139004 Kensington Daniel
Banded on June 30, 2014
Transmitter installed on July 17, 2014
Fledged on July 28, 2014
Began Migration on August 29, 2014
Last transmission on November 30, 2014 in Panama
September 24: A month has passed since we last reported on Daniel’s adventures. At that time the sibling rivalry in his nest was in full swing. Apparently, on August 28th Daniel decided he no longer needed to compete with his sister so he set out on new adventures. Migration was beginning. He stopped off briefly at a fishing hole in Ohio, just west of Neil Armstrong’s Air and Space Museum, before venturing into Indiana. While in the Hoosier state he has been visiting many ponds and lakes in farming communities south and east of Indianapolis. Apparently Indiana has a great supply of fish as Daniel has traveled back and forth to the same fishing locations for the past couple weeks and shows no interest in moving on. Carl, a very active member of the Indiana Audubon Society, has been hot on the trail of Daniel as he follows the satellite tracking map in hopes of snapping a photo of him to show Daniel’s Paparazzi how much their bird has grown. Good luck, Carl!! We wish you success .
August 26: It’s been a month since Daniel enrolled in Flight Lesson 101. He passed with flying colors and has been making excellent use of his time and education as he expands his territory north and south on the Huron River. He has also checked out several of the gravel pits to the east of Milford Rd. Word has it they are stocked with fine fish! Daniel is likely catching his own prey now but returns to the nest for the handouts his parents continue to provide. The Paparazzi post the many antics of the Kensington youngsters on our Facebook page. (Check it out!) The most recent includes a battle between Dan and his sister which was downright nasty! Wings and talons were flying and Dad was kicked off the nest. This is sibling rivalry to the extreme.
July 25: Mission accomplished!! Daniel took his first flight this morning and managed to return safe and sound to his tripod nest. Once airborne his flight path became several circles around his “house” prior to his discovery that he could land on a branch next to the nearby shoreline. His attempts to maneuver his feet and body along a larger than normal stick in order to turn and face the water was amusing to watch, said the Paparazzi. Daniel must have heard the shutters clicking in rapid succession.! Once situated in the correct position Danny rested. Whew, what a day!! While staring at his nest for hours hunger must have gotten the best of him as he took flight again and flapped his way home.
July 17: The DNA test results identified the oldest chick in the nest as male. So off we paddled (motor wouldn’t start) to retrieve the now 6 week old Osprey to bring ashore for fitting with the transmitter won in the Microwave Telemetry contest by Lou Waldock from our Osprey Paparazzi gang. Lou donated his prize to this year’s project…Thank you, Lou!!…and named the bird who is wearing it, Daniel.
June 30: Two Kensington chicks were banded in a boat used to access their nest atop a tripod platform on the Huron River. At the same time the Detroit Zoo staff performed health checks on both birds and drew blood for DNA testing. The platform is in close proximity to the shoreline where many photographers, now affectionately named “POPT” (Positive Osprey Paparazzi Team”, observe the birds’ behaviors and report the many antics of this popular family.
Use the calendar at the top of the map to help navigate through the path of the Osprey. Click on a date and a dot representing each bird appears on the map for that date. Click on that dot, and more detailed information will appear. Drag the dot along the lines to see their path.
