Blue Falcon
New member
[Feel free to expand query to cover all hawks]
I have had an osprey nest right in front of my work, on top of a light pole, for the last 3 years. They managed to fledge 2 young last year (the young male's first flight ended up with him hanging upside down from a tree branch).
I'm not sure what post-breeding dispersal entails in this species, if the young end up flying off 2-3 states away, or even 2-3 counties, ne'er to return. But yesterday I saw something which made me go hmm...
This pair, like any other pair of this species, is very territorial-they won't tolerate any invasions of the area around their nest by conspecifics, and will issue the usual strident osprey warning chirp sequence to any bird that comes too close, and the male might indeed chase away any intruders.
Except for yesterday. They were both on the nest, and I hear one of them chirping, but it isn't the usual strident sequence of notes, but instead is slower and lower pitched. Then I see the intruder circling overhead and getting closer-still no change in the chirp cadence. As he gets right overhead, he suddenly drops down 40 feet, and still the resident male doesn't react! The intruder ends up landing on another nearby light pole-resident male still doesn't give him flight. Eventually the intruder flew off on his own.
I wonder if that was one of their chicks from last year, since he (if it was the young male) would often hang out on those light poles after he got the hang of flying. My ultimate question is whether he will bring fish back for his younger siblings...? Hard to do a Google search for this kind of thing (any terms I tried came up empty)...I know in passerines older fledged young might help out with their younger siblings. Any perspectives appreciated.
I have had an osprey nest right in front of my work, on top of a light pole, for the last 3 years. They managed to fledge 2 young last year (the young male's first flight ended up with him hanging upside down from a tree branch).
I'm not sure what post-breeding dispersal entails in this species, if the young end up flying off 2-3 states away, or even 2-3 counties, ne'er to return. But yesterday I saw something which made me go hmm...
This pair, like any other pair of this species, is very territorial-they won't tolerate any invasions of the area around their nest by conspecifics, and will issue the usual strident osprey warning chirp sequence to any bird that comes too close, and the male might indeed chase away any intruders.
Except for yesterday. They were both on the nest, and I hear one of them chirping, but it isn't the usual strident sequence of notes, but instead is slower and lower pitched. Then I see the intruder circling overhead and getting closer-still no change in the chirp cadence. As he gets right overhead, he suddenly drops down 40 feet, and still the resident male doesn't react! The intruder ends up landing on another nearby light pole-resident male still doesn't give him flight. Eventually the intruder flew off on his own.
I wonder if that was one of their chicks from last year, since he (if it was the young male) would often hang out on those light poles after he got the hang of flying. My ultimate question is whether he will bring fish back for his younger siblings...? Hard to do a Google search for this kind of thing (any terms I tried came up empty)...I know in passerines older fledged young might help out with their younger siblings. Any perspectives appreciated.
