The long, hot summer days have passed, and the 2024 Osprey season has ended, so it seems appropriate to briefly reflect on the season.

The 2024 Osprey season at the Boulders nest began late, as the female didn’t appear in the nest until April 2, and the male joined her on April 4. This compares to the typical arrival period between the 15th and the 20th of March.

The Owosso Ospreys fledged only one juvenile again this year–perhaps they are a less-experienced pair.

Boulders Ospreys fledged three juveniles, the same as in 2023. They took their first flights on or about August 3, about two weeks earlier than in 2023, despite the late start to nesting this season. I didn’t observe the Owosso fledging period this year, but I think it was a little earlier than the Owosso juveniles.

Early Fall Sightings

Below is a list of sightings between September 6 and October 1 this season, drawn from my sighting notes.

• September 6: We saw an adult Osprey perched on a tall snag along the river near the ponds on our morning walk today. I heard one of the Boulders juvenile Ospreys begging from the nest around 11:30, and it was still begging from the nest around 13:00 when we returned from shopping.
• September 7: We saw one Osprey perched in the Boulders nest this morning as we went out for our morning walk. She was still there when we returned around 9:35 AM. We heard and then saw one Osprey flying over the river just opposite the Owosso nest on our morning walk.
• September 16: We saw one Osprey perched in a tall snag at the ponds during our morning walk.
• September 20: We heard and Hideko spotted an Osprey flying over the river on our morning walk; we assumed it was a fall migrant just passing through on its way south.
• September 21: I watched an Osprey flying downstream over the river early this morning.
• September 24: We heard an Osprey calling at the ponds this morning. 
• September 26: We spotted an Osprey perched at the ponds again this morning.
• September 27: There was an Osprey perched in the tall snag near the Boulders nest this morning; it is unusual to see one this late in the year perched there, but it might be a migrant from another nest farther north.
• September 30: An osprey is eating a fish in a tall snag at the ponds right.
• October 1: We hear an Osprey at the ponds this morning.

The string of sightings around the ponds near the river had me wondering if this was one of the Boulders juvenile Ospreys, although it was too distant to confirm it was a juvenile.

As you can see from my sighting notes above, I initially thought it was unusual that a Boulders juvenile would remain near the nest so late in the season, so I checked my notes from last year.

Interestingly, we sighted one of the Boulders juveniles with a fish near the nest on October 1, 2023. So, this behavior of at least one juvenile remaining near the nest until October was consistent with 2023.

We didn’t have any Osprey sightings on October 2, 3, and 4, so we have reluctantly concluded that the season is over.

Loud Arrivals

In late September, we were happy to hear the unmistakable arrival of Cackling Geese and the piercing ‘keer-keer-keer-keer’ of Red-shouldered Hawks, signaling the start of the fall season and a new set of birdlife to hold our attention during the Osprey off-season.