He was waiting for a girl. It didn’t take long for her to show up either. He arrived on February 28th, which appeared in the post, Spring Wings. She returned March 3rd, but there was a surprise.
As I drove around the log deck, the nest tower came into view. I saw two birds on the nest tower. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a third bird in the nest. When I got to the office parking lot, I could see only see two birds.
The two birds kept looking at each other, calling all the while. I thought, I may be here in time to catch the magic moment. The bird closest to the nest took off and did a flyby to the other bird. I knew we were getting close now. Then I saw wings flap in the nest. There WERE three birds! I wasn’t witnessing the dance of love, but instead, two boys fighting over a girl.
Click on the pictures to enlarge the images. Watch the drama unfold!
THE FORESTER ARTIST 
Reblogged this on The Backdoor Artist and commented:
The Osprey have returned near Tim’s office. There’s an added twist this year…
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Interesting. Just like some people. There ought to be enough ospreys to go around without fighting over a female. Nice shots.
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Some things never change, no matter what the species! 😉
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that age old story
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Yes it is Annerose! 😀
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Looks electric!
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Nothing but high voltage here!
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How exciting Tim ! The question is .. new mate or old … does she know … do you know …
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I thought about that question myself. I want to say, our male from last year was victorious, but I don’t know. What if our male from last year didn’t return at all, and these are two completely new birds. I just can’t tell.
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ooh … not that thought of that Tim …
I’d like to think it was last year’s loyal partner winning through 😉
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I think that is the most likely outcome, if that is any consulation.
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And there was me, thinking the life of animals is pretty easy and straightforward, but not so. Great images and text, again! I hope the young couple will be happy up there, I hope you keep us posted!
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I will Gunilla. Even though in the pictures, the entire event appeared to take place in short order, it really went on all day long. No sign of the third bird now.
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Very cool.
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Thank you Catherine.
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Not wanting to throw cold water on the live wires at the mill, but it could be one of the kids from last year… still hanging out at the parents, taking a year off before logging into the real world.
Good to see you’re getting some rain down your way Tim!
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You may be right. There is just know way to tell. They all look alike!
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I miss the ospreys I would see when I lived in Florida. Thanks for the story and great pix!
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My pleasure!
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Oh..oh…but what a luxurious position for the female: she gets to choose the best male.
I’ve drawn a similar situation: two Golden Orioles watching one adorable singing female Oriole.
For me drawing is about composition, for my orioles it is about competition:
http://mindfuldrawing.com/2013/01/15/golden-orioles/
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How poetic Paula! Your drawing is gorgeous!
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A magic moment Tim!
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Thank you!
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Awesome! Saw Ospreys doing the dance in northern Arizona. Love Ospreys–they remind me of some amazing places I’ve been. Great pics, great story.
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I love watching them and they nest right outside my office. They have nested on that tower for decades. I”m sure they have been many generations. A treat every day!
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Fantastic! I’ll bet Cornell University would love to have this…have you checked them out? They have ‘bird nest cams’ for several mated pairs of different species.
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No I haven”t. I’ll have to check them out!
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LOL! Human nature. Ooops, I mean, Bird Nature… 😀
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I guess that’s why they call it the “BIrds and the Bees!”
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I really mean, Mother Nature. 😀
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🙂
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