The best laid plans of birds and men

Previously on Ripple, I posted about the Ospreys and human eyeing the same spot to execute their building plans. It turned out that the triangular structure human erected at the perennial home of the Osprey’s was to discourage them from building their nest, as one reader had commented. Apparently, some bridge work is on the agenda.

Human had a Plan B for the birds: Relocation. They built another structure and moved the nest there:

Would Mr. and Mrs. O. like their new home? It’s not far from the old site, but not exactly what they’d in mind I’m sure. Coexistence sounds ideal but may not be a beautiful picture:

Here’s Mrs. O. inspecting the new home. Is it a good place for her babies to be born and safe for them to fledge?

Mrs. O. doing home inspection while an aloof Mr. O watches from a distance on the light pole.

I saw them the first couples of days at their new home, but not afterwards. The next time I visited, the nest looked abandoned. A robin seemed interested, but too big for her family:

Now workers have begun work and fenced off the area. I might not be able to follow their story. Wherever they are, I wish them a happy summer and all the best for their family.

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Arti

If she’s not birding by the Pond, Arti’s likely watching a movie, reading, or writing a review. Creator of Ripple Effects, bylines in Asian American Press, Vague Visages, Curator Magazine.

11 thoughts on “The best laid plans of birds and men”

  1. That’s so sad the nest could not be left where the birds wanted it. I am glad they tried to relocation but I can’t blame the osprey’s for rejecting it. I hope they have found a new site where they will be safe and undisturbed.

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    1. I hope so too. There are plenty of trees and a lively river nearby. I’ve seen Ospreys made their nest on trees by the river. So just hope our Mr. and Mrs. O. will look for a better location there.

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    1. Maybe a good thing that they move away and find a better spot for their home… there’s the Bow River nearby and lots of trees in the area.

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  4. What a precious story! All that work of gathering nesting materials!!
    Hoping they do find an as good or better place for their soon to be little nesters! God bless C-Marie

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  5. Oh, this is so sad. I admire that if they had to remove it, that they tried hard to move it carefully. That had to take a good deal of time. But oh, so sad that the nest is empty and abandoned. I would like to think the fledglings had gone but that’s probably optimistic. I hope the osprey found a good new place.

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  6. Birds are adaptable, and they’ll find another place. Every year I see nests-in-process blown down, torn up by other critters, or abandoned for reasons I don’t understand. Better they should make their move now, before the babies arrive. The humans certainly did all they could to make things easier for them, but maybe the birds just thought “There goes the neighborhood” and decided for a home in the suburbs!

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