Jordan Lake: as we all know all too well the heat has been almost unbearable of late. Osprey parents, when it gets hot, make a shade producing umbrella out of themselves. Osprey nests are out in the open so there’s no shade producing tree branches above them. That means when the babies get very hot, as this one has, the parent will spread out its wings and let the chick shelter underneath of them. What a marvelous display of parental responsibility and ingenuity. In this case it is mom that’s making the shade. Dads do too, but I more often see the moms being shade trees – probably because mom is bigger than dad and can shelter the chicks easier.
doc ellen's journey 
Ellen,
This summer heat is not unusual for our geographic area unless it is prolonged. I hope the birds and other animals are equipped to continue their species and find safe rest at night. There is no shortage of water yet. The chicks are not equipped like the adults yet and Mom-brella is a valuable asset. We see some of the song birds with panting beaks on our window feeder.
I was able to shoot many hummingbird videos this past Sunday. I did several in the two slow motion settings and the chirps and hums and wing noise is weird in slow motion, almost eerie. Another interesting part is the slow motion depicts the wing speed changes for three fight speeds. When hovering, when incoming, when under or in attack mode. As a fourth rare speed, when perched.
If you want to see these videos, I’ll put them up in Dropbox.
Bill Buck rwbtalk@mindspring.com Look up wisely and believe.
Ellen,
This summer heat is not unusual for our geographic area unless it is prolonged. I hope the birds and other animals are equipped to continue their species and find safe rest at night. There is no shortage of water yet. The chicks are not equipped like the adults yet and Mom-brella is a valuable asset. We see some of the song birds with panting beaks on our window feeder.
Bill Buck rwbtalk@mindspring.com Look up wisely and believe.