It was happenstance that I watched what had been a favourite osprey nest at an odd angle two days ago. This is the nest that in April I briefly observed the fresh osprey couple mating acrobatically for the first time. They now had two chicks, not just one as I had observed before. Furthermore, one chick had already fledged. The other was to fledge the next day.
Two chicks (white spotted wings) and an adult (dark wings) are present, and one chick has fledged.
The adults repeatedly tried to persuade the remaining chick to fledge by no longer feeding it, but they instead brought in nest material.
Finally, the last chick fledged.
Wonderful action shots, as always.
Beautiful photos! What lovely timing for your visit!
Thanks Alistair for the regular osprey postings. They help me understand what’s going on at the nest here by the Gray Creek Hall. Now I know to look for spotted wings to identify the young. This morning, Aug 21st, I watched a young one practising flying after about ten minutes of anxious-sounding squawking before take-off. He or she managed to land back in the nest on the third try.