Sunday, March 30, 2008

Menage a trois!

A third mature bird has arrived upon the scene. At first I thought there may be some family reunion going on and all three using the nest. It seemed all three were flying around like one happy family. As I watched for a while I began to realize that one - presumably the female - would return to the nest and after a while another would alight with her. Soon after the third would come in to chase the second back out.

No good can come from this little Osprey Opera.

The contest seems to be one of endurance. Neither male is allowed to alight at the nest without the other swooping in and chasing him off. Then they soar hither and yon in various circles. Some high, some low. Neither seems particularly interested in getting too close to, or too far from, the other. Sometimes the female joins, sometimes she doesn't.

My best guess is that sooner of later one of the males will become too exhausted to continue the contest and fly off for some rest and that leaves the other as the victor and soon to be Proud Pappa. But that's just a guess. It ain't like I know sumpin'.

BTW, they made sure they got the obligatory plastic bag up there; a white one up there flapping in the wind. Personally, I don't like the look of it but they're the ones who have to live with it.

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