Love on the Wing

When the Weather Witch of November begins to cast her spell and the first cold fronts of the year sweep down from the northern tundra with a chill most islanders find only in a refrigerator, any Marco Beach Boy or Girl will recognize seasonal patterns that can only be found in Mother Nature.

Beginning promptly on the first day of November and residing in their winter home until the end of May, a traditional married couple sets up house, goes fishing, and begins the seasonal ritual of raising a family.

The conjugal couple that many islanders instantly recognize is a pair of Ospreys that we have taken the liberty to name Fred and Wilma. Our fish hawk friends that resemble small eagles have apparently taken their vows and chosen each other as life-long companions.

Ospreys’ mates for life and during the winter mating and nesting season, Fred and Wilma are never far apart as they take up residence at “the nest at red channel marker Number14, Snook Inn View.”

Every year, Fred and Wilma settle in and begin to rebuild their winter domicile from the year before. Remodeling begins and we are constantly aware of the process by Fred’s urgent flights back and forth for building supplies. For many days, Fred will be constantly on the wing. He will search the driftwood strewn beaches and the hidden hammocks of the mangrove islands. He will bear the weight of arduous bits of lumber he has carefully collected and will airlift his burdens back to the channel marker where Wilma is waiting.

Meanwhile, Wilma is grooming her feathers and talons after a nice sushi lunch. Sometimes when Fred lands with his laborious load, Wilma will approve of the chosen choice of wood or nesting material but sometimes, she does not. On more than one occasion, Wilma will decide that Fred’s shopping selection is just not right for the new nest and she will promptly pick up the latest offering and toss it away and out into the water. This is the classic scenario when Fred sits quietly and stares at his mate. Then after a moment of nuptial resolve, he is once again on the wing and in search of a new and more inspired building material.

After many days of Fred on the wing and delivering airborne packages faster than UPS, FedEx, or Amazon, the remodeled nest is complete, a little romance ensues, and shortly afterward, two or three eggs appear in the nest. While Wilma keeps house and watches over the eggs, Fred goes fishing. With Wilma expecting and nest bound, Fred is now the sole provider and spends most of his days catching and airlifting his prize selections of prime fish back to Wilma and the waiting eggs in the nest.

On many occasions, very strange earthbound creatures with no feathers appear riding in their ridiculous floating conveyances. As long as the humans keep their distance and respect the sanctimony of an expectant mother and her home, Wilma will not attack, and she will not vocalize her shrill outcry of warning.

When the blessed day arrives and the little one’s hatch, Fred gets very busy at work. Not only does he have to provide Wilma with fresh fish, but he now has two or three extra mouths to feed. With every day the little ones grow, their appetites increase and so does Fred’s own need for sustenance.

After the little heads appear above nest level, and their little beaks are always open and waiting, sometimes Wilma’s feathers and her attitude toward her mate become flustered. Fred often takes too long on the grocery errands and the kids are hungry. When the fledglings are in a growing spurt, Wilma can hardly pick the fish apart before she realizes there is nothing left for her own meal. As even humans realize, a shortage of food in the nest can sometimes lead to family squabbles.

Every now and then, the role of an Osprey dad gets to be too much. With Wilma flustered, impatient and irritable, and the kids screaming more, more, and more, Fred will take a moment of weakness and land on a nearby perch with a prize fish all for himself. This is a classic moment when Wilma becomes extremely angry. With Fred foolishly in sight of Wilma and the kids, and beginning to guiltily eat his own meal, Wilma begins a tirade of shrill, shrewish outcries that leave no doubt as to her opinion of Fred’s unacceptable behavior.

As the weeks turn into months, the ever-hungry fledglings grow and soon the nest becomes crowded. Flying lessons follow with Fred and Wilma circling the nest and calling out to the youngsters. At first, the fledglings appear uncomfortable, and only stand and stare as their parents circle the home and offer encouragement. Finally, the little ones get the hint and begin to jump in place and stretch their wings. After much Osprey conversation, a youngster will take the plunge and soon, with both parents flying alongside, Fred and Wilma have another proud milestone, as a hatching turned fledgling becomes a graduate of Osprey flying school.

After the adolescents become accomplished flyers and fish hawk hunters, and May turns to June, Fred and Wilma complete the winter nesting season with an ultimate lesson in tough love. When spring begins to slip away into the beginnings of summer, and Fred and Wilma know the kids are ready, they tear down most of the remodeled nest and fly away.

After a few days of waiting around an empty nest and wondering what happened to mom and dad - and the never-ending supply of fresh fish - the youngsters take to the wing and begin to explore. With the final days of spring in the air, the circle of life compels, and very soon, the young ospreys begin to search for their own future mates and a nesting site to cherish and live happily ever after.

Tom Williams is a Marco Islander and the author of two books: “Lost and Found” and “Surrounded by Thunder - the Story of Darrell Loan and the Rocket Men.” Both books are available on Kindle and Nook.