So sad to learn about the death of the Arboretum chick who appears to have pre-fledged as a result of being bothered by bugs. Thank you all for watching so closely. There was nothing anyone could have done. Unfortunately I did not get the emails until this morning...and I do not live close to that nest. After many days in the field, I took a day for family.
Sometimes nature is hard to watch and outcomes are not what we want, but life for an osprey has many challenges. May the little guy rest in peace. We lose some of them every year and it is heart breaking. Thank you to Carol Fischenich for finding the body and covering it. Thank you to all who have given your hearts to these birds. I am running all over eight counties checking on chicks and its hard to be at the right place at the right time...this is why we need volunteers to help watch over these little guys. Sometimes we are able to rescue them and it is a wonderful feeling when we are successful. This time, it sounds like nothing could have been done...the fall likely killed him. The bugs have been a problem for other birds this year too and all of this may point to the effects of climate change. The heavy rainfall has created a bumper crop of bugs. This is why we keep up the research when others see no point in it...we will document the changes and the losses and the overall effect on productivity. This time having a cam allowed us to see what happened...thanks again to everyone. And in spite of the awful weather today, I am off to check all the nests in Wright County today. May all chicks be safe today...
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