DDT and the Osprey
DDT has a nasty reputation. Probably the most commonly-known fact about DDT is that it caused prey bird populations to plummet in the 1960s and 70s. Birds that ingested DDT produced eggs that were...
Airborne Predators
Ospreys are hunters, or, more accurately, fishers. They are birds of prey, after all. Other birds of prey, like eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls, hunt a variety of other critters, which helps keep an...
Is it a Dinosaur? Or an Osprey Chick?
When I visit Grade 2 classrooms to talk about ospreys, there is always debate about this picture. The students are usually split pretty evenly: half think the newly hatched chick is creepy looking and...
Calgary Hatch Date Contest!
ENMAX has launched a Hatch Date Contest in Calgary! The ospreys in the nest near the Calgary Zoo have laid 3 eggs and if you can guess the date that one of them will...
Osprey Nests Around the World
If you are looking for truly unscripted reality television, check out an osprey nest cam. Family squabbles, sibling rivalry, murderous intruders, and first flights are all high drama in the osprey world. Nest cams...
Waiting in Anticipation
It’s early May, and all over the northern hemisphere, ospreys are starting their families. They’ve spent some time sprucing up the nursery, lining the nest with soft materials like grass, and females should be...
Nest Building, Osprey-style
It’s late April, and all over the northern hemisphere ospreys are arriving at their summer homes after a long migration. Males and females usually arrive separately and whoever gets to the nest first begins...
Is that bird wearing a backpack?
You have probably seen birds with bands on their feet. These tiny metal bracelets may be colored and labeled with letters and numbers, all of which can tell scientists a lot about the bird,...
Ospreys are on the Move
How many kilometers do you expect your car will log in the next 10 years? 100,000? 200,000? More? Compare that to an osprey, which may fly more than 250,000 km in its lifetime as...
Have you finished reading Ospreys in Danger? Here’s another quiz!
Have you finished the whole book? Congratulations! Now you are ready to take the second quiz – 20 questions for Chapters 4 to 8. And if you would like to share your thoughts about...
Are you reading Ospreys in Danger? Take this quiz!
If you have finished reading Chapter Three of Ospreys in Danger, here’s a little quiz to see how much you remember. The very first line of the book is “I love the smell of...
Can an eagle swim??
Short answer: Not very well. An eagle’s breast stroke may be sufficient to get it to land that is not too far away, but Michael Phelps’ record is safe. It had never occurred to...
Busy day in Waterton
On Parks Day, Saturday, July 19, Waterton was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Hotels were full, the campground was bursting, and the aroma of waffle cones settled over the town as Ye Olde...
Family life in the osprey nest
Ospreys usually mate for life and are devoted parents. Ozzie and Harriet are two ospreys that have raised several families in the nest at Dunrovin Ranch in Montana (daysatdunrovin.com). This year’s chicks, Sol and...
Ospreys thrive in Calgary
The next time you see a large bird soaring overhead, have a close look at it – it might just be an osprey! There are several active nests within the city of Calgary. The fishing...
If I said you were piscivorous….
Ospreys are very picky eaters. They feed almost exclusively on live fish and will rarely fly more than 6 miles from their nest to find food. Ospreys will eat fish from the ocean, lakes,...
Say hello to Lunar, Sol and Shadow
The three osprey chicks at Dunrovin Ranch have been named: Lunar, Sol, and Shadow. The names were inspired by the lunar eclipse that occurred on the night the first egg was laid. And if...
A different kind of osprey….
I googled Ospreys in Danger the other day and was a bit surprised by what I found. Images of the striking brown and white bird of prey were evenly matched with images of the...
Brian Keating talks about osprey platforms
No one gets as excited about wildlife as Brian Keating and today he was whipping up enthusiasm about ospreys. The osprey nest with the highest profile in Calgary is the one across the river...
Signing ‘The Wall’
Behind the counter at Monkeyshines Children’s Books there’s a cool and pretty unique feature wall. It’s an “I was here” for authors and illustrators who have had the pleasure of reading/signing/launching their books at...
Reading and signing this Saturday
Monkeyshines Children’s Books is such a fun place to explore! On Saturday, May 31, I will be reading from Ospreys in Danger and signing books, so please drop in and say hello. We...
From call to launch: Two years, three months and 17 days
My telephone – my rather retro home landline – has a strange feature: it announces the caller. I found that annoying right from the start because it garbled simple words. I mean, really, how difficult is “Grandma...
BOOK LAUNCH of Ospreys in Danger
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the launch of Ospreys in Danger on Saturday, May 10, 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary. I’ll share a bit of the book...
