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.




