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Trude | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> banding_sjws_osprey_chick tree view | thumbnails | slideshow
Osprey nest platform in Pond 4
Osprey nest platform in Pond 4		 Only up for a year and nest platform attracts Osprey pair
Only up for a year and nest platform attracts Osprey pair		 Female wears leg bands. She was born at Upper Newport Bay in 2008
Female wears leg bands. She was born at Upper Newport Bay in 2008		 Band for the chick
Band for the chick
Small gathering of Sea and Sage Board and Naturalists
Small gathering of Sea and Sage Board and Naturalists		 SJWS Inc President Peer Swan (right)
SJWS Inc President Peer Swan (right)		 That nest platform is over 40 feet high
That nest platform is over 40 feet high		 Parent Osprey flies off and circles the nest
Parent Osprey flies off and circles the nest
Pete Bloom carefully picks up the chick
Pete Bloom carefully picks up the chick		 A first for SJWS! A healthy Osprey chick!
A first for SJWS! A healthy Osprey chick!		 Scott Thomas takes chick to banding area on ground
Scott Thomas takes chick to banding area on ground		 Parents return to a (temporary) empty nest
Parents return to a (temporary) empty nest
Scott Thomas shows off the chick
Scott Thomas shows off the chick		 Sharp eyes, talons and beak for its fish diet
Sharp eyes, talons and beak for its fish diet		 Pin feathers growing in
Pin feathers growing in		 Scott quickly explains what he will do
Scott quickly explains what he will do
On goes first band (for national database)
On goes first band (for national database)		 On goes second band (for local research database)
On goes second band (for local research database)		 Future sightings of this bird will tell researchers where it travels, how long it lives, and more
Future sightings of this bird will tell researchers where it travels, how long it lives, and more		 Recording chick's data before returning it to the nest platform
Recording chick's data before returning it to the nest platform
Male Osprey monitors its chick
Male Osprey monitors its chick		 Pete Bloom returns the banded chick
Pete Bloom returns the banded chick		 Male Osprey looks on
Male Osprey looks on		 It flies off as Pete puts banded chick back into nest
It flies off as Pete puts banded chick back into nest
Female circles closely
Female circles closely		 Male returns first, then female (right)
Male returns first, then female (right)		 Is that really our chick? It looks a little different!
Is that really our chick? It looks a little different!		 Congratulations to Pete Bloom and Scott Thomas for their careful and successful banding
Congratulations to Pete Bloom and Scott Thomas for their careful and successful banding

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Celia Vorsanger 10-Jun-2010 19:14
Thank you so much for keeping me on your list. This is such important work. We are thrilled to see these magnificent birds and to know that Sea and Sage is taking such good care of them.
Guest 10-Jun-2010 02:25
Super information! Thanks for sharing it.

Adrianne
agi 09-Jun-2010 20:00
I have volunteered at UNB as a naturalist since 1992. I remember the major excitement when the Osprey moved onto that platform. We all watched with anticipation when the first clutch fledged successfully. How wonderful to see them thrive! Now, I feel like a grandma!!!
Agi
Trude09-Jun-2010 02:56
I just learned that the only historic record found for Ospreys nesting in Orange County is back in 1895. So it has been over a HUNDRED years until the birds nested first at Upper Newport Bay and now at SJWS. Exciting!
Guest 08-Jun-2010 18:48
What a great slide show! To everyone involved: Thanks for a job well done.
Sonia Appell
Gloria Schlaepfer 08-Jun-2010 18:12
Great pictures and information. Thanks for everything.
Trude08-Jun-2010 05:10
Until recently, Osprey have not nested in Orange County CA for over 70 years. In 2007, a pair successfully raised chicks at Upper Newport Bay on a nest platform that had been erected 17 years prior. In late 2009, the Irvine Ranch Water District put up a nest platform at nearby San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary at the request of Sea and Sage Audubon Society. Not only did an Osprey pair decide to build a nest in spring 2010, but the female was banded. A local wildlife photographer obtained the number, and Orange County raptor expert Scott Thomas discovered that she was born in 2008 at the Upper Newport Bay nest platform.

Osprey typically nest at age 3, so this two-year old female was nesting early. We had cautious hopes… then one chick hatched! Sea and Sage Audubon decided to band the chick with Irvine Ranch Water District assistance. With a small group in attendance, Pete Bloom and Scott Thomas removed the chick before it could fly, quickly and carefully added two bands to its legs, and returned it to its parents and nest. Future sightings of this bird’s band numbers will tell us how far it travels, and when, and much more. Biological information like this is invaluable.

Many thanks to Pete Bloom, Scott Thomas, and IRWD Board and staff for making this happen!

Note: Sea and Sage Audubon Society is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting native birds and their habitat through education, conservation, and research projects. We depend on donations and volunteers to achieve this. To learn more about our organization and how you can help, go to www.seaandsageaudubon.org.
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