A new osprey season starts when Rosie returns to the nest. There is always much anticipation and anxious waiting by the humans for her return. This year, she returned, without fanfare, earlier than anyone anticipated. An osprey had been seen on Marker 12 recently but no one knew if it was Richie. A male osprey was seen on the nest this week but it did not look like Richie. Then Rosie flew in and immediately those watching knew it was Rosie. She looked around for Richie, then flew off. 

Rosie has been staying near the nest, either on it or on the crane each day. She keeps looking for Richie and has made some calls. There have been no confirmed sightings of Richie. One person saw two ospreys flying high near each other. There has also been an osprey on Marker 12 periodically. We assume, however, that if Richie were near, he would visit the nest to see Rosie as he has in past years. Where are you, Richie? If an chatter visits San Pablo Reservoir, please keep an eye out for ospreys and especially Richie. He appears to have visited the reservoir regularly to catch trout last season. 

Three caps of a visitor to the next on February 16, before Rosie showed up. Was this Richie? Or someone else? Noe the odd stance. Richie usually stands with his legs together. 

Rosie and corvids  Fab. 21.  cap by Lurker.

Rosie continues to hang around near the nest, on the crane or on the ROV wires. She has been seen eating fish that she presumably caught herself. Twice, two ospreys have been seen flying together, or one chasing the other off. There has also been an osprey on Marker 12. Richie? or other ospreys? The female osprey at the RYC nest has returned. 

 Richie possibly came to the nest February 24. But did not find Rosie. On February 25, the couple finally hooked up. A quick CK then off again.Rosie has been on the nest more and bringing sticks. Still, she leaves after a while and Richie is still mostly absent. But it is still early in the season and perhaps hormones haven't kicked in yet.

The couple is slowly getting ready for the season. They spend a lot of time off the nest but do connect during the day. Richie tries for a few CK's and Rosie has been busy bringing nesting materials. Richie has not shown much interest in helping her or in bringing fish. 

Here is a link to a wonderful video collage of the past years of the ospreys. Poetry and art by our talented Ali. 

The Osprey Season 
Songs written and sung by midi
 
The Osprey
 
The osprey how graceful, magnificent and regal
As he sits upon his nest looking out over the Bay.
His great talons outstretched, his keen golden eyes searching,
He glides over the blue water to search for his fish prey.
 
And I would too be an osprey just as he.
I would fly over the Bay to catch my own prey.
Alas I have no wings to fly, no talons, no eagle eye.
So I will just stay here on Earth with you dear.
 
 
Richie’s Song
 
From this Great Bay they say you have flown.
I will miss your golden eyes and keen gaze.
For they say you have taken the sunshine
That brightened my summer days.
 
Do you think of me sometimes, dear Rosie?
Do you even remember me?
Won’t you come back to visit,
For I am so very lonely. 
 
I will watch for you in the Springtime.
I will visit the nest every day.
And when I finally see you fly in,
I will bring you a bright red bouquet.
 
Would you please return to me, Rosie?
Every day I’ll bring you a treat:
A big branch, eel grass, a red hat,
And a big striped bass to eat.
 
You’ll lay eggs and they’ll hatch out.
Every day, I’ll bring the chicks fish,
A pillow for their little heads,
And whatever else they might wish.
 
The chicks will grow, fledge and fly,
They’ll migrate to Southern lands unknown,
Then the nest will be empty once again, 
And you and I will be alone. 
But you do not need to migrate.
You can stay right here as I do.
I will show you a great place to roost,
And I’ll always be near to you.
 
From this Great Bay they say you have flown.
Dear Rosie, don’t you hear me calling you?
I am waiting at the Whirley Crane
And will always be true to you.
 
From this Great Bay they say you have flown,
Dear Rosie, don’t you hear me calling you?
I am waiting at the Whirley Crane
And will always be true to you.
 
 
Over the Rainbow
 
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
I see an osprey flying, soaring  high in the sky.
Somewhere over the rainbow, by the Bay,
Rosie is flying home to us, flying home today.
 
She’s flying through the Golden Gate 
And at the nest her loyal mate
Will meet her.
We’ll also hurry to the nest 
To see our Rosie we love best
So we can greet her.
 
Somewhere over the rainbow, ospreys fly
They fly over the rainbow,
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If osprey fly beyond the rainbow,
Why oh why can’t I?
 
 
Rosie’s Return
 
An osprey flew to the crane, early one Spring day.
Sat and chirped in the misting rain, all the livelong day.
Rosie, Rosie, my mate, where are you today?
How much longer must I wait? Are you on your way?
 
Then when it had grown late, so dark he could not see,
And he had not seen his mate, he flew to the RYC.
Rosie, Rosie, my mate, where are you tonight?
I am waiting here for you, until the morning light. 
 
Late the next day from the West, in Rosie flew.
She went straight to the nest to find her Richie true.
Richie, Richie, my mate, I am now here.
But it is growing late, are you somewhere near?
 
Richie, fishing o’er the Bay, heard her loud and clear,
So he flew straight away to his Rosie dear.
Rosie, here I come, to you I will be true.
We can build ourselves a nest and raise a family too.
 
We now eagerly await a new osprey year,
Watch for the couple to mate, eggs and chicks appear.
Rosie, Richie too, our own osprey,
We are glad to see you, welcome back, today.
 
 
 
 
Fishing Song
 
You get a fish and I’ll get a fish, Rosie.
You get a fish and I’ll get a fish, Richie.
You get a bass and I’ll get a sole,
We don’t need no fishin’ pole,
Rosie, Richie mine. 
 
You get eel grass and I’ll get sticks, Rosie.
I’ll get eel grass and you get sticks, Richie.
We’ll get eel grass and we’ll get sticks
To build a nest for our chicks,
Rosie, Richie  mine.
 
You get a hat and I’ll get a snake, Rosie.
No, no hats, and no snakes, Richie.
But dear mate, the snake is fake.
Cindy says nothing fake, 
Richie, mate of mine.
 
Then I’ll bring something real, Rosie.
I’ll bring something real, Rosie.
How about a harbor seal
Or a big slippery eel,
Rosie, mate of mine?
 
I’d rather have a great big fish, Richie.
I’d rather have a striped bass, Richie.
Then I’ll bring you a fish, 
And whatever else you wish,
If you’ll only be mine.
 
 
There is an Egg on the Nest

There is an egg on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
That can’t be right, I was watching all night,
But there’s an egg on the nest.
 
There are two eggs on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
I just saw Rosie lay her second egg today,
There are two eggs on the nest.
 
There are three eggs on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
Oh golly gee, there are really three,
There are three eggs on the nest. 
 
Well there be four eggs on the nest, on the nest? (bis)
Will there be any more, will Rosie lay four?
Will there be four eggs on the nest
 
Oh, wait, now there are only two eggs!
 
There are two eggs on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
There are two eggs and one chick, someone is playing a trick,
There are two eggs on the nest.
 
There is one egg on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
There is one egg and two chicks, they’re still playing tricks.
There is on egg on the nest.
 
There are no eggs on the nest, on the nest, (bis)
There are no eggs but three little bobbleheads,
Just wait for what lies ahead!
 
 
 
 
 
Lullaby for Rivet Alone on the Nest
 
Sleep now, osprey chick, on your nest.
Just lie down and take a rest.
You worked hard today on your flight,
Now it’s time to say good night.
 
Momma will stay nearby, do not fear.
Poppa is also quite near.
No need to watch, no need to fret.
Just sleep snugly on the nest.
 
Dream of flying in the sky,
Your strong wings lifting you high. 
Dream of diving into the Bay,
To catch your very own fish prey.
 
Rivet’s sleeping now, let him sleep, 
Dreaming of his life to be.
Rivet’s dreaming now, let her dream.
Dream on, Rivet, sleep and dream. (bis)
 
 
Summertime
 
Summertime and the living is easy.
Fish are jumping and the tide is high.
Your Mommy’s here and your Daddy’s gone fishin’
So hush little Brisa, don’t you cry.
 
One of these mornings, you’re gonna rise up singing,
Then you’ll spread your wings and take to the sky.
But till that day, there’s nothing can harm you
With Daddy and Mommy standing by. 
 
 
Fledgling to its Mother (Follow the Wind)
 
When I leave the nest, which way is the best?
How do I know which way I should go?
Can’t I follow you, go where you go too?
 
No,my fledgling, no, trust the wind and go.
Follow the wind, follow. Follow the wind, follow.
 
Such a long way, how will I know the day
I have found the place where I should stay?
Will there be a sign, says this beach is mine?
 
Follow the sun’s ray, it will show the way.
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow.
 
When I fly back to this nest I love the best,
Can I live with you, stay on this nest too?
I don’t want to leave home, be on my own.
 
Trust the osprey way, fly up and down the Bay,
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow.
 
Fly and soon you’ll find an osprey of like mind,
Together build a nest you’ll love the best.
In the Fall one day, again be on your way.
 
Trust the osprey way, follow the sun’s ray,
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow. (bis)
 
 
Rivet’s Song
 
I have no home to call my own, no place to stay at close of day.
For I have travelled long and far, following my lone star. 
 
I once had a nest I called home, a place where I was loved and known.
Then I fledged and away I flew. Now I am just passing through.
 
I flew down South all alone, to live down there on my own.
To fish and fly every day, and learn to be an osprey.
 
Then I flew back to my nest and asked my parents could I rest.
But they said no, that I had flown, and I was now on my own.
 
In the nest was a new family. There was no longer space for me.
So now I just find my own way, flying up and down the Bay.
 
One day at a later date, I will seek my own mate,
Build a nest and call it home, a place that is all my own.
 
But for now I roost at night, wherever I happen to alight.
I fly here and I fly there, at home nowhere and everywhere. 
 
 
Osprey are Born to Fly
 
Osprey are born to fly,
To soar in wild blue sky.
They grow, they fledge, they mate,
Lay eggs, raise young, migrate.
And when it’s time to say good-by,
They do not cry,
They do not wonder why.
 
But you and I,
We were born to laugh and cry.
We worry and we fret,
We doubt, hope and regret.
And when it’s time to say good-by,
We sigh and cry
And forever ask why.
 
So when the osprey fly,
If you must, then cry.
If you must, wave good-by.
But then let them fly free,
Away from you and me,
Free just to be, free just to be.
Fly high in wild blue sky,
Away from you and me,
Free just to be, free just to be. 
 
 
 
 
Trust the Osprey
 
How many miles must the osprey fly
To their Southern land?
Yes ‘n how will we know when they have reached
A welcoming winter strand?
Yes’n, how many months must we all wait
Before we see their blue band?
The answer, my friends, is trust the osprey.
The answer is Trust the Osprey.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The first week or so is all about sleeping and eating. The chicks spend most of their time sleeping. When hungry or awakened, they crane their necks and open their beaks for food. Rosie, and sometimes Richie, provide them with little morsels of fish. When sated, they fall down in a stupor and Rosie covers them once more. At this point, they are still quite wobbly. Richie provides the fish and any necessary nesting materials. What he considers necessary is quite idiosyncratic and the source of much amusement to human chatters. Each year seems to have a theme. The first year was red things (except for purple Snakey), the second year teal, last year and this, dead things. This was the first year for a mammal carcass. 

As the chicks get older and stronger, the parents give them more air time, especially when the weather is clement. They will even leave them alone for a moment. But rest assured, there is always one adult close by to step in when necessary.

Before the eggs were laid and while they were incubating, Rosie and Richie would bring soft material such as eelgrass or other grass for the nest bowl. This made a soft bed for the hatching chicks. And supposedly, the bird and skunk carcasses made soft pillows. Now they begin to bring larger sticks to build crib rails. With Richie, however, one never knows what to expect. It is fun to watch them try to maneuver the large sticks into place. Less fun is the plastic that remains on the nest at this point.

Before the cam was set up, little was known about the ospreys' activities at night.. It was assumed that they stayed on the nest and slept. Now that there are chatters watching 24/7, we know more. Richie rarely sleeps on the nest but is nearby. When there are chicks, Rosie sleeps on the nest all night. But she awakens  several times during the night and may fly off to take a bathroom break or to stretch. With the chicks, she awakens and feeds them at night. 

By week 2, the chicks are beginning to grow down. This gives them a bumpy appearance and makes them itchy. They grow stronger and spend more time out in the air. They begin to stand up and move around the nest bowl. And they become more effective at feeding. This year, all three chicks are eating well. While the third chick, nicknamed Tres, is still smaller and less developed, it is getting in there for food and downs large bites. It has even been seen snatching a bite from its sibling. 

The cams are down temporarily due to radio malfunction. But on the nest, life goes on as usual. A few clips captured from the camera directly. Note the change in appearance as the chicks emerge from their dinosaur stage. There seems to have been less fighting among the three than in previous years, at least to this observer.
Photos are from May 26 in the afternoon, taken directly from the camera video. For the video, go to sfbayospreys youtube channel.

When the camera came back on on Thursday, May 28, the chicks were already into their new phase, even though it was still the third week. They are a bit ahead of the chart. They are losing their down and developing pin feathers (the beginning stage of the real feathers). They are also developing awareness of and interest in the world around them. No longer gaping beaks, they look at their mother.They walk around the nest on their knees (Uno is just beginning to walk on feet) and they sit looking out over the Bay. They watch whatever flies overhead and crouch down if it is a stranger. And they watch Richie as he flies around fishing. So now their life is eat, sleep, watch, repeat. (much like my dog).

June 8-14
​The chicks are entering the teen-age stage. Their bodies are changing and they're not quite sure what to do with that. Uno and Dos are standing on their feet now and Tres is just beginning. Their feathers have mostly grown in and they've lost the downy look. And their wings are growing. They often stretch their wings, often laying the wing over their sibling. They also have begun wingercizing, flapping their long wings, and they stretch more. The new feathers seem to cause itching and/or they are learning to preen. They spend much time probing their wings with their beaks. 
Rosie and Richie are preparing for this stage by bringing more sticks to build up the nest rails. Both adults can be rather clumsy with the sticks, landing them on the chicks, who don't seem to mind too much. 
This year's trio has been quite cooperative, taking turns to eat. Sometimes one will eat its fill then move aside for the other to edge in. Or they line up, each asking for a bite but not fighting over it. They are taking larger bites and can even swallow the guts now. They also swallow the fish tail. Richie is kept rather busy, sometimes bringing in seven fish (see fish matrix below the cam view for exact information). 

Tres gets a fishtache.

Watching the Bay June 4   caps by midi

June 6   Rather awkward building of the nest rails. 
For more videos see youtube channel sfbayospreys

Chick trying to self feed. June 10, 2020   Video by VA.Posted at sfbayospreys on youtube
See that site for almost daily short video summaries.

On June 14, around 6 am, chatters noticed the cams were down. Many conjectured that this was banding day and sure enough, a few hours later, the cams came back on, and Tony\ confirmed that the banding had taken place and all had gone well. He left a fish in the nest as consolation and this year, the ospreys immediately paid attention to it. The chicks and their parents did not seem particularly distressed. The chicks slept on the nest and Rosie ad Richie sat watching on the crane cable. The fish, a large bass, went back and forth for a while. And there was some self-feeding by the chicks.
The table below shows their weights and band initials. Their ages are 37, 36 and 34 days. 

The chicks have also been named, via a vote open to all  on Facebook. Apparently over 400 votes were gathered:Gender id. is based on weight and is the best bet at this point, not absolute.
First born is Lassen band ZD  male
Second born is Shasta band WU female
Third born is Tam  band XV   male

The chicks have reached most of their adult weight. Their feathers have grown in (but are not fully developed) and their wings have grown long. Now they need to strengthen their wings, which they do by wingercizing them. They will practice flapping their wings, then one by one they will start to hover and finally one chick will fledge(fly off the nest to another landing spot). They will also become more vocal and more active on the nest, walking around on their feet now and spending less time sleeping. They will learn to self feed but will still depend on Richie to bring the fish of course. 

June 26: ZD, the oldest chick, has been working hard and is beginning to hover. The other two are just thinking about it, while wingercizing. Look for fledging to begin this week sometime. A fledge means the chick has flown from the nest to land off the nest somewhere. Our chicks are lucky as there are landing places very near the nest. Usually they fledge to the cables of the crane, sometimes to the platform below the crane. 

ZD has also been sleeping sitting up like his mother this week. And he calls loudly against intruders or for fish. His little brother still pancakes at signs of danger and sleeps with his head low on the nest. What a difference a few days in age makes. But Tam became very excited when his brother fledged, hopping up and down and flapping his wings too.

The three chicks were on the nest the night of July 3 while many local fireworks were going off. They were awake and alert, listening, but luckily not too distraught. 

Early in the morning on July 4, the youngest chick XV fledged. After getting excited about his siblings flying, he just had to try. First he  hovered then flew to the bottom of the boom, just a hop, skip and jump from the nest. Later he flew farther. 

 ​Unfortunately, the following day, XV did not do so well. He landed awkwardly, got stuck in part of the crane, and one chatter on site heard and saw him possibly hit his head. He was missing from the nest and later found behind Riggers Loft. From there he was transported to Wildcare. They found no obvious wounds but there may have been some head trauma. He was then found to have a leg fracture. After several weeks of care, he took a turn for the worse, was losing weight, and the decision was made to euthanize him. The assumption was that he had more damage from the beginning than had been evident. 

Meanwhile,  ZD and WU continue to do well. They fly off then return to the nest for meals and to sleep. Richie, and sometimes Rosie, provides them with fish. They are becoming quite vocal. Rosie spends some time with the fledglings. Richie tends to bring a fish then leave. Richie brought in a child's robe, which engendered much amusement among the chatters, who remember the snake and the monkey. While it is a child's robe, chatters named it Blankie, as WU particularly adopted it as her personal lovey. Rosie spent quite a bit of time arranging it. Then WU slept against it an entire night. One can only imagine the reason behind this item. It has now been removed from the nest, along with a piece of twine, as such human made objects can be hazardous to the birds. 

Shasta and Lassen are off the nest quite a bit now. But they return when they are hungry. They have been seen wet and are probably trying to fish on their own. But when they are hungry, they return to the nest. Shasta especially, like her sisters before her, has a loud demanding voice. Richie and Rosie drop fish off regularly for their offspring. Usually one chick will grab the fish and eat it, leaving the other to look on. Occasionally Rosie will feed a chick. Rosie often spends the night on the rail and the two chicks spend some nights on the nest. A barn owl has also been seen on the nest at night, when the ospreys are not present.

A fun new development is that Richie is bringing trout, possibly from San Pablo Reservoir. Then he brought his first Lightning Trout which seals the deal. Those trout were planted in the reservoir this year. They are not in the Bay. There had been surmise in previous years that Richie might be fishing there during the off season. It is only a few miles as the osprey flies. 

The night of August 15/16 there was an unseasonable storm with lightning and thunder and some rain. The ospreys knew how to deal with the storm. There were no little chicks that needed guarding so Richie and rosie could shelter wherever they wished and WU weathered the storm on her own. 

A fun time was had by chatters on August 24. Rosie dropped off a lively fish to WU, who let it escape. She tried for a long time to retrieve it, screaming all the while. Finally her persistence paid off and she was able to pull the fish up through the branches back up to the nest. She really enjoyed that fish after that! Still photos don't do justice to the situation, so watch the video below by our video assistant:Shasta Saves The Fish

It appears that WU has migrated. She was last seen in the area on August 28. Rosie and Richie perch together some nights on the Red Oak Victory ship cables. Other times, they are nowhere to be seen. On August 31,, Richie brought a long branch of pampas grass and planted it on the nest. One wonders about his thoughts. He has visited the nest and done some nest cupping, ensuring his ownership of this prime property. Today, September 10, a chatter saw an osprey dive for a fish right in front of the cam. It is impossible to know who it was, but we can assume it was either Richie or Rosie. Other birds have visited the nest some but not as much as in the past. 

Who belongs here? Gull and crow vying for the nest. August 26.

The  last days of the ospreys in the area were lowkey as usual. They don't announce their leave-taking. One day they are just not there any longer. And no one knows if an osprey has left the area or is just not around the nest where we can see them. Lassen was last seen at the nest on August 7. Shasta was last seen on August 26. Rosie hung out together at night on the ROV wires but not as much as in past years. Rosie was last seen by chatters on September 17. Richie (likely) has been sighted on the sandbar a few times but less than in the past and has not been seen at Meeker Slough. Perhaps he is hanging out at San Pablo Reservoir catching trout to eat? 

​Chick One has hatched! At 6:06 am on May 8. 

Chick Two has hatched!

A pip appeared in the early evening and chatters were eagerly watching. Nothing seemed to be happening that night, so one by one, chatters went to bed. A few were watching. But the chick emerged covered by its shell and no one saw it until morning. A check of the video feed showed that it hatched at 12:32 am on May 9. Now there are two mouths to feed and Richie has faithfully been providing fish.

Tony\ reported seeing Victory, a returning chick from 2018, by Pt. San Pablo. Happily, he was able to capture some pictures and video from his scope. Kudos to Tony\, our osprey expert, who keeps track of all osprey nests in this area. Victory is the second chick to return. The first was Rivet, who has been spotted once. Victory has two siblings, Roemer and Brisa, so we can hope to see them some day as well.
Once they have fledged, migrated and returned, ospreys have a 90% survival rate.

Chick Number 3 has arrived! 
A pip appeared around 9pm on May 10. Chatters watched through the night but couldn't see much. Rosie was hunkered down and there were few views of the chicks and egg. In the early morning light, chatters could see the pip was larger and at  9:26 am, the chick emerged. The chicks have various nicknames but Uno, Dos and Tres seem to have been chosen as temporary names. Chick number one was born at dawn, chick number two around midnight, and chick number three late morning. It has been suggested that this be taken into consideration for permanent names.(Sunrise, MIdnight and ?) We shall see.

This first week is all about sleeping and eating for the chicks. For Richie it's about providing fish and other material. And for Rosie, it's about keeping the chicks safe, warm and fed.