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By JL Raptors: Broken Feather update 1 photo, 1 video 07/18/2018
Ranger Cove:  Broken Feather Update
 
Broken Feather has learned  2 lessons:
1) that if she picks up the fish that her parent has just brought in and flies with it away from the nest,
she doesn’t have to share the food with her brother Piper.  
2) She is also learning that it is hard to stand on a slippery fish – on a slope no less – and eat it.
 
Sorry about the shaky video.

By JL Raptor report: Broken Feather update 07-16-2018
Ranger Cove – Broken Feather Update
 
I watched as an unknown female osprey fledgling drifted into Ranger Cove.
Neither Ranger Cove parent osprey reacted.
But oh, did Broken Feather have something to say when the intruder tried to land in her nest.
From left to right: Piper, Broken Feather and the intruder thinking about landing.
The intruder realized it was headed for the wrong nest and quickly left.
Broken Feather was very proud of herself!

By JL Update, Broken Feather 07/15/2018
Ranger Cove,  
update Broken Feather
Broken Feather was dripping wet from her last attempt at fishing from the bank.
Determined to be a true osprey, she left the pile of logs and gained altitude.
The fledgling plowed into the water, true to her species.
Alas, Broken Feather didn’t get a fish.
But her heart is still saying work at it and so she did.
There were several more attempts, all empty talons.
Then dad osprey showed up at the nest with a fish and the sibling ospreys got a meal.
Maybe tomorrow Broken Feather and her brother Piper will each catch their own fish.

By JL Raptor Report: Concern at Ranger Cove 4 photos, 07/12/2018
Ranger Cove Concern
 
The osprey nest in Ranger Cove has 2 fledglings – Piper and Broken Feather.
I had expected Broken Feather to be the first to fledge as she had been the most active in trampolining and muscle building.
Her brother Piper fledged several days before she did.
I did not see Broken Feather fledge – it was almost 2 days before I got back to the Cove and found her in the air – kinda.
All fledgling raptors do a lot of crash landings as they learn to fly so I wasn’t too concerned that she was having some troubles.
Then over the past two days I realized that her turns were erratic and she had to fight hard to gain altitude back into the nest.
Broken Feather finally got within good range of my lens and I could see her problem.  
She is missing a large chunk of the the right hand side of the midpoint of her tail feathers.
The youngster has a LOT of grit.  She keeps working at the flying.
PS: I had originally called her Bossy, but you can see why I changed her name.
Please keep her in your thoughts and I will do my best to post her progress.
 
Here is Broken Feather (the upper osprey) and her brother Piper (the lower bird).
 
Here you can see the section of tail feathers she is missing.  
Note also the white “rivets” at the ends of her wing feathers – typical for a juvenile osprey.
 
In this photo Broken Feather looks pretty normal.  She is showing the typical red-orange juvenile osprey eye.
 
At attempt at a landing and you can see the disrupted tail feather position.

By JL Raptor: Ranger Cove 07/09/2018
Ranger Cove
 
As I pulled into the parking area, I could see an osprey doing screaming dives into the treetops of the cove.
That kind of angry dive usually meant an eagle was intruding.
I gathered up my camera and headed down the path toward the water.
Got half-way down and an eagle screamed somewhere above me.  I froze in place.
Eagle got quiet and so did the osprey. I thought the eagle had flown out.
I finally eased down to the water’s edge.  
My friend eased down beside me as the osprey made another screaming run at the eagle.
Here is what exploded over our heads.  I honestly don’t know which adult eagle it is.