osprey

Resilience

/ Rebecca / 23 Comments

Back in March, I shared that the Ospreys’ nest had temporarily become the domain of a pair of eagles, taking advantage of the Ospreys’ migration absence.

The Eagles Have Landed in the Osprey’s Nest

But no worries. By April, the Ospreys had returned, and were once again sitting on their royal throne high above the lake. They immediately began making repairs and adding insulating materials, working to get the nest comfortably in order.

Throughout May and June, the Osprey pair devoted themselves faithfully to their nesting duties. The female tended the nest, while the male took on the vital roles of hunting and keeping watch from nearby branches, ever vigilant against threats.

Regrettably, nature’s unpredictability demonstrated its strength this month, as a thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds and heavy rainfall inflicted considerable damage to the nest. As a result, the nest partially collapsed, forcing the Ospreys to abandon it.

Despite this setback, the sight of Ospreys flying in the vicinity signals hope. Only time will reveal if these resilient birds will reconstruct their prized nest at the same location or opt for a different nearby place for their next chapter.

“It is strange how new and unexpected conditions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.”  ~Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Eagles Have Landed in the Ospreys’ Nest

/ Rebecca / 14 Comments

We enjoy watching a pair of ospreys that have built their nest in a cypress tree out on the lake, where they have spent their summers for the past several years.

By late autumn, the ospreys have migrated and the nest sits vacant, waiting for their return in the spring.

So, it was a surprise recently when we looked out and saw two black and white birds sitting snuggly in the nest.  It was a pair of bald eagles making themselves very much at home in the osprey’s nest.  One of the eagles had been hunting and had just returned with a small fish for its lunch.

“Houses are really quite odd things. They have almost no universally defining qualities: they can be of practically any shape, incorporate virtually any material, be of almost any size. Yet wherever we go in the world we recognize domesticity the moment we see it.” ~Bill Bryson

Nest site

/ Rebecca / 16 Comments

A couple of ospreys in a nest built on top of a platform in a national wildlife area close to the Tennessee River

“Great things take time to build.  Great accomplishments come over time, through hard work, diligence, and effort.  Nothing is instantaneous, at least nothing of value. ”  ~Matt Loper