Ospreycam: One osprey chick died, two others are still doing well

The survival of Hailuoto’s webcam osprey chicks depends on the migratory instincts of the female bird of prey

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The brood of osprey chicks, which thanks to a webcam set up on their nest is probably the most famous brood in the world, is now playing against time.
      One of the three chicks in the nest on the island of Hailuoto near Oulu has already died.
      Osprey specialist Matts Finnlund went to the nest on Wednesday in order to ring the nest’s two remaining chicks. He found that the chicks weighed 1.5 kg each, and looked healthy.
      Nevertheless there is a shadow looming over their future.
     
This summer’s chicks hatched at the turn of June and July, some three weeks later than is usual for this bird.
      If the female osprey gets struck by her migratory instincts at the normal time and it heads her beak towards Africa already in August, the chicks are not likely to make it.
     
The death of one chick was noticed last Saturday.
      On Wednesday, Finnlund and photographer Voitto Pulkkinen, who had installed the webcam at the nest, were looking for the dead chick in vain.
      According to Finnlund, almost always one or two of the smallest chicks of any brood die of starvation or dehydration.
      ”There is a certain hierarchy on the nest. The eldest usually dominates the nest, and the younger ones get less food”, Finnlund notes.
     
Hailuoto’s net nest has offered real-time online footage of the lives of its inhabitants since 2006. The website through which Finland’s osprey nest activities can be followed is www.saaksi.fi or at the link below.
      Up to this week, the nest’s website has been visited by more than 6.5 million viewers from 130 countries.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Storm topples Hailuoto´s “online” osprey nest (28.3.2012)
  Three eggs detected in nest of Nauvo´s webcam ospreys (12.5.2011)
  Hopes that white-tailed eagle pair´s nesting can be caught on camera (11.2.2009)

Links:
  Osprey (Wikipedia)
  Osprey webcam

Helsingin Sanomat