Last Sunday, as my friend Ronda and I watched, a third mature Osprey attempted to land in Hope and Stewart's nest. My mind spun through one question after another. Was the unknown Osprey trying to get to the defenseless little chick? Was it attempting to steal left-over fish from the nest? Was the visitor a male trying to mate with Hope? Why did the parents allow the visiting Osprey to come so close? The behavior of all three adults seemed unusual. What was happening?
The morning before was much easier to understand. The air had been crisp and cool, while the sun slowly crept above the horizon, behind a band of early morning clouds. Stewart and Hope, were actively improving their nest, just south of the U-Village QFC (in Seattle). In the photo above, Stewart brings up a clump of grass he snagged from the Intramural Activities field a hundred feet below.
Taking turns, Hope would later bring a similar load to the nest. In my experience, adult female Ospreys have a brown "necklace" of speckled spots across the upper chest, while the adult males tend to have a pure white chest.
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These gender specific identifiers are why the prior pair of Osprey, that nested further to the south in the Union Bay Natural Area, were called Chester and Lacey. You can learn about their trend-setting nesting attempts on Union Bay in these posts:
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Hope and Stewart would also occasionally break off little, brittle branches from the trees lining the remnant of Ravenna Creek immediately to their west.
Nearly two hours after dawn, their young chick finally seemed to wake up. At least, that is when its little head first became visible above the edge of the nest. Hope promptly provided pieces of fish. Overall, the morning seemed quiet and uneventful. Sunday was different.
When I arrived Stewart was sitting peacefully on the west side of the nest, which is one of his favorite perches. Hope was sitting on our right. Can you see the size difference? Among all of the predatory birds around Union Bay the females tend to be larger than the males.
A moment later Stewart began calling excitedly and promptly jumped off the light pole and headed east.
He had spotted a passing Bald Eagle and immediately began diving, harassing, and chasing the immature bird away. It takes around five years for Bald Eagles to mature. Up until then, they do not have a mate, a territory, or offspring. Their lives are almost carefree. They do have one all-consuming concern, find food. Stewart clearly did not want his young helpless offspring to be a snack for a hungry eagle.
Stewart wasn't leaving anything to chance. He dove with his talons extended. The eagle twisted around to meet the potential attack.
The eagle tried to circle away but Stewart was smaller and more agile. The diving harassment continued.
Osprey have a wingspan that is nearly 90 percent of the eagle's but they typically weigh less than half as much. (This allows Osprey to lift fairly large fish out of the water, shed the water, and fly away.) It also makes the Osprey faster and far more maneuverable. Clearly, Stewart would not be satisfied until he was sure the eagle was no longer a threat.
If they actually physically engaged, the much larger eagle would almost certainly win. But if Stewart hit the eagle from above he could do some damage. For example, an eagle with a broken wing, would be unable to hunt and (without human intervention) would almost certainly die.
The constant diving, rolling, and general anxiety was apparently too much for the eagle. It turned and headed north away from the osprey nest. Stewart apparently made the point that the airspace around the nest (i.e. the IMA Fields, the UW Golf Course, and U-Village) are a no-fly-zone for Bald Eagles when he and Hope are raising young.
Less than a hour later, Stewart was on his primary roost preening and cleaning his feathers while Hope was in the nest with the chick.
When the chick stretched its tiny wings, it was obvious that it will be some time, maybe a month or so, before it has grown flight-worthy feathers.
Just before noon the third Osprey approached. It came quite close before the parents reacted. Normally, Stewart notices Osprey at a distance, he (and sometimes Hope) immediately start calling, Stewart usually leaps into the air and approaches the intruder similar to how he went after the Bald Eagle and with a similar outcome. I doubt that both he and Hope missed this bird's approach.
However, this time, Stewart chose to simply fly over to the nest and land on the far side of the chick. Apparently, positioning himself so that he and Hope were on opposite sides of the young one.
They were clearly not happy with the approaching Osprey, but they were not their normally aggressive selves either, especially Stewart. He could easily have intervened earlier in the Osprey's approach instead of allowing it to within four or five feet.
The approaching Osprey had its legs extended as if attempting to land, although its talons were not open as I would expect if it was attempting to attack or snatch something out of the nest. Hope, on the left, seems to react the most strongly.
Finally, both of the parents spread their wings. Apparently, trying to hide the location of the young chick.
The process was repeated multiple times.
The third Osprey would circle away and then approach the nest again.
Sometimes, it would hover above their heads, as if searching, before circling around again.
Surprisingly, neither parent left the nest to chase the Osprey during these interactions. After the third adult gave up and flew away to the south Hope left the nest and followed it. But it was not an aggressive, close up harassment of the Osprey. It was as if she was tailing it from a distance just to make sure it did not circle back again.
I do not have a definitive explanation for the behavior of the third Osprey. However, one idea that I wonder about is whether it might have been a second year bird that migrated north this Spring for the first time. Possibly, it has not yet found a mate or a territory. (I understand that Osprey typically spend their first two winters in the south before attempting their first return migration to their originating, northern breeding grounds.) Perhaps, this Osprey might even be one of the young that hatched in this nest in 2021. I wonder if that might explain the parent's almost lackadaisical response to its approach?
The good news is that the parents continue to go out of their way to care for their young bird. This is Hope returning to the nest yesterday morning.
Imagine the heat in the nest when we have cloudless days with the sun constantly beating down. The young bird is unable to fly and so it has no access to water. Its only source of moisture is in the fish that the parents provide. Plus, on the top of the light pole there are no overhead branches providing shade and protection from the sun.
Hope landed on the far side of the nest. Then promptly and carefully walked around the young bird.
It appeared quite intentional when she ended up on the southeast side of the nest, with her wings partially spread, turning herself into a parental umbrella.
Moments later Stewart returned to the nest, demonstrating his devotion as well. I suspect he brought food, although given the angles involved I could not be positive.
During the next month or so, if you visit the IMA field just south of QFC, (binoculars suggested) you can watch the development of the young Osprey and the constant care provided by the parents. Hopefully, their vigilance will be rewarded with the young bird fledging and finding its way in the world.
In case you did not read their exciting fledgling story from last year, you may want to check out:
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Sincerely,
Larry
ps: If you have not yet responded to the Arboretum Foundation survey there is still time. Please Click Here and let us know what is important to you.
(I wish I had remembered to write about how important peace and quiet is in the Arboretum. Hearing the birds sing, the wind in the leaves, and the sound of flowing water is so much more soothing than the sounds of vehicular traffic. I wonder if Lake Washington Blvd could be closed on Sundays? or If we could add more speed bumps? Slower traffic makes much less noise and it is safer for all creatures - including humans!)
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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My friend Elaine Chuang shared several resources (that were new to me) from the January 2022 Washington Ornithological Society meeting. By the way, Elaine credits Vicki King for researching and supplying this information. Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy in the book "Nature's Best Hope " explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Tallamy also includes those plants that support pollinating bees and bugs as Keystone Plants.
Here are some relevant links.
A video all about native keystone plants for wildlife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
Resources for adding keystone native plants to your yard.
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
This updated collection includes a variety of new and different books, perspectives, and interactions between plants, birds, and insects. Thank you to Vicki King for continuing to collect all of these exceptionally helpful works. Also, thank you to each of the individuals who contributed.
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In the area below it is my intention to display at least one photo each week to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
What type of plant has these flowers? Is it native to our area?
(This photo was taken in the Arboretum during the last week of June.)
Scroll down for the answer.
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Orange Trumpet Honeysuckle: Yes. It is a native plant and, surprising for me at least, a climbing vine. The first time I saw one I was positive it was too beautiful and exotic looking to be a native flower, but it is! The flowers are obviously adapted for pollination from hummingbirds and the fruit that follows is attractive to a number of native birds. I have some starting on a trellis but I am considering adding some on my Vine Maple.
Click on the name of the plant to learn more.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
Thanks for this closeup look at the Osprey. Such hardworking parents!
ReplyDeleteLindsey, You are welcome! Larry
DeleteThank you so much for this another amazing Osprey story! Also "A Gordian Knot" episode from last year, somehow I missed it then, also left me close to tears with joy and happiness. I am so grateful for my ties with you and NW.
ReplyDeleteI miss seeing Osprey daily in Seattle, whereas here in Chicago/Hyde Park, I have only seen one passing above the Lagoons near Lake Michigan once in the last 4 years.