I also have read all that is written on that site,i have also read all that Rob has stated,i have great respect for Rob and Iain,
but Jazzel just to sum up,i believe now that threats to osprey's
have been identified,their general migration routes mapped,the threat of fish farms that will remain a threat for life,chicken
farms,thru Rob'e education all that he has done
really helps and will surely help more in the future as to letting chicken farmer's know that the osprey does not want your chickens,
other threats such as predator birds such as the Great Horned owl
and other natural predator's is out of anyone's reach or control.Storms,natural threat.So the tagging has been going on for year's,
this is the knowledge gained,nothing that i read will make me do a back-flip,i believe it's served it's purpose,
such as the pioneer's of egg relocation in
the most crucial dire year's when egg thinning and osprey pair's unable to produce,thus healthy eggs from nests were relocated
to area's in need,it was a great project,unbelivable
really that they got it done,and that they did,but when osprey's regained their strength in number's,and the problem was
rectified,egg relocation ended,thats all i'm saying about tagging,
no more,no less.Right now Jazzel! i just gave you a big hug,enjoy the winter,and let's just agree,to dis-agree,i think the world
of you and next spring we'll have lot's more discussion regarding
osprey's.No more this,just this.

Hello everyone,
Maybe you have heard, (or some of you are a part of it) that on October 29th we were hit hard, in southern NH, by a freak snow storm, leaving us in the dark (without power) for the entire week! I just got my power back this afternoon and am taking the time to get caught up on all the information here in the forum.
Sure looks like I missed a lot. Just before I lost power I was aware that Saco was over the ocean and it didn't look good. I didn't need to come back here to realize her fate though.
I feel really bad for Saco. She did her best.
Hope next year is more productive for the ospreys and they have a quieter time nesting.

Welcome back, Jude. Sherri (who is in Connecticut) is still waiting to get her power back, and hopes to be back here in a day or two. Fortunately the storm wasn't that bad in my corner of Maine.

Saco did great. I can just picture her exploring the area she visited in West Virginia, and learning to become an expert at catching fish, and while I know I'm humanizing, I think she enjoyed her time in Cuba - so different from New Hampshire - but with dams and rivers and lots of fish. It seems that freak storms and powerful storms are becoming more common - and unfortunately the tricks she learned for getting around Hurricane Irene didn't work this time.

They say that half of the young osprey don't survive their first migration - but that means that half of them do. So I'm just going to think about what a come-from-behind kid Tiny2 was - and picture her(?) happily perched above a tropical lagoon, enjoying the warm breezes and feasting on lots of fish.

(((((Hugs)))))

Thank you JudyB.


Saco

I read a story just lately regarding a Sora,it's a rail bird,later on in the story they started talking about
a great loss of birds and they contributed all factors and came up with a final conclusion that it was
radio harnessed tracker's put on the birds,i now believe that even thou many factors affect the osprey,
these satelitte tracked osprey's are truly being affected by this study,there's a time to learn,and if you love osprey's,
it would be an easy decision to make,i worked it out also,as a human being i used the percentage of the weight of
a harnessed tracker as comparable to a human being,it worked out to approximately two pounds,what human being
would ever wear a two pound pack on their back,not bloody one would,so i may start a protest against this,
the bird should have a right to fly uninhibited,many factors such as food availability and weather can affect
an osprey,if that particular bird is fighting for it's survival,a harnessed pack on their back is no help,it in
my mind could lead to death,i wonder what Denis Puleston would say regarding this study if he were around
today,and then i realized,no! actually what do i think,i'm a known birder in Newfoundland and have an opinion,
and i say after many years of having to weather wearing these devices,this study should be shut down,i
also have no fears of other's being upset by my opinion,if they can't handle my opinion,i could care less,
i formulate an opinion over time and what i read and what happens that is written,i make up my mind as to what
i feel is right,and to hear someone over and over just reply,it's education! thats an easy way out,the time has really come to
assess whether this study has any really mysterious facts to reveal about osprey's anymore then what we know,
i believe it's served it's purpose,now do the pioneer's of this study have the guts to wrap it up,remember!
this about the love and survival of osprey's,let them fly free.

Do you have a link to the study, Gerard? I have mixed feelings about all of this - and think we learned a lot from Saco - and am very happy that I can forever picture Tiny2 spending her first two years exploring the tropics, and then returning to New England, and perhaps a year later raising a family of her own.

I honestly don't know what I hope happens next year - beyond hoping that Mom and Dad will return in spite of the disruptions this year. It's a lovely nest, and I feel honored to have both watched the cam for several years - and to have visited the site with Sherri, even if the visit was bittersweet in the end.

Quote by: JudyB

Do you have a link to the study, Gerard? I have mixed feelings about all of this - and think we learned a lot from Saco - and am very happy that I can forever picture Tiny2 spending her first two years exploring the tropics, and then returning to New England, and perhaps a year later raising a family of her own.

I honestly don't know what I hope happens next year - beyond hoping that Mom and Dad will return in spite of the disruptions this year. It's a lovely nest, and I feel honored to have both watched the cam for several years - and to have visited the site with Sherri, even if the visit was bittersweet in the end.

I've been checking to see if Gerard posted the link to study he referenced. Wish he had.

I don't understand comparing the weight a bird can carry to a human. Could we compare the weight ants carry to humans? Apples and oranges.

This article in the March/April Audubon Magazine may be of interest. It includes studies from BRI and the Center for Conservation Biology, to name a few. We have a lot to learn.

For anyone that doesn't have a National Audubon membership, the link to the article online.

http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles ... ns-secrets

Looks like 2012 will be interesting.