The ospreys are nesting
The ingenuity of nature’s creatures is quite impressive in the spring
It is always an exciting time when the birds begin returning from down south in the spring.
One of the birds that I particularly watch for is the osprey. Most of them have returned by now and I was lucky enough to be able to watch some of them reunite and carry out their nest-building repairs.
I was especially interested to see what one particular pair did this year. Over the winter, their nest had blown down in a storm. This nest had always been in a rather precarious position, so I was curious to see if they would rebuild at the same location or if they would find a new, perhaps safer spot to rebuild.
The first sign I saw of this pair occurred one day around the third week of April, when I checked the nest site. There was the male osprey perched on the nest tree.
Ospreys do not return from down south together. They make the long flight back separately and reunite once they arrive back here. Usually, the male arrives first and waits at the nest for his partner to return. That is exactly what happened here, but not only that.
My question about rebuilding was answered right away. After seeing him for the first time, the next thing I noticed was that he had already started rebuilding the nest while he was waiting for her.
Ospreys are such industrious and feisty birds. Their nest had been completely destroyed, with not one stick of the nest left, but he had a very good start on the rebuilding process with several large sticks and many smaller ones in place.
A few days later she arrived and after a vigorous greeting and reception they got right to work, continuing with the rebuilding of the nest. Many trips were made to gather sticks and mud as well as moss and bulrushes to put the nest back together.
In between nest-building activities they made time to begin the mating season. On that first day that I watched, the pair mated four times. It was a busy day. The nest building continued for several days, as did the mating procedures.
It was amazing to watch their ingenuity and instinct at work. Each of the pair worked equally hard, making many trips for building supplies and both took part in the construction. If she was busy rearranging sticks he knew enough to get out of her way and let her work.
Watching her put her beak crossways on sticks and break them to just the right length was fascinating. One surprising thing that caught my eye happened once much of the nest had been built. He headed off on what looked like a regular supply run, but to my surprise, headed down toward the water.
He approached the surface like he was diving for a fish but instead plunged his talons into the water and grabbed a double handful of wet reeds and took them back to the nest. The wet reeds were soft and pliable and could be used to literally sew the nest together.
The ingenuity of nature’s creatures is quite impressive. In a few short days, the pair had the nest completely rebuilt, but the excitement was not over. After a hard day’s work the pair needed to replenish themselves and each of them went off to catch a fish. He brought his catch back to his favourite tree and enjoyed a nice fish dinner.
What a treat it was to watch this industrious pair begin their summer season in the Kawartha Lakes.