Soaring Southward: Wishing Safe Travels for our Osprey Family!

There are still plenty of Ospreys around Chautauqua Lake, mostly youngsters, but our Loomis Triplets have left the nest.

Throughout the month of August, our trail cam above the nest showed the fledglings feeding voraciously, preparing for their long trip south. They were often seen fishing not far from the shore, sometimes struggling to keep their catch, even aided by mergansers who kept them afloat (as told by observers who live near the lake).

Both parents, Femke and Hauke, were last seen together on August 10th, and after Femke departed, Hauke stayed around for another week or so. Then one by one, the youngsters left the nest, in the order of their birth, heading south without guidance other than instinct.

The last born was crying out for its siblings and when there was no reply, it followed its siblings to a destination unknown.

By August 28 the nest was empty.

This was the end of the sixth successful breeding season for Femke and Hauke, with twelve fledglings, of whom six may have returned to the region.

We wish the family a safe return to their winter home somewhere in the Amazon basin, where each Osprey will find its own perch.

We anticipate the parents to return sometime during the last week of March, as they have for the past six years.