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We are excited to announce that at least 2 chicks were sighted on the nest this morning while feeding.
Around 7:45 a.m. on May 30, 2014, both adult osprey were also on the nest and while the female was feeding, the male looked on. (See screen captures above) The chicks currently have a light colored down and brown streaks on their faces, but within the next 10 days we should see the down replaced with a darker-colored down and after 2 weeks they should begin to have feathers. Somewhere between 48 – 76 days old, the young osprey should develop feathers that are large enough for flight (fledge) and begin to hunt on their own.
Hopefully there will be enough feeding in the coming days that both chicks survive. If the food is scare, usually the first to hatch will be larger and stronger and have a competitive advantage over the other.
[button link=”https://fergusonmuseum.org/osprey-cam/” color=”blue” target=”_self” size=”medium”]View live web cam[/button]
