I have been thinking about it and have pretty well decided to devote the remainder of the summer to following the osprey family. At this point in the yearly cycle, activity tails off at the river with not much going on most days. I'm not sure why that is, but I have found it to be true almost every late July through August.
Having followed the activities of this family for several years now - at least in attempts to build a nest and raise a family - to finally get to the point where success is within their grasp, I think it would be a good idea to see it through to its outcome.
Soon, they will be trying out their wings over the nest, catching the wind and making short soaring attempts directly over the nest. Then will come the day when they actually fly off for the first time. This will be followed by a period where they will be flying all over the area, learning what they can do with their wings and learning to control their aerial movement. That will be followed by the crucial lesson of catching their own fish, which they will need to master before setting off on their fall migration.
All these things will follow quickly one upon another between now and September and I would like to see how things play out, so I think I will stick with the river this summer. In this image, the female is just returning with the sprig of leaves. All three chicks appear to be about the same size, which is good, since runts get picked on and sometimes do not survive. While they may appear to be the same size, there is assuredly a "pecking order" among the three as there always is in every clutch.
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