Introduction

In this article, I am sharing photos of the days leading up to the departure of the single juvenile Osprey, who remained here after the others had left for their winter grounds.

The last time I sighted an adult Osprey was on the 23rd of September (see the photo above), and I haven’t seen any since then, so I think both the Owosso and Boulders adult Ospreys had likely left on migration by then.

Boulders Juvenile Female

The remaining individual Osprey, was one of the juvenile females from the Boulders nest (I was expecting it would be the runt male—but note the brown feathers on the chest, which indicates it is a female). September 26 was the last date when I heard two juveniles calling loudly from the Boulders nest, so I think this is likely the only individual that hadn’t yet begun the migration south.

I noticed one of the juvenile Osprey feeding on a fish in the tall snag along the river on the afternoon of September 28. I am confident that this individual is now competent to fish for herself.

On an afternoon walk on September 29 we noticed two groups of Turkey Vultures eating the remains of fish on gravel bars in the river.

As we approached the tall snag opposite the gravel bar, a group of Turkey Vultures were feeding; we then saw the juvenile Osprey perched on a tall snag, watching the scene below.

Based on interactions we have seen and written about in prior years and noted in Article 10 from this season, I think it possible that the Osprey had caught a fish, brought it to the gravel bar, and was then bullied by one or more Turkey Vultures into abandoning its catch. I haven’t found this behavior documented elsewhere, but I assume it is relatively common.

I snapped the photo above as the Osprey turned and spread her wings to fly, and I couldn’t help thinking she was annoyed with the Turkey Vultures.

On the morning of September 30, the juvenile was perched on the snag with a partially eaten fish. There were no Turkey Vultures in sight.

We saw the juvenile Osprey perched on the same snag on the morning of October 1 and haven’t seen it since (although a couple of fellow birders told us they spotted it with a fish on Monday, October 2), so we have concluded she, too, has begun the migration south for the winter.

It will be six months before the Ospreys return, and this juvenile won’t return until 2025 or 2026¹.

Thoughts on 2023 Season

• Start of Season: I first spotted Ospreys on March 20, exactly in the arrival window I have observed since I began writing these articles in 2020.
• Second Nest: The Owosso platform was occupied for the first time since it was moved ten or more years ago.
• Start of Incubation: The wet and cold spring seemed to delay the start of incubation, although we don’t have a webcam to provide certainty of the date.
• Number of Hatchlings: The Boulders nest once again had three hatchlings, after only one survived in 2022. The Owosso nest had one hatchling.
• Fledging Date: Fledging happened at least one month late this year—in August.
• Biggest Surprise: The fact that the male runt in the Boulders nest thrived and fledged after such a weak start was a big surprise and a delight to see.
• End of Season: We had our last Osprey sighting on October 1 (as noted above), and although we have seen Ospreys here in October before, I don’t recall seeing juveniles this late, and in 2020 the last day we spotted Ospreys in the neighborhood was September 19.

1. “Juvenile Ospreys do not leave their overwintering areas until their second spring (Henny and Van Velzen 1972), and many stay on until their third spring (Prevost 1982).” Birds of the World, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology ↩︎