Braving a hail storm in Colorado, a female osprey has shown an incredible motherly instinct by protecting her three unhatched eggs.
The mama bird has her nest at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, Colorado. On May 9, between 10:30 and 11 p.m., two live cameras placed at the site by Boulder County Parks & Open Space filmed the osprey’s touching determination as she sat with her eggs, while a thunderstorm raged around her and icy hail filled the nest.
Web administrator Nik Brockman, who has worked for Boulder County for over 17 years, told The Epoch Times that one camera is posited above the nest and one is on the ground looking up at the nest.
“The female osprey withstood the hail and protected her eggs. If she would have left the nest, it is likely the eggs would not have survived,” Brockman said. “The video is inspiring because it shows dedication, determination, and a strong motherly instinct. It happened a few days before Mother’s Day, and that provided another connection for people.”
(Courtesy of Boulder County Parks and Open Space)
(Courtesy of Boulder County Parks and Open Space)
(Courtesy of Boulder County Parks and Open Space)
Brockman said that the male osprey was likely “taking shelter under a nearby tree,” but returned the morning after the storm to resume his “normal activities” of bringing fish to the female, prepping the nest, and sitting on the eggs while his mate flew off to stretch her wings.
The female osprey’s protective instinct paid off; her first egg hatched on May 25 at 7 a.m. and a second hatched exactly 24 hours later. A third chick emerged to join its siblings days later.
In a June 1 update from the nest cameras’ live feed, Boulder County posted that they saw “the first bouts of sibling rivalry” that day. “In a nest with plentiful fish, this behavior typically does not result in injury. … This afternoon, dad managed a short feeding session before mom took the fish from him,” they added.
Watch the video:
At 7 and 6 days old, chicks one and two climbed out of the nest cup to eat for the very first time on this day. The younger, third chick learned that the best way to feed was to “elbow their way to the front, or wait until the older two finish eating and fall asleep.”
Ospreys are thriving in Boulder County, with over 15 nests in the area. While they are the only species under live camera observation—Boulder County first installed cameras in 2012—county biologists are using motion-activated cameras to inventory and monitor other of the state’s native wildlife.