A Tale of Two Ospreys

This morning I went to check on the progress of the two juvenile Ospreys at the Salem Audubon Nature Reserve.  A week ago the first juvenile fledged, meaning, left the nest.  I found it today still in the area, sitting on a power pole as shown in the first photo.  The pole is about fifty yards from the nest and I got to see the bird fly, making some nice circles.  The second juvenile is still on the nest as shown in the second photo. It may be just my imagination, but I think you can see the fear in his eyes.  He spends the day crying for help. Wants to be fed and evidently doesn't want to leave the nest. Osprey chicks hatch “asynchronously”, meaning not at the same time, but anywhere from several hours to several days apart.  My guess is these guys were several days apart and the oldest juvenile who had a few days on the second one left the nest first, which is a good thing because in some cases where food is not abundant, the oldest one will kill the younger one.  I’m hoping the younger one will take advantage of his good fortune, screw up his courage, and fly off the nest soon to join his brother in learning to fend for themselves. They need to get going and practice their flying and fishing skills, because in a matter of weeks they will have to start their migration south for the winter.