VERY HEARTBREAKING NEWS ... WE HAVE LOST THE CHICKS ... JUST SAW THEM YESTERDAY MORNING ... POOR RACHEL AND STEVE ... THEY HAVE NAMED THEM "BIG AND LITTLE" ...Hello Osprey Fans! Project Puffin Director Dr. Steve Kress provides his insight and gives context on why the eagle attack may have occurred, including a first hand account from staff on Hog Island. Please read the blog entry:
http://blog.explore.org/audubo...
We understand that an eagle taking the chicks is scary, sad, and distressing. And even though this is indeed the way of nature, it can be upsetting to watch, especially after spending so much time with the osprey family. But it is Explore's and Audubon's belief that nature should be shown as it is. Please try not to pass blame onto Rachel and Steve, who no doubt care for their family more than anyone.
And remember that many are grieving so please be kind to one another.
Osprey expert Dr. Rob Bierregaard tells us, "The Hog Island ospreys will not renest this year. The adults will hang around until they migrate. They won’t be a constant presence and they may wander off—adults often do this when nests fail—but they won’t abandon the nest. They’ll be around to make sure other birds don’t get ideas about taking over the nest. There’s too much invested in it and it has been successful. Nothing is certain in wildlife biology, as we all know, but I’m quite sure they’ll be back next spring."
To honor the chicks, we wanted to name them. We've selected from the pool of names our hard-working osprey camera operators had submitted. In memoriam, the osprey chicks are named "Big" and "Little" respectively.