… returns to the nest empty-taloned!!!
You may recall my recent post about my morning spent at Lake Erie Metropark, the highlight being the face-to-face, er … nose encounter with the delightful doe in the woods. Then I capped off that wonderful walk by capturing some shots of the Osprey family at the nearby fire station.
So, when I returned to this Metropark on Sunday, August 13th once again I stopped at the fire station located on the fringe of the park. To my delight, the two Osprey chicks were sitting on the side of the nest and a very vocal Mama Osprey was uttering high-pitched chirps while scanning the skies from her perch on the fire station siren.
I grabbed the camera, excitedly calling to the group to “hold that pose please!”
Mama was restless, as she looked up, down and around, while wearing an angry scowl.
Here are Mama and the chicks.
After about 10 minutes of watching the trio and taking umpteen photos, the hunter-and-gatherer, a/k/a the male Osprey, returned, similarly chirping away. Was he scolding me for bothering the family or announcing his arrival?
His nest stick-gathering duties were done for the year, but Mama and the kids were hankering for a nice fish dinner. But, as you can see, he only brought himself back to their humble and twiggy abode. Did he forget or were no fish to be found?
I watched as Dad plunked down onto the nest nearly knocking one of the chicks flying off the side; obviously grace is not his strongpoint.
Everyone stayed put after Dad’s clumsy kerplunk. No further chirps nor angry looks were exchanged so I moved on. What a treat to see the entire family close up.
Note: I researched a little for this post.
First, how to tell male and female Osprey apart. Had the pair been perched side by side, I would have seen that the female was 20% larger than the male. They weren’t anywhere near one another, so I also learned that the female has a darker “necklace” at her neck and chest area than the male which has much lighter markings. That is evident in these photos.
I also wondered how long it takes for Osprey chicks to fledge and learned Osprey chicks, a/k/a “gulps” (who thinks up these crazy bird baby names anyway) fledge the nest 55 days after hatching. I first saw their tiny heads poking out of the nest on my June 18th, Father’s Day, visit, so 55 days would be August 12th. I was here a day later. Apparently the chicks will still use the nest as a home base until migrating in September and are dependent on their parents until they are able to fish for themselves.
Hmm – I hope Dad does better next time – perhaps he needs a bamboo rod and some popcorn? As you know, it worked for me!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
That’s so fun that you were there 56 days after the first sighting. You captured great shots of them doing their bird things. I chuckled at your comment, who comes up with these names anyhow? It is fairly common that the males in the predators are smaller than the females, I think. Maybe I should’ve researched first before stating that? 🤔😉 A few miles from our home there is an Osprey family perched on a siren too. What the heck? Mr. saw one of them sitting on the post just as a car went by underneath it. The Osprey squatted and let loose the biggest glob of white that thankfully missed the car in front and Mr. Bet you didn’t expect that comment this morning… 🤣 I’m glad you didn’t see something like that! I hope the end of August is calm and nice for you – September HAS to be better weatherwise!!
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Yes, I have to go back to Lake Erie Metropark to see them flying around. I intended to go there this past weekend but didn’t go anywhere that way due to the severe weather, as one tornado was right at this Metropark. So that would be fun if the are hanging around and flying there. You are correct about the female raptors being larger than the male. A fellow blogger photographs a lot of bald eagle where he lives in Tofino, B.C. and he often shows his eagle mated pairs side by side and it is really noticeable. No, I did not expect that comment – you are correct! We are off to a good start as we head into September … nice all week but tomorrow will be rainy/stormy in the afternoon (not severe though).
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I’m glad you stayed at home and avoided the storm. Hopefully, you get to see them again and get some more photos.
🤣😂 Sorry if the comment was out there (literally 🤣)
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a nice September. We’re going to hit the 90s again in temps. It’s been about 20 years since we had that hot of temps on Labor Day weekend. I hope your storm is mild as predicted.
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We have some rumbling out there now, so I am going to shut down in a few minutes as it’s going to storm. It got a lot warmer than they predicted, setting off the storm. I hope your/my near 90s this weekend isn’t a recipe for disaster again.
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Man…more rumbling! UGH!
I hope the heat this weekend doesn’t trigger more storms too!
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I know it – we have 90-degree weather Sunday through Tuesday they say … I’m thinking severe weather might be in the picture again. When we had the tornados last week the dew point and humidity were the same which triggered the outbreak. I was hoping we’d just glide into Fall’s cooler weather. Sigh.
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I hope it’s just a last blast of heat before heading into a nice Fall. 🤔😉
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Weatherman said we never had a 90-degree date in August, even during the “Dog Days” – that’s okay, we had Biblical rain and eight tornadoes (we had one earlier in August, then the seven the night of 08/24) so I guess that makes up for it. I wish it had stayed cool. I’ve had the A/C off all week.
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Man…it’s been a record-breaking summer! Wow – no A/C for the week, that must be nice on the electric bill!
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It was nice Shelley and unfortunately the A/C went back on Sunday morning – the humidity … yikes! It’s 7:30 p.m. with a “real feel” of 89. I got my miles in and scurried home to the cool house.
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Thank goodness for A/C indeed! It was/is HOT here too. Oy! Stay cool, Linda!
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We have a storm rolling in – I was doing a few things online thinking that storm was only in other areas (last I heard), then I heard thunder and checked Wunderground and Accuweather … heavy thunderstorm, so will be exiting here soon I think. I am behind two days in Reader on top of it.
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I hope you survived the storms. We were supposed to get some but not a drop fell! 🙄
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It rumbled a lot but I can’t say I heard any rain, but the National Weather Service had several posts for the area for hail and possible flooding … right near me. I am staying in this morning … three different weather forecasts, all very different … one says mid-morning storms, one said early afternoon storms and one says storms from noon to 9:00 p.m. The dew points and humidity are high and it’s already 75 but these storms have hail, gusty winds and torrential rain … I would rather err on the side of caution than get caught in a storm. I am three days behind in Reader … that hasn’t happened in a while, so going to catch up before I start work.
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I hope the storm wasn’t as bad as predicted. We did get a tiny bit of rain. It’s in the 50s this morning and should stay around 60 all day – cloudy day. Weird weather!
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After our torrential rain, it cooled off a lot. We had rumbles last night, lightning but no hail or high wind gusts right here but on the water it was rough and there were waterspouts.
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Hopefully the cooling off will lead to less nasty storms and just a normal Fall!
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We are supposed to have a great weekend … it was iffy for Saturday, now they say nice. The next ten days are below normal temps, so I’m hopeful that is the end of the nasty storms as we’re in the third week of September by then … fingers crossed.
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I hope so too!
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Great family shots!
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Kate, they didn’t move when I asked them to “hold that pose!” I was feeling pretty lucky afterward!
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Wonderful photography Linda! I appreciate the educational portion.
And I felt some relief that once Dad settled in the nest that all was quiet with no hard feelings about no catch of the day yet.
Your ending gave me a good giggle!
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Thank you Teri – it was wonderful watching the family up on the sirens. I thought it would be helpful to point out how I determined it was the female on the siren with the chicks and that they were ready to fledge. I thought Dad was going to spill the chicks over the side of the nest as he landed with such a kerplunk. I figured since I just did that post about the fishing I’d tack on that last line. 🙂
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Excellent shots of the osprey family, Linda! Mom is doing a great job and the “gulps” (LOL) are ready to learn and feed.
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That you Terri – it was such fun watching the family and now I am going to go back and see if I can get some shots of the chicks, er … “gulps”. One day I’m going to write a post about all the funny names for baby birds – they are pretty bizarre! Mom was either warding off predators or airing her grievances with her extra-loud chirps. 🙂
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I would love to see that post, Linda. Between gulps and unkindnesses it should be hilarious. 🤣🦆
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I will seek out more birds and see what I can do Terri. For example, a baby Grouse is called a “cheeper” or a “squealer” and a baby Puffin is called a “puffling” and a Loon is a “loonlet” … I have never understood why a baby Sandhill crane is called a “colt”.
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I suppose a baby Sandhill crane is about as big as a colt (horse). I wonder what baby quail called?
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That’s true. I Googled and a baby quail is called a chick – well, I’d protest if I were a baby quail that everyone else has unusual names. 🙂
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Beauty shots Linda! What happens when the siren goes off?
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My thought as well! Surely the siren has gone off a few times since the nest was built. I imagine loud squawks and a cloud of feathers as the ospreys are scared out of the nest, quick to return when all is quiet. Hopefully the gulps just stay put, cover their ears, and wait for Mom & Dad to return.
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yes,but what would happen If it went off while the chicks are in the nest and cannot escape?
The poor things would surely be permanently traumatized!
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I hope that scenario never happens … Andy Finnegan asked if they turn off the siren during nesting season – makes me wonder?
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I am curious about the sirens now too Dave. I’d also be curious if, after the Ospreys migrate to warmer climates, if the nest is removed and the Ospreys build from scratch next year. They have been nesting there every year for a while now – I only went and took photos last year and this year. I don’t know how often the siren goes off, but I do know that this fire station is not manned 24/7/365. Whenever I’ve been there, I am the only one in the parking lot. They use it as needed as they have four fire stations in Brownstown Township, with this one on the fringes of Lake Erie Metropark. As I write this comment, I wonder if this is a siren used for tornado alarms … after all, there was a tornado right next door at Lake Erie Metropark last Thursday night on the golf course, the opposite end of the park? Our City’s tornado alarms went off during the height of this severe weather event.
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In a sad coincidence, my newsfeed reported the accident of a military “Osprey” aircraft. Makes me wonder what characteristics of the plane earn it the nickname.
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I saw that as well. Three were killed in a military accident with a Osprey down in Australia.
I suspect the reason that aircraft was called an Osprey is because it can hover. Which is what Osprey do when they spot prey below them.
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Very sad and not the first Osprey aircraft to go down and have casualties either – there was just an Osprey crashed last year.
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I know, I felt badly after I heard the news on Monday morning … I had scheduled that post ahead of time or I would have mentioned it.
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Thanks Wayne – there were two photo firsts for me: getting shots of 1) the Osprey chirping and 2) an Osprey with feet hanging down like one of your eagles. I don’t know the answer to your question what happens when the siren goes off, but I do know that this fire station is not manned 24/7/365. Whenever I’ve been there, I am the only one in the parking lot. They use it as needed as they have four fire stations in Brownstown Township, with this one on the fringes of Lake Erie Metropark. For the chicks’ sake (and humans as well), hopefully it is not activated often. But, as I write this comment, I wonder if this is a siren used for tornado alarms … after all, there was a tornado right next door at Lake Erie Metropark last Thursday night on the golf course, the opposite end of the park?
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What a golden opportunity to place a next cam up! Imagine the nest antics that would go on and then the result of the horn going off.
On second pondering…….I don’t think the fire station would allow any equipment up there to record? Imagine the public seeing the effects upon a family of Osprey when that siren goes off? I’m sure the video would go viral with many people demanding that they should not have to suffer like this!
I suspect that “the powers that be” would not allow a camera up there!
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You’re probably right Wayne – my guess is they don’t use the siren at all but I’m surprised they don’t have a nearby web cam for watching those Ospreys.
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Linda- great shots. I also wonder what would happen if sirens go off – or do they not use them during nesting ?
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Thank you Andy – I was so happy to see the entire family there. I am going to return to try and hopefully get some photos of the chicks before they migrate in September. I am curious about the sirens and nesting and whether they suspend the sirens during the nesting period. Also, if it a siren for fire-related events or tornadic events. We had an outbreak of tornadoes last week in Southeast Michigan – seven tornadoes in one night. Our tornado alarm was sounded, so perhaps this is a tornado alarm – in that case they likely test it the first Saturday of each month like our City does. I hope I can find some answers before my next post.
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maybe Dad is trying to give the chicks a not-so-subtle hint that it’s time to find their OWN food! I didn’t know that osprey chicks are called gulps. Thanks for the education!
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Now there’s an idea Laurie – Dad, wanting those chicks to quit relying on him and do their own fishing. 🙂 You are welcome – it’s fun to learn things like oddball bird baby names – some were very funny, like a baby grouse is called a cheeper or a squealer. A baby puffin is called a puffling, which sounds like a fancy dessert.
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How fun to see the Osprey chicks again, this time almost ready to leave the nest. You captured some really good photos of all the family. I think Dad returning to the nest are my favorite.
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Thanks Rebecca – I had a lot of fun watching and photographing them, then putting together this post. I really was lucky the family stayed put the entire time and I had a perfect blue sky to make those Ospreys really stand out. Now I’d like to return to see those chicks again before they migrate in September. It was amazing how Dad descended onto the nest … a little awkwardly, but since he didn’t bring food, I guess he was just visiting with his offspring. 🙂
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Wonderful bunch of photos and story. Liked the added info. Similar to the bald eagles I used to work at observing. One dad could not catch fish at all, and even when he nabbed a coot, he would never take any food to the nest! Mama did the entire raising of her chick alone – and she always got her fish.
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Thank you Eilene – I enjoyed watching and photographing them. That’s interesting about the habits of the male bald eagle! I ASSUMED it was the male catching the fish and bringing it home to the family, since he was such a prolific stick gatherer at nesting time. Sigh – a woman’s work is never done, even in the raptor world.
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Beautiful photography. Very interesting you sharing Osprey family. You captured some really good photos of all the family. I think Dad returning to the nest are my favorite.
You are correct describe about the female raptors being larger than the male.
comment this morning… 🤣 I’m glad you didn’t see something like that! I hope the end of August is calm and nice for you ,Linda!
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Thank you Raj – I am glad you enjoyed the photos and reading about the Osprey family. We are expecting a storm tonight within the next hour, but not severe weather like last week thankfully. Then that is it for rain for the rest of the week and long holiday weekend.
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You are most welcome! There were still raining. How are you!?
Tack care!
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I am fine Raj – thank you for asking. I hope you are the same. The weather is better this weekj. Last week was very eventful. We had torrential rain most of Wednesday and seven tornadoes in Southeast Michigan late last Thursday night and some were as close as 15 miles from here. One touched down at Lake Erie Metropark where I go all the time. Very scary. Now we have had an uncharacteristically cold week and this is a holiday weekend coming up in the U.S. and it will be hotter than usual, a difference of about 30 degrees from today’s temp. Strange weather indeed.
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Thanks God ,iam very well. Lots of thanks my dear friend, Linda! I am so glad! You made my morning.Very nice & kindness reply me. Very well weather. Here is hot & rainy sometimes. But overall hot & warm.
Tack care!
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Well hopefully there are no monsoons or dangerous weather on the horizon for you Raj. All around the world, the weather is just a little too crazy for my liking these days. Hopefully it cools off long before Winter arrives for you.
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OMG Linda, I can’t believe you posted this! I just watched a nature program about them yesterday. It said that once they establish a nest on the top of a tree etc. (I doubt loud sirens count lol) that they return to the same nest year after year. They said the nests become so tall that the Osprey have to clean them out every year. Beautiful pictures as always Linda!
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What a coincidence Diane! I have to say that this nest is as big (or bigger) as it was last year which makes me think the fire station never took it down, so the Osprey can keep on living there – “home sweet home” forever. 🙂 I do know they built a nest a few years ago at Lake Erie Metropark (right next door to here) and the nest was atop an electrical pole and to avoid a potential disaster, the DNR and our energy provider worked together to relocate the nest and eggs to a safer place and I wish I knew where that is – another family to spy on! They put the eggs in to a cooler to keep them cool as it was hot and the Osprey parents were nervously watching the entire process. I am glad you liked the photos … I had fun taking pictures of them and watching them as well.
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Awe that was such a wonderful gesture!
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I thought it was a nice gesture too Diane. They didn’t just destroy the nest without a care … they looked out for the entire family.
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Linda, these pictures are wonderful and tell an interesting story!! You are a keen observer.
How amazing to find a nest photo with the “gulps” (really, who comes up with those names?!) in there.
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Thank you Esther – it was fun to watch them and photograph them. I was pretty sure it was the female with the chicks sitting on the sirens and the male coming over, but Googled around to be sure. That was one angry mama – very vocal! I was reading the list of baby bird names and they are really kind of crazy, especially a “gulp” for a baby Osprey.
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It must be loud to sit atop that siren! Whatever works for them, I guess?!
I hope your neck didn’t hurt from looking up and taking pictures. “Gulp” is a memorable name for a baby Osprey. It’s a fun trivia to know.
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Yes, can you imagine snoozing away in the nest and that siren goes off? It would give them a heart attack! Esther, not only was I looking up at the nest not doing my neck any favors, but also looking into the sun as well. What you don’t do for a photo sometimes. 🙂 Yes, this website I found gives names of baby birds – some are really funny and “gulp” seemed odd enough to mention it in the post.
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That angry scowl was priceless! Thanks for pointing out the necklace on the female. You got some great shots, here, Linda. I’ve never been able to get this close to one of their nests. Maybe the chicks are called gulps because they gulp their food? Best wishes to the youngsters as they learn to fish and start their migrations. Hopefully Dad fishes well enough to teach them something…
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Yes, Mama had quite the mean streak Barbara and she was chirping very loudly too. I thought that was interesting about the necklace since they were not perched side by side to verify which was the male. That’s a good theory about why the chicks are called gulps – there are so many strange names for baby birds on the website I found. I think the gulps better learn quickly how to fish before they head south!
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“obviously grace is not his strongpoint.” Oh you made me laugh out loud with that one. Yep, you got that right. I know nothing about osprey so I feel better informed. To my knowledge we don’t have them around here.
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He nearly took his two offspring out when he landed and the one chick did a head tilt – wish I could have captured that. 🙂 I thought I’d add those little tidbits to the bottom of the post Ally, especially the odd name for baby osprey. They are big birds, but not as big as eagles (but just as loud). I only see them in the larger parks – hawks we have in the park where I walk daily and even in the neighborhood and I don’t live in a rural area.
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I wonder if the occasional male osprey exhibits bad behavior that would be the human equivalent of spending his paycheck at the bar before returning home drunk and broke.
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Well JP, I figure there could be a “boys will be boys” attitude in the avian world as well as the human world. Probably, he should have stayed away to avoid incurring the wrath of the little woman and kids. 🙂
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