Osprey fledge about 53 days from hatching. They usually do
several days of practicing wing beats and somewhat comical
hopping around the nest while partially airborne, often while
the wind is up. I have observed the parents circling overhead
calling and encouraging the young to fly. (Either that or
it's them screaming at the teenagers to stop tearing up the
house. The nest often sustains some serious damage until the
young figure out how to open their talons at the same time
they become airborne. Initially they want to hang on to the
security of the nest while they are first experiencing lift
from their wings.) Once the young are competent in moving to
various perches in the vicinity of the nest, they continue to
be fed by the parents for quite a while. The adults are the
first to migrate, with the southward migration dates spread
over several weeks in the Sept/Oct time frame for Western
Washington. I am not sure at what point the young begin
actively hunting on their own, presumably before migration. I
believe the young attain adult plumage and eye color by
September or so and then have been indistinguishable from the
adults.

Looking forward to seeing your photos!

Ed Schulz
Everett, WA

-----Original Message-----
From: sanjer at televar.com <sanjer at televar.com>
To: Inland-nw-birders <inland-nw-birders at uidaho.edu>; tweeters
<tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 1999 9:58 AM
Subject: Osprey about to fledge


>I think the Osprey that we have been photographing since nest
>building have two chicks that are about to fledge.
>
>Question: Is there some way to tell a few days ahead when
they
>are about to leave? We would like to be there for the maiden
>voyage. :-)
>
>We have a view looking down into the nest about 75-100 feet
>away and this morning we watched the the male bring a fish to
>the nest. He landed and then took off with the fish and went
>to a nearby perch and ate the head, then brought the rest of
>the fish back to the nest.
>
>Will post photos when they are developed.
>
>Jerry and Sandy Converse
>Grand Coulee, WA
>
>http://members.tripod.com/nature_scenic_photos/
>
>Never be afraid to try something new.
>Remember, amateurs built the Ark and
>Professionals built the Titanic.
>
>