The Circle of Life Part Two-September 2022 through 7/24/2023-Trying Again

NOTE-Dear Blog Readers. Here is my redo of the blog I tried to publish on August 8 that didn’t save. We will pretend it was published then, and I will continue on next time.

Good evening from the stormy Eastern Shore of Maryland! Last night was kind of scary here at the secret location. Due to the weather forecast, the osprey camera was turned off in hopes of avoiding the damage we suffered during the last nasty storm. In the midst of the approaching severe storm, our lovely youngster, Molly, tried to continue learning the ins and outs of flight. I usually take great delight in watching the hop/flaps, but I was on pins and needles last night. Even without the camera, I couldn’t bear to watch, but at the same time, I couldn’t bear not to watch. At one point during the storm, I could no longer see Molly, who was alone in the nest. Much to my great relief and delight, when the storm passed her head popped back up. I did not see any adults with her while there was still light. There were storms in the area most of the night, so the camera wasn’t back on until this morning. All looks well as far as we can see. There was a severe lightening strike to my neighbor’s trees along the rip-rap very close to the pole, but fortunately, the ospreys and camera seemed to have been spared.

In my last blog, I left you at the end of August 2022, with only Tom remaining at the secret location. Let’s pick it up from September 2022.

There are so many spectacular sunrises here, it is always hard to choose which ones to post. Here is a pretty one from September 3.

Tom spent the rest of the 2022 season with us enjoying his usual activities. Without a youngster to monitor, he had his time to himself. Here he is on his favorite crossbar.

Lonely Tom on his crossbar at dusk

Here is Tom enjoying the view from the top of the swan camera, which is now permanently mounted on the dock. Little did we know that this would be the last photo of him at the secret location. The below photo was taken on September 8, 2022. He left for warmer climes around September 15, never to be seen on his pole again.

In the low light toward dusk, Tom is on the dock above the boat lift on top of the swan camera pole

Tom came to us at the beginning of the 2015 season as a young male. Although Audrey laid three eggs that year, none of them hatched. It is not unusual for a young male to be infertile. Through cooperation between the Chesapeake Conservancy and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, we received two foster chicks for our nest, Maine and Montana. This is when we met our dear friend and raptor biologist extraordinaire, Craig Koppie. Craig is the one who gave Tom his Fishing Fool moniker based on the voluminous number of fish he would bring back to the nest. Tom received his Calico Tom nickname from Dr. Paul Spitzer, an ornithologist who has studied ospreys for a very long time and took a great interest in our nest. When Tom came to us, his feathers were extremely mottled, leading to his Calico Tom label by Dr. Spitzer. Put the two together and voila, we had our Calico Tom The Fishing Fool.

As nature would have it, a wayward fledging made his way to Tom and Audrey’s nest soon after Tom and Audrey adopted the two youngsters, and then there were three. The new osprey was dubbed “E.T.”. Tom and Audrey raised all three as their own. There are some great blogs from that summer which I think you would enjoy. You may find them in the archives, look for the 2015 blogs. I would recommend “Big News” dated 6/4/2015, “Father’s Day Revisited-A Blast From the Past” dated 6/21/2015, “Who Said You Can’t Fool Mother Nature” dated 7/9/2015 and “E.T. Phone Home” dated 7/23/2015. All of the details about that incredible season may be found in those blogs.

Rest In Peace, Calico Tom The Fishing Fool. The osprey world was a better place with you in it. We will miss you. Photo taken July 2018-Tom with one of his prodigious catches

But the circle of life goes on. Here is a spectacular Full Harvest Moon rising over the water at the secret location on September 9, 2022, the day after the last photo was taken of Calico Tom.

Full Harvest Moon behind the house-September 2022

I know I inundate you with sunrise photos, but since our water view is to the east south east, we do get to enjoy some spectacular vistas in the morning.

A glorious sunrise in September 2022

A little while later, the sun had risen further and was casting its shining path on the water behind the house.

A little while later during the same sunrise from the previous photo. Wow!

We are always so sad to see our ospreys leave us for their winter digs. On an up note, when the ospreys leave, we see more of the eagles. As often as we see and hear the eagles, they still invoke a thrill. This is what we observed on September 18.

That’s some funny looking osprey. He put on pants and bleached his head feathers!

A week later, there was a stirring sight on the top of Joe’s Big Tree.

Our national birds at the top of Joe’s Big Tree. How regal, don’t you think?

As September turned into October, all was quiet at the secret location. The Full Hunter Moon graced us with her presence.

The October 2022 Full Hunter Moon making her presence known as she rises over the horizon

As the moon rose higher, she cast her light on the water behind the house. When the moon is this bright, there are shadows cast from the trees in the yard.

I still haven’t perfected getting the moon and water in focus at the same time, but you get the idea

It happened a little later than usual, but on November 29, 2022, the nest was removed and poles/camera taken down. I have posted many of these takedowns, so have tried to abbreviate the events of the day. Many of the photos are self-explanatory, so are not captioned.

The nest has been removed, and sadly floats off to the north with the incoming tide.

Au revoir, faithful nest! You served our osprey family well.

COM, Dean and Phil readying the camera pole for take-down. The kayak contains the trash pump used for jetting the poles in and out.

COM is slowly lowering down the pole using the pulley system. It is critical not to let the camera go in the drink

Phil gets the heavy end. COM is using his head (not really, optical illusion)

Out of the water and onto the dock. It’s really heavy

Now for the nest pole. Phil is taking off the crossbar that stabilized the two poles together

The watery trudge back to the dock. Dean gets the heavy end this time. Age trumps strength, so COM pushes along the floating kayak

Two markers are placed in the underwater support pipes to mark the spots to reinstall the poles in the spring. Here is the first one, along with our faithful really big stepladder

Phil and Dean jetting out the muck from inside the poles with the trash pump, which is in the kayak out of view

You can see the trash pump in the kayak, with the hose hanging off to the right side

Ladder take-down by Dean and Phil

The two markers for use in the spring. This is where the poles were located, which are now secured for the winter

The work crew extraordinaire

Take a good look at the above photo and see if you notice anything special. Extra credit to anyone who is paying attention to detail and posts your observation in the comment section of the blog.

As usual, many, many thanks to our friends Phil and Dean from the Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage. They are truly dedicated to our magnificent Chesapeake Bay, one osprey pole or monarch butterfly tagging or purple martin house at a time.

One of our favorite parts about winter at the secret location is the arrival of our tundra swans from their summer home in the cooler climes to the north. They return in November, and stay until around the time the ospreys return in March. COM started feeding them many, many years ago, so now we all get to enjoy their beauty every winter.

Tundra swans enjoying a free meal of whole dried corn off the dock in December

I know it feels like I just posted photos and commentary on the fall take-down of the poles. You would be correct, because I did! But here we are on March 6, 2023, putting the poles back up for the 2023 season. As I was working in the morning, I didn’t get in on the action until the activities were well under way. As always, our friends from the Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, Phil and Dean were on hand. They were joined by their happy, willing helpers, Michael and Patrick from the Chesapeake Conservancy.

The nest platform was the first to be installed

The ladder needs to be just in the right position to get the job done and not land anyone in the drink

Here comes the camera pole. The heavy end is being carried by the very sturdy Dean, skillfully keeping the camera out of the water

A practical application of Physics 101, using a pulley system to lift the heavy camera end of the pole

Almost there!

Handing Phil the crossbar that stabilizes the two poles

How many hands does it take to screw in an osprey pole? There is a joke in there somewhere, I am sure

Let’s try this again

Success! Mission accomplished for Spring 2023. Now all we need are a couple of ospreys

Clean-up time. You should recognize some of these items from the November take-down

Michael and Patrick bringing the super duper stepladder back to land via the dock

Dean giving Patrick a lesson in the fine art of removing a kayak from the water. The master is teaching the student. Patrick proved to be a quick learner

It takes a village. Kayak items being taken to terra firma

You may have noticed someone missing from the spring set-up photos. In early December, COM became gravely ill with a systemic MRSA infection following a routine skin cancer surgery, and was not expected to live. We were told if he had not been taken to the emergency department the evening he was admitted (by a person who will go unrecognized, but you know well), he would not have been with us the next morning. Additionally, if he hadn’t been in such good shape for an older gentleman, he would not have survived. But the number one reason COM pulled through was due to the extraordinary care he received at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland from the time he arrived at the Emergency Department to the day he was discharged. The medical and ancillary staff at AAMC are all superb medical care professionals. They absolutely saved his life and aided in his recovery. We are incredibly fortunate to have a medical facility of their caliber in our community. COM spent four weeks in the ICU, three weeks on a regular floor of the hospital, six weeks in rehab and five weeks in a one-story air bnb receiving home health care. For a man who wasn’t expected to live, COM is doing great. Although not back to one hundred percent, he is getting closer every day and is almost there.

The happy crew and supervisor. From left to right-Patrick, Michael, COM, Phil and Dean. I know I baked something delicious for everyone, but the tidbit of information as to what it was has left my memory bank.

With everything in place, we just sat back to wait and watch. Just like clockwork, on March 17, our beloved Audrey returned from her winter vacation.

Audrey back right on schedule on St. Paddy’s Day! How do they do that?

There weren’t many swans still with us that day, but a small welcoming committee of mother, father and a juvenile swan was on hand for Audrey’s return.

Mama Swan, Papa Swan and Baby Swan (the grey one) welcome Audrey back to the secret location on March 17, 2023

Audrey was having a nice rest waiting for the return of Calico Tom the Fishing Fool.

Audrey in Joe’s Big Tree, which was getting ready to start leafing out

I will share one more March photo before moving on to April.

A stunning March sunrise at the secret location

Now here is something you don’t see every day. I was at my kitchen sink on April 24, when some movement down on the riprap caught my eye. I quickly realized it was a fox, and it was poking at something down in the rocks. The Circle of Life is alive and well.

Take a close look in the fox’s mouth. Yes, that would be a black snake who was probably sunning on the rocks before being rudely interrupted and eventually eaten by a hungry fox.

We were all waiting with great anticipation for Calico Tom to return, but alas, it was not to be. A new couple attempted to take over the nest, but Audrey would have no parts of it. After many osprey battles and much defending of territory, Audrey accepted a new male, Tom IV. The Circle of Life was complete, and osprey life at the secret location began anew for the 2023 season.

The current occupants of our nest as seen soon after Audrey started tolerating her new Tom. Audrey has been with us since 2010, and now we start a count for her new partner.

Audrey and Tom posing with their marked sticks.

A few days later, with the nest starting to take shape, Tom and Audrey are learning about each other.

Tom and Audrey. Here is a close-up view of the crossbar.

Some perspective of how the crossbar is situated between the two poles.

There is always sometime lovely to see at the secret location. Due to our expansive views, the clouds can be magnificent.

I really like this photo.

In addition to some awesome cloud photos, Mother Nature treats us to some stupendous rainbow vistas. I truly never tire of seeing the rainbows.

A truly magnificent vista in the late afternoon sun. The storm is off on the horizon, leaving behind one of nature’s wonders.

A double rainbow brackets Audrey

Looking for that pot of gold

Audrey has always loved the NEMA box at the end of the dock. This continues to be one of her favorite dining locations.

Look! Audrey is sporting a new fu manchu!

Oh, no! She swallowed her mustache. That is going to be one heck of a hairball when she coughs it up!

Tom and Audrey took some time to get used to each other. Audrey was coy for a while, then came to realize that this new fellow was going to be the only game in town. After she played hard to get for many days, she succumbed to her new mate’s charms and prowess (wink, wink).

On May 1, 2023, Egg#1 made its way into the nest. It was followed by Egg #2 on May 4 and Egg #3 on May 8. There were happy dances all around, and joy in the Secret Location Kingdom. A moment of terror occurred when one of the multitudes of dastardly crows decided he felt like an omelet. We all looked in horror as he tried to peck his way into one of our precious orbs. A voice from the heavens interceded and saved the day. We are fortunate to have a two-way microphone on the camera and extraordinary osprey devotees to keep watch. You know who you are, and many thanks for everything you do!

COM and I did some traveling the end of May into early June, and were hoping to be back in time for the first hatch, which we were. On June 12, our beautiful chick made its way out of Egg #2. It would turn out to be the only hatch we had, but given the age and inexperience of Tom, it was probably a good thing.

Tom is a young male, and it took him a while to get into the swing of things as far as providing for his family. There was much consternation at the secret location and amongst our viewers, as it seemed Tom was being a little osprey piggie and had not learned to share his catches. Fortunately, he had a short learning curve, and picked up the importance of his duties after about a week. I am quite sure that Audrey’s admonitions helped to push him along. She can be incredibly vocal and pushy, and that’s one of the reasons we love her! After holding our collective breaths for several days, we all breathed many sighs of relief as Tom finally got it, bringing needed sustenance to his chick. Whew!

Tom arriving with a bloody fish. Look very closely for the hidden head way down in the nest.

Try as I did, the next photo is either pre-poop or post-poop. What do you think? I was close, so close.

The voting is now open! Post your choice in the comment section of the blog! Pre or post?

Now you see her, now you don’t. Molly’s camouflage is amazing.

Molly to Audrey: Well, are you just going to stand there and hide that fish, or are you going to feed your starving offspring?

Audrey is still hiding the fish, and Molly is pretending she doesn’t care.

No season would be complete without our protector and defender of the nest, Roger. He was back on duty to keep away the Great Horned Owls that ravaged our nest one year and carried away a newly hatched chick. Knock on wood, we have not lost a chick to a GHO since Roger came on the scene.

Roger back on duty. The Great Horned Owls are running (read-flying) scared (we hope). He is rather formidable, especially when doing his little GHO scare dance

In the below photo, Tom has retrieved a large bolus of stuff, not further identified, to bring back to the nest. He has caught the eye of a hungry gull, who is looking for some leftovers. I am not sure there is anything edible clutched in those talons.

That is one dumb gull, thinks Tom

Tom does not like the Crazy Lady with the camera. It’s gotten to the point that as soon I step out of the house with the camera, he takes off. This makes it very difficult to get many decent photos of him. As soon as I took the above photo, he headed back to the nest with haste.

Tom skedaddles back to the nest with his haul, trying to avoid Mrs. COM



.

Audrey is giving Molly a squawking lesson. Tom is contemplating when to make his escape. Check out the noose-like rope hanging off the nest to the left. It’s been there for weeks, but can’t be seen from the camera view

Tom and Mrs. COM having a stare-down while Audrey feeds Molly

Molly in mid-bite while open-mouthed Tom stands guard

Tom has decided he had quite enough of the crazy lady with the camera and prepares to leave. Audrey is not phased and keeps feeding her offspring.

Tom took off and went back to his favorite roost, the top of the swan camera pole that is now permanently attached to a pole on the dock for winter viewing. I find it interesting that he never uses the crossbar or the little perch on the top of the osprey camera pole. Those were Calico Tom’s favorite perches, but now they never get used.

Tom’s preferred perch. He is giving Mrs. COM the hairy (feathered?) eyeball and is about to leave. He always flies to the north from that vantage point

And as predicted, there he goes!

I could just make him out in the distance on a chair on a dock to the north of us

Molly is truly her mother’s daughter at an early age. Check out the open squawking mouth in the below photo.

I have titled this photo “Open-mouth chick with noose”

Tom is on his favorite perch, drying off his wings on a hot day.

Ahh, that feels good on an uncomfortable day

Looking my way and preparing to take off, which he did

Audrey has always been a noisy girl. Here she is in full yakking mode.

Audrey in full squawking mode. Where’s Molly? Look hard

Two can play the same noisy game, although Tom may be yakking at me, trying to scare me off. He doesn’t know I don’t scare easily.

Not to be outdone, Tom continues the clamor

That’s it for now, this blog is way too long. I will pick up next time on July 25, 2023, the day Molly received her new bling from Craig Koppie.

One last good-bye to our Calico Tom The Fishing Fool.

Calico Tom The Fishing Fool

Until next time, we remain-

Crazy Osprey Man, Mrs. Crazy Osprey Man and Osprey Girl

If you are enjoying the osprey camera and blog, please consider a donation to the Chesapeake Conservancy so they are able to continue supporting programs such as this one. Go to http://chesapeakeconservancy.org today. Thanks very much!