Alcoa Osprey Nest

I spent some time watching the Alcoa Osprey nest the other day and got these s'caps. (I was going to post these yesterday, but the storms knocked out my power and it didn't come back on until today while I was at work...)

First, we've got the family just hanging out. Mom and the three chicks:

It was a nice day to do some wingercizing:

Then Dad came in with a fish. That nest is super-crowded when all five Osprey are at home. Notice that everyone is paying attention to the food:

Osprey chicks learn how to be Osprey by watching their parents. Look at how closely they all watch as Dad flies away. This was the only time I was able to get them all to face the camera and say "cheese":

Shading the siblings? No, just more wingercizing:

Then Dad returns with another stick for the nest:

Now to find the perfect spot for this stick, even though the nest is crowded:

The chick on the right gets bonked in the head with the stick:

Eventually, the adult finds the perfect spot for the stick. Unfortunately, it's still laying on top of the chick on the right:

The chick decides to take matters into its own hands since the adult is satisfied with the stick placement and has moved on to other things:

"I've almost got it!"

"I give up. Maybe if I just lay here..."

"Nope. I don't like that. I'll just stand up and shake it off!" Great plan. You can see the stick hanging off the right side of the nest:

It was a hot day. This is the last view I saw of this nest that day -- The chicks all tried to get some relief from the sun by crowding into the shade created by Mom: