Here is a recent post from the Union Bay Watch Blog published by Larry Hubbell, long-time local photographer and birder.
Here also is an in-depth article about Larry and his work.
Hope, Rama's mother, has already headed south. Adult females may begin migration as much a month before the adult males, according to Birds of North America Online (see citation below). Even though Ospreys mate for life they choose to winter separately, with the female apparently further to the south.
You may want to notice the nearly uniform brown of Hope's wing feathers.
In a hatch-year Osprey, like Rama, the brown wing feathers are trimmed out in a buff color which fades to white and then wears away or is replaced by the basic brown feathers of an adult.
Here is a late-June photo which shows Rama's father, Stewart, to our right. Hope is in the nest. This would have been just about the time Rama first broke out of her egg.
Even though Stewart's chest feathers are bit ruffled they are not spotted with brown like Hope's. Mature males generally have pure white chests. In Rama's case, her chest is spotted like a female, however, in hatch-year birds, this may not be a reliable indication of gender.
This, early July photo, shows the parents from the backside, which makes their lack of white-trimmed feathering quite obvious. It was not long after this that I caught my first photos of Rama. You can see the photos and read the original post by Clicking Here.
By mid-August, Rama was not quite as large as Hope. Rama is on the left and Hope is on the nest. A young Osprey's rate of growth is phenomenal.
Their initial growth rate may only be surpassed by growing expectations. Lately, I have not seen any of the four adult Osprey who have been 'summering' around Union Bay. Apparently, both of her parents have headed south. Rama appears to be totally on her own. If so, she must find all of her own food, watch out for predators, like Bald Eagles, and prepare for her first solo journey to Mexico. Surprisingly, this is not unusual for an Osprey - who is only two months old.
On Wednesday evening, Rama did exactly what she was supposed to be doing. She landed at the nest and ate a nice long meal. No doubt every calorie she consumed will improve her odds of successfully migrating south.
With wings spread and seen from behind, the light-colored trim on her feathers is even more obvious.
I am also always amazed by the length of an Osprey's wings, especially relative to their small slender bodies. They are the only local avian species, which I know of, that can dive out of the air, end up three feet underwater, grab a good-sized fish, then simply shake off the water and immediately take to the air. Their strength/lift to weight ratio certainly must put an eagle to shame.
After eating Rama moved out of the nest and over to the west end of the light pole. The white striping on the lamp-cover made it easy to predict her pending need for internal, spatial venting.
Afterward, she began twisting and turning and...
The day before my friend, Jeff, and I saw her stop and momentarily hover just above a paved drive north of the Union Bay Natural Area. It was odd behavior for that location. Adults tend to do their hovering above the water while waiting for a fish to approach the surface. Maybe Rama was just curious about something she had never seen before.
The photo above actually catches another behavior which may indicate Rama's youth. Notice how her right-wing is pushing down while her left-wing is pushing back. I believe she is still refining her coordination. The good news is she is feeding herself and her parents evidently trusted her growing skills enough to leave her on her own.
Soon she flew off and took a spin above the IMA Soccer field.
It is amazing to consider that she may have never flown further than a few miles but shortly she will leave on a journey during which she will travel thousands of miles.
Birds of North America tells how young Osprey, carrying radio transmitters, have been tracked flying south over the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, in spite of shifting winds and the lack of landmarks, the young birds stay on a fairly precise heading which takes them to their desired destination. They must have some type of internal compass.
Rama's nest site is immediately south of N.E. 45th Street and it is constantly buffeted with traffic noise and exhaust. For Hope and Stewart to select this site, and successfully raise her in this situation, demonstrates that Osprey can live quite closely with humans. Rama's success gives me hope. Maybe, humanity and nature can learn to live in harmony.
It feels like our future with nature, maybe somewhat similar to Rama's pending journey. She will be flying to an unknown location, while we are headed for an unknown future. Rama has the advantage of having an inborn compass.
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