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State of the Clutch Address (Chick Update)

7/22/2016

 

Friday Morning July 22, 2016

Dear Friends, Customers & Viewers Worldwide:

Thank you for enjoying with us, Snappy’s “Osprey Cam”, and for following this wonderful natural phenomenon of these beautiful raptors.  It’s been quite terrific to view and follow these magnificent birds – their nest building and mating, their patient process of feeding and waiting for eggs, then the laying of three eggs, the hatching of two chicks, and now “Duke & Duchess” raising their offspring, soon to fledge (def: leaving of the nest).

Also, I would like to extend a very sincere thank you to Mr. Doug MacCarter, who has achieved extensive graduate studies on the osprey species, and who has provided to us, invaluable counsel and knowledge.  Most important, he has become a great friend.  THANK YOU, DOUG!  And the following are some educational tidbits, passed through to you, direct from Mr. MacCarter.
  • As you know, our chicks hatched on June 7th and June 11th.  At that time they weighed approximately 75 grams.  When they fledge, which will likely be around the end of July, they will weigh approximately 1800 grams (about four pounds).  So the growth in these two months is about 24 fold.
  • At about the 7-week point – which is imminent – the chicks will begin to “helicopter”.  That is, they will exercise and flap their wings quite vigorously, and at some point begin to hover above the nest.  They are quite awkward at first, which will be apparent.  Very soon then, they will begin learning to fly.  Much is instinctive, but according to Doug, much is also learned, by watching their parents.
  • At or about the same time, they will “go to fishing school”.  Again, much is instinctive, but extremely important, they MUST HAVE the teaching of their parents.  In diving on the pond, they will at first fail repeatedly, and must also learn the refraction of light, as created by the water.  (i.e.: the fish is not where it appears to be).
    • Their school will last two to three weeks.
  • On or about the end of August, all four of our birds will migrate.  Duchess (our adult female) will likely leave before Duke.  He will then leave the chicks to fend for themselves at the nest site, but who will soon migrate as well.  So our four birds will not travel together.
  • Most North American ospreys migrate to Mexico, Central or South America.  So it’s only a guess as to where Snappy’s ospreys will winter.  Their migration is triggered by changing day length as well as temperatures.
  • Duke & Duchess will likely return to their nesting site here at Snappy’s around the end of March, 2017, and begin the process once again.  Their two chicks of 2016 will not return until 2018 or 2019, and provided they survive and reach adulthood, will likely return to within about 100 miles of their hatching site.  So regrettably, we will not see them again.  Doug also shares with us, that the mortality rate of young ospreys in their first three years is as high as 70%.
  • Next summer, provided we are lucky once again to have osprey chicks, we hope to band the chicks and equip them with transmitters, that we can track their migration and travels.

Thanks again for joining and observing.  Please also join us in naming the chicks, which we will continue through Sunday, July 31st.

All the best,
B. J. Lupton
Rose Cutrone
7/23/2016 07:24:26 am

Thank you for all the fascinating info & timelines of what to expect in the coming weeks. Answered all my current questions! I did observe one chick doing a little wing flapping a day or so ago & was awed by the wing span already.

Steve A
7/23/2016 05:57:34 pm

We watched the third egg being moved around the nest, sometimes several times per day. When was the third egg dispatched from the nest? And, was anyone able to determine the contents of that egg?

B. J. Lupton
7/25/2016 09:25:49 am

Steve:
Thanks for watching and for your inquiry. Personally, I have not had the time to track the dispensing of the egg, but we think it happened this past Wednesday late or Thursday. Also, we have not found the remains as of yet. Doug MacCarter is fairly confident that the egg was actually infertile. And thanks for being a Snappy's friend. B. J. Lupton

Jo Egerter
7/24/2016 09:28:19 pm

Wow, the chicks are so close to fledging....spreading their wings, looking around at the world awaiting them....Sure going to miss them....they are like part of our family after all these months of observing them grow, and parents keeping watch over them.
Thank you again to Snappys for this insight to the raptor's life.

Arlene Clarke
7/25/2016 12:09:34 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this great adventure of the ospreys with us all! It has been fun, entertaining and adventurous!

Marsha Gager link
7/29/2016 07:31:46 pm

Fine and Dandy for fledgings name

Susan Erickson
8/11/2016 01:44:09 pm

It appears that Duke and Duchess are already gone. I've only seen one fledging recently. Has one already left?

Jon - Snappy's
8/12/2016 08:18:22 am

Susan,
It is normal for the female (Duchess) to leave the nest earlier than the rest. The male (Duke) will stay and teach the chicks (Lewis and Clark) how to fish and work on flying. Then he will leave as well. Couple of weeks after the chicks will begin their migration.

Bonnie Tobiason
8/11/2016 06:06:53 pm

Miss the Ospreys already. Safe journey to all four of them. Hope they all make it back

Shelly arbuckle
9/4/2016 02:25:29 pm

Have you been able to determine the sex of the offspring?

Jon - Snappy's
9/6/2016 12:53:48 pm

Shelly,
We haven't attempted to get up to the nest. Beyond physically examining the chicks there is no tell that will help determine the sex. Once the chicks mature and return (which is usually when they are 3 years old), there are some markings on the female's breast plate that look like a necklace. However, we probably will not see these chicks again. They will return within 100 miles of their nest, but not back to the original nest. So at this point it is all speculation. It has been fun to watch. The names chosen by you guys were Lewis and Clark so we will say that we have two boys.


Comments are closed.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from davidmulder61, artisrams, BLMOregon, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, www.ilkkajukarainen.fi, FamiljenHelsingborg, Ole Husby, eekim, Old Mister Crow, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, VisitLakeland, DrPhotoMoto, Base Camp Baker, Bob A Fox, Base Camp Baker, Aku Franssila, Bob A Fox, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, profesorxproyect, USDAgov, briandjan607, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, robertleishman, Emilien ETIENNE, Me in ME, Pierce Martin, pmarkham, mypubliclands, illinigardner, Cherrysweetdeal, DKG Images, catalinamarr, halseike, -Jeffrey-, ustung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, www.ilkkajukarainen.fi, roberthuffstutter, DAHstra, Sterling College, www.ilkkajukarainen.fi, Roberto Verzo, judy dean, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, Jerry Hildeman, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, andrew_analore, mypubliclands, briandjan607, anjali-photography, Gunnshots, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Rifa21
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