GLOUCESTER’S LITTLEST OSPREY ON THE ANNISQUAM PERISHES

With regrets, I am sorry to report that the Osprey fledgling has died. Don, whose property the nest is located upon, shares that he observed the Osprey Dad toss the nestling out of the nest. Don went to investigate and found the baby’s lifeless body lying on the ground. He placed it in a box and brought it to Greenbelt. Judging by the condition of the body, it was determined that the young Osprey was most likely killed by an owl.

On a positive note, Don and Eleanor’s Osprey pair will more than likely return to the same nest site next year. They are also thought to be a young couple. Hopefully the pair will hone their parenting skills and, quite possibly, have more than one fledgling on their next attempt. The growing recovery of Osprey to our region means that many things are going right; the improving health of our coastal environment, for example. 

Many thanks again to Paul Morrison and sister Kathy, and to Don and Eleanor, for providing this brief window to see the Annisquam River Osprey family. I am looking forward to learning and sharing more next year. 

Osprey and fledgling Annisquam Essex County copyright Kim SmithRIP Little Osprey

 

 

 

9 thoughts on “GLOUCESTER’S LITTLEST OSPREY ON THE ANNISQUAM PERISHES

    1. I agree Susan, the circle of life is very raw too. Perhaps it was food for baby owls. The Great Horned Owls are super smart and I am sure have learned that in these platform nests there is a meal.

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  1. This is so sad – especially to be so close to fledging. This happened in Essex in 2013 when the little one was just 2 weeks old. It’s hard to understand – and their nests are so exposed they are open to predators and bad weather. In so sorry about this.

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