Saturday, September 15, 2018

Empty Nest

Postcard of Iris and L'el'e 


As some of my readers know, I was over the moon obsessed with a family of ospreys in Missoula, Montana (Hellgate Canyon) this summer. Through the eyes of a well positioned web cam, folks from around the world watched Iris (mom osprey), Louis (dad osprey) and L'el'e (baby osprey) live their lives as raptors in nature. It was a summer of heartbreak, joy and nail-biting drama in and out of the nest. Through it all, the O family taught me several lessons.

1) Procedures matter.--Osprey are fish eaters. They are phenomenal divers and their powerful wings allow them to haul a struggling fish out of the water and back to the nest. The fish are always eaten from the head to the tail and consistently in that order. Never once did I see them start with the soft belly, no matter how hungry they were. They forcefully ripped through the lips of their prey and worked their way through the softer inner parts and finally, made a final gulp to accommodate the forked tail. I can only speculate that this procedure gave the O's maximum nutrition and kept the nest free of stray fish parts.

2) Keep your nest tidy.--From the moment Iris and Louis arrived in the spring, their nest was in a constant state of upkeep. Large "crib rails" were hauled in, stick by stick. Soft pieces of moss and grass were tucked into corners here and there. Much fussing and fiddling with sticks in the nest was common throughout the season. And the number one rule for all the O's was "Never poop in the nest." When it was time for a poop break, the birds backed up to the edge of the nest and let 'er fly with great projectile force. I found it fascinating in a twisted sort of way.

3) Trust the O's.--Nature is nature and any attempts on our part to anthropomorphize our little bird family resulted in heartbreak and frustration. It was an astoundingly difficult spring in Missoula for fishing. The Clark Fork River was raging and the turbidity levels were off the charts, resulting in near starvation for our O family. Siblicide is one way ospreys cope with low food availability. We watched as Iris and Louis ignored the attacks of the oldest nestling on the younger siblings. Our heads knew this was the only way any of the offspring had a chance for survival, but our human hearts wanted to intervene. Sadly, two nestlings succumbed but the remaining chick grew into a strong, beautiful osprey. The species continues to the next generation.

4) Never give up.--The most critical moment this summer was a 36-hour stretch of no fish being brought into the nest by Louis. It was cold, rainy and the river continued to churn violently. The remaining chick was within hours of death if food didn't arrive soon. Iris was keeping the chick warm but in a surprising move, she flew off the nest and shortly thereafter, returned with a fish. Iris is much older than Louis and her hunting prowess and motherly instinct gave her a life saving advantage that fateful day. Throughout the summer, Louis developed into a fierce fisher bird and his deliveries to the nest were always met with great fanfare.

Fall is arriving in Hellgate and our osprey family is feeling the urge to fly south. Soon the nest will be completely empty and we will most likely never see L'el'e again as the young do not return to their birth nest. The timing is good for me as I am back to school and I need to migrate out of the nest myself.


Until next spring, that is.



Screenshot of L'el'e in early August

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