Eight weeks and one day after the first egg hatched at Middle Farms, the osprey cam captured the first flight from the nest by both juveniles on July 31, 2022. Shortly after 8 am the first one flew from the nest. Later that morning shortly after 11 am, the second osprey took its first flight from the nest.
The video clips below captured events before, during and after the first flights, beginning with three pre-flight clips from the day prior to leaving the nest, then first flights by both osprey, and nest activities after these milestones in osprey life.
PRE-FLIGHT TEST (1) JULY 30, 2022 – Just after 3 pm, both juveniles were on the nest with their mother who left after the wing flapping starts. It is unknown if she is simply leaving or trying to encourage flight by showing how it’s done.
PRE-FLIGHT TEST (2) JULY 30, 2022 – Shortly after 8 pm, one of the young osprey can be seen exercising its wings.
PRE-FLIGHT TEST (3) JULY 30, 2022 – Around 8:30 pm the other young osprey takes a turn at exercising its wings and wacks its sibling several times.
FIRST FLIGHT JULY 31, 2022 One of the young osprey leaves the nest for the first time. The sibling watches it circle over head before it eventually lands on the nearby telephone pole (as seen in the shadow). NOTE: around 8:13 it appears from the camera shake that one of the adults lands on the camera pole.
2ND OSPREY FIRST FLIGHT JULY 31, 2022 The second juvenile osprey leaves the nest for the first time shortly after 11 am. From the shadow, it appears that it may have landed on the opposite end of the pole the first osprey had been on since it left the nest eaarlier. Shortly thereafter, the camera shutters (possibly from the adult osprey leaving) then the first osprey leaves the telephone pole and a shadow can can be seen going up the road.
FIRST RETURN TO THE NEST JULY 31, 2022 – Mid afternoon, one of the juvenile osprey returns to the nest.
SECOND TIME LEAVING NEST ON JULY 31, 2022 – In this clip you can hear an osprey off-screen, then less than an hour after returning, the young osprey leaves the nest for the second time. Shortly thereafter it (or the sibling) returns and someone lands on the camera pole. NOTE: This osprey leaves again in less than an hour.
OSPREY RETURN TO NEST TO FEED ON JULY 31, 2022 Around 5:30 pm an adult osprey returns to the empty nest with fish. Soon after, another osprey lands on the camera pole and begins to squawk, then one of the juvenile osprey returns. A few minutes later the sibling crash-lands onto the nest.
DOWN TIME BACK AT THE NEST JULY 31, 2022 – This clip from just after 8 pm shows both juvenile osprey resting after the events of the day.
