The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-31
The Osprey and It's Young.

| TF,rom the Forest and Stream
| The watchfulness of the fish-hawks
| over their nests before the young leave
| the shell is a great boon to other
| smaller birds. A singular trait in the
| character of the osprey is its tolera-
| ton of sparrows, crow blackbirds, and
| graclSleS to build their nests in among
| the outer sticks of which its own nest
| is constructed. Like vaSsalS to chief,
| these smaller birds lay eggs and hatch
| them in perfect security, and in mutual
| harmony with the larger feathered
| creatures. Often there are from twenty
| to thirty nests of small birds in the
rounded outer sides of the fish-hawk's
nest. From long acquaintance with the
| fsh-hawk the sparrows and crow black
birds have no fear of them, and they
| have learned that as the fish-hawk dur
ing incubation constantly is on guard,
| their nests are dOubly secure from
| feathered intruderS, and from the in
roads of the common crow, the bird
that they most fear when their nests
contain eggs.
When the young fish-hawks come
forth from the shell the constant guard
of the nest by the male and female is
gradually relaxed. The female leaves
the nest at intervals in quest of food,
soon flying back with a fish caught in
harbor or bay. noticeable feature
about the mother hawk is her mode of
feeding the young Returning with
Shad or porgie, when the young are
only a few days old, the mother bird
tears the fish in pieces with her claws
and bill, giving strip to each young
bird. When the birds become week
old about that age, and thereafter
during the season, a whole fish is given
to each young fish-hawk by it's mother
It is interesting to watch the young
hawks when they are fed They will
cry for food when hungry, but, unlike
the progeny of all other feathered
tribes and land animals, they will not
fight for food The mother bird selects
the young one to which she will give
oh n sitting
beside their more fortunate companion
in the nest, but beyond uttering plant
i've cries, make no effort to get part Of
the fish for themselves, simply waiting
in patience until their turn comes,
which circumstances may pro1ong for
quite a length of time. The young birds
catch no fish the first year of their
lives. Their food is procured by the
parents AS soon as the young brood
becomes a few weeks old the mother
throws off quite a piece of the top of
the young to see their surroundings,
and less obstacles are in the way when
they first make attempt to fly.
The young birds do not take readily
to flight. They are fully feathered and
yet make no attempt to leave the nest.
Generally their initial attempts to rise
on wing are begun about July 10. Fly
ing up from the nest, they fall back
upon it again from a height of about
FIVE feet They make attempts in turn
with like results. The young hawks
are very tinid about flying away from
the nest and it devolves upon the par
ents to drive the young forcibly off in
order that they can fly. Great is the
screeching and loud are the cries of
the birds on such occasions At last
one of the young hawks will make an
attempt to reach object fifty yards |
away from the nest These efforts are
generally awkward. and it is not un- |
common to see the fedgling tumble in |
somersaults earthward. The mother |
hawk ever on the alert. rushes to its |
rescue. and shooting under the young |
bird. catches it on its back and wings |
before it tumbles to the ground.