Osprey

First, an update on the Conoravirus  situation in Mexico. Ernesto tells me that the virus outbreak is about two weeks behind the U.S.  Cases are  beginning to be reported as more and more people are tested. People are trying to keep their distance from each other, but it’s difficult. It’s not their nature to be alone.

Concerts, meetings and events have been cancelled. Hospitals are desperate for beds, medical equipment, testing kits, masks and gloves. The country, as whole, is not prepared for what is coming next. Neto, who is caring for his 92 year old mother, is asking people not to visit. His only exercise is walking to the beach to look at the ocean and watch the waves, and then going back home.

Meanwhile, the president of Mexico denies that there is a crisis. He has a reputation as a “people’s president” and continues to hug people and kiss babies on his frequent stops around the country. The governors, however, are more realistic. They have closed borders and beaches. American and Canadian airlines have stopped flights to Mexico and a few tourists are scrambling to get home.

It’s a tough time. That’s why I want to switch things up a bit. To give you a diversion from the everyday grim news. To give you a reason to smile and feel hopeful. 

I’m happy to report that the Boulder osprey pair are back on their nest, high in the sky. You should see them! They are wonderful, majestic birds. I’ve watched this couple for the past four years. Now I watch them every day. You can watch, too, at www.bouldercounty.org/open space/management/osprey-camera

I love the osprey, especially these two. They’ve been together since at least 2012. They meet back here every year, flying in from different migratory areas. We don’t know where they’ve been or what they’ve been up to. I like to think they go to Mexico ~ maybe one is in Mazatlán, and the other is in Cabo. Or maybe they stay in the U.S. ~ one of them in Alabama and the other in New Orleans. I believe they smile when they see each other again.

Every year suspense builds as we don’t know when, or even if, they will return. This week both osprey returned within 24 hours of each other and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Next there will be mating. And more mating. And more mating. If your children are ready for the birds-and bees talk, this is a perfect opportunity. After weeks of getting reacquainted (Ahem!) at last the eggs are laid. That, too, is must-see-TV. Sometimes the mother lays as many as four eggs, or as few as two, over three or four days. 

And then, the long wait until the eggs hatch. The mother sits on the nest for a long time (about thirty-eight days) in all kinds of Colorado weather ~ often rain, snow and violent winds. Meanwhile, the father brings fish to keep her warm and satisfied. Occasionally he gives her a break. He sits on the eggs while she flies over Boulder Creek, stretching her wings and looking for trash to bring back to decorate the nest.

The season follows with lots of real-life drama. The chicks hatch. The parents feed live fish into their tiny mouth until they learn to feed themselves. They grow bigger every day and then they fly. Fly! For the first time! That moment takes my breath away every year. Finally, at the end of the summer, they fly away for the last time, to parts unknown. I whisper, “God-speed, little birds. I wish you a long life with abundant fish and clean, clear waters.”

During, this hard time, remember the birds and the other animals that make our world a beautiful place. Hopefully, we will be stronger when this is over, more caring for each other and for our planet. Let’s practice kindness and compassion. Like the osprey, let’s make our homes a refuge, a place to re-connect. A place that makes us smile.