There’s a new family member at the local Osprey nest!  and I got to enjoy photographing the baby Osprey with my good friend Deb.  It’s always fun to photograph at that nest, and it’s especially fun when sharing it with someone new.  It’s so cool to be able to look right in on the Osprey family life!  Deb and I had a great time catching up when we weren’t saying “aww! Look at the baby!  So cute!” :)

The baby is only a couple of days old. This nest is really special because you can see right in. I also love the dark green trees that make for really beautiful backgrounds.  Deb and I hadn’t been standing there long before Dad flew in with a fish. Then he dropped it! Mom stood there scolding him and Baby stood there doing his hungry dance while Dad flew off to find another fish. It took him about an hour to come back with one. Mom sat there patiently waiting.  Finally Dad returned with take-out — fresh catfish!

Dad dropped the fish onto the nest, thankfully missing Junior (yes, I’ve seen him deposit dinner on the baby before. Pretty funny!)  Then he stood and preened for a while.  It was fun to see the whole family on the nest.

Mom must have been hungry after sitting on the nest all afternoon with Junior, but she fed him first.  She patiently pulled off little bits and handed them over to him, and he stuck his neck out hopefully anticipating each and every morsel.

Deb and I decided that we need to teach these birds about head angles.  95% of the feedings were at a terrible angle.  You could see the back of Mom’s head as it covered the baby’s face.  So we moved back and forth, trying to get the best angle.  Finally Mom moved a little bit – yay!  Look at how Baby looks at Mom while he’s eating.  How cute.

Junior ate the whole head of the fish.  Then Mom started to eat bites herself.  He seemed to enjoy a bit of a rest, then he moved closer to her to beg for more.  Deb was worried that he’d fall off.  But the only thing that fell was his poop, which he skillfully directed over the edge of the nest.  It’s amazing how even tiny newborns do that to keep the nest clean.

After dinner, Mom started picking up sticks to re-arrange the nest.  Junior looked on with great interest.  It was such a treat to see him interacting with her so much.  I’d say this was my best night at this nest ever.

For the curious who don’t mind a little fish guts, here’s a video of Mom feeding the baby.  Enjoy! :)