Osprey nesting on Cane Bayou

Now nearing the end of May, visitors on our kayak tours can view several young osprey as they jostle about their parent’s nest.   Located about midway to Lake Pontchartrain, the conspicuous nest is almost over the bayou, in a sturdy dead cypress tree.   One of our guides photographed three nestlings which is more than the usual two. We believe they hatched earlier this month because at that time, the female began standing up in the nest.    Her incubation time had lasted about two months from early March.  The young will be visible for at least another month or well into June.    As the weeks go by the nestlings will become more visible.  Eventually on windy days in June, they will face the wind and try out something new – their wings.   Hopping up and down or “helicoptering”, they will discover the miracle of flight.    By mid-June, the newly fledged juveniles will leave the nest.  However, they will frequently be around for more weeks as they both are fed by their parents and learn how to fish on their own.  As guides who paddle Cane Bayou daily, we feel fortunate that every year, adult osprey raise their young within view on this bayou.  The annual cycle of laying eggs, the incubation and then the feeding of the nestlings provides for our paddlers and kayaking guests insight into the raising of the young of this well-known water related raptor.