No joy in Osprey land, webcam goes down
By Contributor
Former Nelsonite William Dove was pleased to see Nelson Hydro and Columbia Wireless joined forces to have a camera at the nest of an Kootenay Osprey family just off Highway 3A west of Nelson by Grohman Park.
Dove, who got his start as a raptor rehabilitator, educator and falconer when I lived in Nelson about 35 years ago, decided to use his expertise to take The Nelson Daily readers through the hatching process as Ospreys played a big part in peaking my interest in raptors.
Dove went on to also breed many raptor species and assist in continuing the publics’ education of raptors in the school systems of B.C., Alberta and parts of the NWT.
He currently resides near Cranbrook where his work was featured in Beautiful B.C. magazine and the C.B.C.’s On the Road Again.
The first column can be read here and the second column here.
Osprey viewing came to a sudden halt as the webcam showing the nesting world of the Osprey pair near Grohman Narrows was hit with a power surge and looks like it may be down for the season since we cannot access the nest at this point to swap the cam out, posted Columbiawireless on the cam chat site.
Raptors in North America as well as their nests are protected by laws. In British Columbia they fall under the provincial wildlife act.
Because a visit to the cam pole (which also supports the nest for these Osprey might cause the adults to abandon the 3 egg clutch we must except the fate of the cam being unable to continue filming the nesting activities.
Possibly there will be a nesting season next year at this site and a cam will be broadcasting the activities.
Osprey show a great deal of fidelity to previous nest sites. Depending on how this season plays out (the eggs hatch and the young fledge) then this pair of adults will attempt to return to this nest next spring and commence their breeding season.
The young that fledge will likely migrate as far south as Mexico were they will spend about 18 months before they will start their northern migration. They may return to the Nelson/Kootenay Lake area or get led slightly astray by a perspective mate. Osprey are not the most loyal of mates and contrary to some literature don’t always mate for life.
About 30 percent will stray on their mates or even divorce. Males will often escort their partners early in the nesting season to deter other males.
I would have enjoyed reporting on more of this pairs activities throughout their breeding season but as a result of this situation I will wish you good birding and possibly this topic can be continued next season.
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