Woolwich, Maine

I was able to get out of work early, so decided to spend part of the sunny afternoon checking on the osprey. The chicks were asleep when I first got to the Taste of Maine, but before long Dad arrived with an afternoon snack, and all three chicks looked up as he landed. I'm not sure, but I think this is #3 in the second picture, having a bit of a discussion with Dad, while Mom prepares the fish.

It wasn't easy to tell who got what, and the staff told me that there had been some rivalry going on, and they were a bit worried about #3 - so I really was hoping to get some clear shots of the youngest one being fed. That didn't happen, but it looked to me as if Mom first fed #1 and #2 while #3 stayed at the edge and out of the fray, then focused on #1 for a few minutes, after which she or he went to sleep, and then Mom turned towards the back of the nest, and I think fed #2 and #3. Here are a couple of pictures from the feeding (not easy to see them, even if you click to full size). And looking at the pictures below, I'm not actually sure if she's reaching towards #2 or # 3 in the second picture.

Hmm - I think I should look at all of my pictures before writing the narrative! I forgot that I went out during the feeding to see if I could get pictures of the chicks from the front of the restaurant - and I could (at least of #1 who was tallest and closest).

The first picture in this set is from the second part of the feeding, with #1 showing off her big wings while Mom concentrates on feeding the other two. And the second is a non-zoomed view of the nest from the front of the restaurant, in case anyone is concerned that I was getting in their space while taking these pictures.

Here's the view from inside the dining room (and there are other lovely views - but this is the side with the nest!) - and here's a picture that sort of has all three chicks, though the third one is just a bit of a bump between the two in front.

The chicks are now about 3 weeks old.

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If you'd like to see additional pictures from this nest, and from the osprey nests "around the corner" on the Sasanoa River, you can use the link for my Local Wildlife Home Page at the top of the page to see an index to all the visits.