘osprey’
Osprey fly south in the winter to whereabouts unknown
The Okoboji osprey pair and their three grown chicks are gone for the season, last spotted about the second week of September before heading south. But where exactly are they going? And why do they leave? Where are they going? We’re not exactly sure. Although the osprey male that has habited the Dickinson County Nature Center Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diary: Trying out his wings
They grow up so fast. One day you’re using your wings to make sure no cool breeze touches your tiny chicks, and the next they don’t fit underneath you. One moment they’re the size of an egg, and the next their wings stretch out as far as yours. One second they’re hunkered down to stay Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diary: Transition time
I was sitting on the nest like any other day when I felt it. Tap, tap, tap. A soft rhythm was coming from inside one of my brown speckled eggs. Tap, tap, tap. It was time. I had done my job and the babies were ready to break out of their shells and meet us Read More »
Read MoreMason bees might be better pollinators than honeybees!
If you didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any luck at all. Someone posted this about our osprey nest camera blowing down again this year. We feel kind of the same way. This poor camera has been blown down, hasn’t had enough sun, and when the camera did work last year the osprey chicks Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diary: Guess our hatching date
This stick doesn’t go here. It goes here. Moves small stick two inches. And this grass would be better over here. Moves two inches. I have an itch. Swivels head to scratch back. I’m so bored. There’s not much for me to do at this point in our family-making. My husband keeps telling me my Read More »
Read MoreOsprey 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 Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diary: We’re back!
Blue skies. Warm temperatures. Fresh fish. It was a beautiful winter down south, and it was rejuvenating. I’m a bit of a loner in the off-season, and I needed some time away from my husband after our tragic loss of our chicks last year. I needed some mental recuperation, and the gorgeous winter provided me Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diaries: A Sad Day
For this blog, I’m going to step out of character as the osprey mama and talk as myself. Yesterday, sirens started to sound in the Okoboji area and visitors to the Dickinson County Nature Center congregated in the lower level to wait out tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. It hit quite suddenly. We Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diaries: Survival of the Fittest
My babies are starting to grow up nice and strong. And that’s what an osprey needs to be — strong. We must have strong eyes to see fish in the water from 100 feet in the air. We must have strong wings to let us take off from the water when we catch a Read More »
Read MoreOsprey Diary: Hatching and eating
It started to happen Friday, May 27. I was sitting on my three eggs, like I had been for what seemed like forever, and then I felt some movement. I got up from my comfortable spot and rolled the eggs around with my beak, making sure that they were getting heated from each side, and Read More »
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