Almost as Big as Mom!

The Osprey chicks are almost as big as mom, Rachel. Thanks so much to Diane R for sharing the “growth curve index”!

The chicks are a month old and in the next three weeks (at 50 days) they’ll begin to practice using those wings!

Fast Facts on Migration: 

• Young Ospreys make their first migration alone, instinctively knowing where to go without following their parents. Some Florida Ospreys are non-migratory, staying in that territory throughout the year.
• Ospreys often fly more than 5,000 miles round trip between their summer and winter homes.
• Satellite transmitters reveal remarkable information about Osprey migration. One study at Martha’s Vineyard has shown that adults and juveniles take different routes to South America.  Adults take the safest routes, minimizing over-water trips, while juveniles will cross 1,300 miles of open Atlantic in one non-stop flight, and miss the shortcut which most adults take from Hispaniola to South America.
• Ospreys often return to the same lake, river or coastal winter home each year.

See Poole, Pan and Pia – and Rachel and Steve! – on the Live Osprey Cam here.