Yesterday at sunrise magic happened. Over the past week I have been monitoring three Osprey nests in the Canosia State Wildlife Area. Each nest has two chicks, all of whom seemed ready to fledge.  On the way to the nest#1, I thought I might not even be able to see anything. The temperature was 44F with thick ground fog, but one mile before I reaching my destination the fog dissipated and the sun came out.

For the first 20 minutes I could only see one parent, which sat at the edge of the nest and screamed its greeting out into the morning. At this point, given some warming rays were finally touching the next, both chicks stood up, stretched, and tested their new flight wings. When the chick in back tested its wings, it lost its grip on the nest and rose to a height of four feet, quickly returned to the safety of its home! Such are first flights.

Osprey First Flight and Landing

Testing Flight Wings … Osprey Chick #1

On the way home I stopped by a local pond and discovered my first migrating Greater Yellowlegs on its way south. Interestingly enough, I did not know Yellowlegs eat minnows. I always thought they just consumed bugs. I guess not!