Season 2020 Part 5: Family on the Nest

5/12/2020

First Week: Bobbleheads

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.

The family on the nest May 12 cap by Dianne A

The Three Siblings May 12 in the morning cap by SaMo

Where's our fish? May 13 at 11:51 am cap by midi

When there is no fish and the chicks are begging, Rosie will faux-feed them for a bit. But they prefer the real thing. She proffers a small bite and this prompts them to open their beak wide. If one chick doesn't, she moves to another. But she makes sure all three get their share.

A fish for the chicks May 12 at 5:55 am cap by SaMo

Rosie feeding chicks May 12 3:23 pm cap by midi

May 13 at 12:48 pm cap by midi

May 13 at 5:39 pm

Richie feeding Rosie May 11 at 2:58 pm cap by SaMo

May 13 at 5:34 pm cap by midi

Number 3 (Tres) getting his share. May 15 at 7:55 am cap by J

Giving the chicks some air May 15 at 9:04 am cap by midi

A bit of air May 14 at 10:07 am cap by midi

Home Alone (for two minutes) May 12 at 7:36 am cap by midi

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.

Moving the plastic bag around. May 14 at 2:30 pm cap by midi

Wrestling with the plastic. May 14 at 2:30 pm cap by midi

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.

Richie brings a log May 15 cap by midi

Trying to maneuver the stick into position May 15 cap by midi

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.

May 13 at 11:22 pm cap by midi

Rosie awake May 13 at 11:21 pm cap by midi

Late night snack May 11 at 11:42 pm cap by midi

Second and Third Weeks :Dinosaur Stage

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.

Getting Downy May 14 cap by J

Richie is kept busy delivering fish. His daily delivery increases up to 6 fish a day. Often a large fish will be delivered, eaten then taken away by Richie to eat by himself, then redelivered to the nest for another feeding (see the fish matrix for the story of a given fish). Rosie will also keep a piece of fish in the nest for a late night feeding. She always cleans up the fish bits after the chicks have eaten.

pin feathers May 18 cap by SaMo

Id of the three chicks by J May 18 Note the lack of pin feathers on Tres, the youngest.

Fish delivery May 18 at 9:26 am cap by C

Mealtime May 18 at 2:59 pm cap by midi

Tres gets its share May 18 at 7:03 pm cap by midi

Home alone with Momma nearby May 19 at 7:31 am cap by midi

Venturing out May 20 at 7:49 am cap by midi

Learning to walk May 18 at 1:18 pm cap by midi

Becoming independent May 20 at 12:52 pm cap by midi

Mom, I'm going out to explore (Uno) Tres stays home by Momma Note the difference in appearance May 19 at 12:07 pm cap by midi

Waiting for a Fish May 21 at 9:41 am cap by midi

Here's Daddy with the fish! May 21 at 9:43 am cap by midi

Building up the railings to keep the growing chicks safe. May 19 at 7:53 am cap by midi

Getting too big to fit under Momma May 20 at 7:27 am cap by Robin

May 21 at 12:06 pm cap by midi

Now kids, don't fight May 21 at 12:41 pm cap by midi

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.

May 26 at 2:46 pm

Weeks 4-5: Awareness and Growing Bodies

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).

What's Up,Mom? May 29 at 8:53 am cap by J

Mealtime May 29 at 10:22 am cap by J

Cuddletime May 29 at 7:49 am cap by Robin

Close-up of pin feathers

tail feathers June 1 gif by Robin

What's that up there? May 28 cap by midi

Richie brings a fish May 29 at 5:33 pm cap by SaMo

Post prandial collapse May 28 2:56 pm cap by midi

Feeding Time June 1 cap by SaMo

Siesta time May 29 at 12:43 pm cap by midi

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).

feeding time May 29

Tres gets its share. May 28 at 3:10 pm cap by midi

Mmm, guts. June 3 at 6:37 pm cap by midi

full crop June 3 cap by J

Tres gets a fishtache.

Watching the Bay June 4 caps by midi

3 chicks: Dos, Tres, Uno cap by SaMo

3 chicks: Uno, Dos, Tres cap by Robin

Wingercizing June 8 caps by SaMo and J

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

Rosie and her chicks June 9 cap by SaMo

Uno, Dos, Tres? June 9 cap by midi

Watching for Poppa to bring a fish June 9 cap by SaMo

Richie pretends to be a chick June 9 cap by midi

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.

Wingercizing June 10 gif by J

Close-up of the three chicks June 9 cap by midi

Banding Day June 14 days 34-37

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

Meme by Dianne A

Post banding meal 7pm June 14 gif by J

Weeks 7-8 Learning to Fly

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.

ZD Shasta wingercizing June 17 cap by C

Late Night Exercise June 15 10:58 pm cap by midi

Wingercizing June 17 cap by SaMo

Three chicks WU, ZD, XV June 9 cap by midi

WU, ZD, XV June 15 cap by C

Three chicks June 22 cap by J

Chick helping to nestorate June 18 cap by J

Here comes the meal June 20 cap by midi

Mealtime June 17 cap by midi

Quiet Watching June 19 cap by midi

ZD almost hovering June 19 gif by J

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 hovering June 25 gif by J

WU wingercizing June 25 cap by midi

Hover by XV June 28 cap by Crow

ZD prolonged hover June 26 cap by SaMo

Hover by ZD June 28 cap by Crow

Poppa demonstrates how the experts land in the wind. June 28 cap by SaMo

Fledging

On June 29, the first born chick ZD (Lassen) fledged. He quite successfully flew to the crane then around back to the crane and finally and back to the nest, with a fine landing. Rosie flew to the crane to support him, flew off then returned. XV (Tamalpais) has been wingercizing quite a bit but not going to the edge of the nest yet.

WU and XV watching their brother cap by Dianne A

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.

ZD on crane July 1

Fish tug of war June 30 cap by midi

Whoops! ZD landing on Rosie July 1 cap by Anna Tinsley

The whole family on the nest. ZD sleeping upright with his back to us. June 28 cap by midi

ZD practicing his flight July 1 cap by midi

WU and ZD sleep standing up July 2 cap by midi

WU hovering June 29 cap by Crow

On July 3, in the morning, the second chick Wu fledged. First she flew a few steps to the cable. Later, WU flew to the lower platform below the nest and stayed there a few hours. Rosie kept a careful watch on her. When a fish came, she gladly flew back to the nest.

Two chicks on boom July 3 7:09 am cap by J

WU in basement July 3 7:13 am cap by J

WU and Rosie July 3 3:37 pm

WU on lower ledge July 3 1:29 pm

XV alone on the nest July 3 at 9:47 am cap by midi

All three back on the nest July 3 at 6:39 PM cap by Anna Tinsley

Fish tug of war July 3

XV alone on the nest July 3 at 12:36 pm cap by midi

Back on the nest for the night July 3 cap by C

XV alone on the nest July 3 at 9:48 am cap by midi

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.

XV fledging on July 4 at 6:53 am cap by midi

XV at 6:54 am cap by midi

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.

Post from Wildcare:
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news with the community that Tam is no longer with us. After another successful splint change on Thursday, we had a new update written and ready to post today. However, over the weekend, Tam’s condition took a serious turn for the worse.
Even since he was first weighed and banded in the nest, Tam had been underweight and not as strong as his older siblings. During his brief time in our hospital it was an ongoing challenge to get him to eat enough to keep on weight, much less gain it. Earlier in the week, for reasons unknown, Tam began regurgitating all of the fish he would eat.
Diagnostic tests were inconclusive as to a cause. We placed Tam on 4-times-a-day tube feedings and subcutaneous fluids so that we would not lose any more ground, but he still became weaker. By late evening, Saturday, he was no longer able to stand.
After numerous consultations with colleagues at wildlife hospitals that treat a high volume of Osprey, and with recognition that Tam’s condition was rapidly deteriorating, the decision was made to end Tam’s suffering and humanely euthanize him.
Of course everyone who cares about Tam will want to know the reasoning behind this incredibly difficult decision. We want to share the primary considerations through which our team worked, in consultation with the other Osprey experts.
First is an understanding of the medical concerns Tam faced even before his admission to the wildlife hospital.
Even recognizing that Tam was the smallest of the three Osprey chicks in this year’s Whirly Crane nest, the fact that he spent around 18 hours on the ground after his test flight was not normal, nor was it normal that he was able to be easily picked up by his rescuer. A truly healthy young Osprey should have been able to hop-fly his way back to his nest after his aborted test flight.
Tam’s weight and body condition on intake was below normal and his mentation was not 100%. Despite that, and after we saw improvement to the symptoms of possible head trauma with which he was admitted, our plan was to get Tam back into his nest with his family as soon as possible to let his parents continuing doing their best for him.
Those plans were delayed for a day due to the neighboring crane construction and, during that time, Tam fractured his leg. We still do not know why the fracture happened, but its occurrence points to severe underlying metabolic issues within Tam’s body. The fact that he was never able to gain and keep on weight as a sedentary, growing bird being hand-fed in care is further evidence that something was not right with him.
We have sent Tam’s body to the state lab for a necropsy in hopes that we will be able to glean answers as to what underlying conditions led to his failure to thrive and recover. We hope that the necropsy results will also provide knowledge that will help us with future Osprey patients. If we receive any helpful findings we will share them with the group.

Photo from Wildcare. See their Facebook page for more information.

XV on rail July 5 at 10:24 am cap by PP

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.

Mother and child on strut together July 6 at 4:27 pm cap by midi

Three on the crane July 6 at 4 pm cap by midi

Richie brings a "blanket" to the nest July 5 (for the absent Tam?)

WU with blankie July 8 cap by C

WU napping against blankie July 8 cap by midi

WU using blankie as a pillow night of July 8 cap by C

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.

Three ospreys on the crane July 6 cap by midi

Rosie feeding chick July 21 cap by SaMo

The whole family on the nest July 5

Richie brings a fish July 13 cap by midi

WU July 22 cap by SaMo

Chick with long fish July 17 cap by midi

WU mantling over her fish July 24 gif by J

Two fish. Which do I choose? July 24 cap by Crow

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.

Richie brings a Lightning Trout July 24 gif by J

Poster by Robin

Three osprey on the ROV July 26 photo by Lisa the Lurker

ZD tries to get a fish and instead gets Richie's talon. Ouch! gif by J July 26

Richie delivers two fish but nobody's home July 24

Moonlight on the Nest Robin Aug. 1, 2020

Quiet moment on nest for ZD August 4 cap by C

August: ZD started spending most of his time off the nest and hasn't been seen in a while It is assumed that he is still in the area and perhaps he is the osprey that his sister WU chases away from the nest. Meanwhile, WU comes to the nest daily, although she no longer sleeps on the nest.She shows up several times during the day to call loudly for a fish. After a while, either Rosie or Richie will show up with a fish that they just drop off. WU mantles and squawks over her fish as she eats it.

WU's hissy fit August 7 cap by Crow

Fish delivery to WU August 13 cap by C

Richie brings a fish August 4 cap by midi

Incoming fish August 19 cap by craigor

WU on nest at night 10:33 pm Aug. 3 cap by midi

WU on nest at night 11:24 pm Aug. 9 cap by midi

WU on nest at night 10:13 pm Aug. 17 cap by midi

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.

6:17 am on August 16 cap by J

Sunrise after the storm 6:30 am cap by craigor

Hon. Henry Jackson and WU on nest August 18 cap by midi

eye focussing gif by omjonli

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.

Rosie and WU on the nest together for the last time. August 27. Cap by Crow

Nest, tug, and pampas grass flag September 1 cap by PP

Crows playing land on the flag game Sept. 1 gif by J

WU's last day on the nest? August 28 cap by midi

Richie on nest with pampas grass August 31 cap by J

Richie nest cupping September 1 gif by J

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?