Look Who’s Been Making Whoopee in the Air
Baby Ospreys thrive on a diet of fresh fish. By Kris Cochran
I felt like a voyeur when I accidentally caught the Ospreys in a private moment this spring
Ospreys mate up to 300 times to produce two to four eggs. By Kris Cochran
It was the second week of April when I hiked by their summer home on Diamond Road to see if my old friends had returned from the northern coast of South America. The Ospreys were making whoopee in the air.
Although the Ospreys mate over 300 times each season to produce two to four eggs, their effort is only the beginning of the hard work and sacrifice they make to contribute to the well-being of us all.
Weathering the storms
Ospreys mate for life and return to the same nest every year. By Kris Cochran
I first began following this pair three years ago. Watching for their return has become a ritual for me—a spring cleaning of the heart as I watch the Ospreys spruce up their nest and begin again.
At least once a week, I drive out into the country near Market Lake Wildlife Preserve and hike along the road to their nest high atop a power pole near the Snake River. They remind me nothing is more important than caring for one another.
I’m inspired by the Ospreys’ annual 4,000-mile journey to start a new family. In their 15 to 20 years together, Ospreys log over 160,000 miles flying across great expanses of ocean and through storms to fulfill their destiny.
Imagine being called by a force much greater than yourself to carry on when there is no place to land.
Can I do less than weather the turmoil in the human world to contribute to the greater good?
Sustaining a home for the next generation
Platform nests help Osprey maintain healthy numbers. By Kris Cochran
If the long journey is not challenging enough, my Osprey friends migrate separately. The male leaves their wintering grounds first to reclaim their summer home and chase off any goose who tries to take over the platform nest.
When DDT and other contaminants endangered the Ospreys in the 1960s, volunteers joined the power companies to build nests above the hazards of electrical lines and help bring back healthy numbers of fish hawks. The DDT ban in 1972, combined with nest protection, is a conservation success story.
And now, the Ospreys help save us.
How the Osprey contribute to our well being
When the fish are healthy, so are the Osprey, and so are we. By Kris Cochran
Ospreys are top predators and live on a diet of fresh fish. The male eats the least nutritious head of the fish when he has babies in the nest. He then delivers the remainder to his family, where the female has remained to protect the eggs for 40 days.
Until man dumped toxins in waterways, the Ospreys’ ecological purpose was to control the fish population. Now, they have another purpose.
Ospreys are the first to be susceptible to poisons in our fisheries. Studying Ospreys for mercury, cadmium, lead, aluminum, and arsenic poisoning helps save all species. From coast to coast, the Ospreys act as a gauge for the health of our water.
Separation is an illusion. We are one family.
Baby Ospreys in the last training days of summer. By Kris Cochran
In the fall, the female Osprey leaves the nest first to fly south. The male remains with the young for a few more weeks to ensure they have become strong fish hawks.
When the Osprey nest is empty, I’m as sad as when I kiss my grandchildren goodbye at the end of our annual vacation.
Will they be safe to test the waters of life?
There is no doubt in my mind we humans all want the same thing as my Osprey friends on Diamond Road. We want our families to thrive.
I believe they will thrive when we open our hearts to all families and spread that whoopee everywhere.
Thanks for walking with me,
Kris
