Greetings viewers. Today Sunny and Stormy were banded with an aluminum USFWS band on their right leg and a yellow PVC color band with a unique code on their left leg. The color band can be read from a distance with a telescope or binoculars, which is the purpose of the band. The accompanying photo show one of them with wings stretched and the bands clearly visible. You will see them doing a lot of wing stretching and flapping in the next 2 weeks to build up their flight muscles. Then they will attain flight, at which point Annie will be seen a lot less on the nest, if at all. She is always the first to leave for good. Squam will remain to guide Sunny and Stormy the rest of the way until they leave the nest.
So we are in the home stretch of another exciting nesting season for Annie and Squam, who have now been on this nest for 3.5 months solid. We always hate to see them go but that is the cycle of life for Osprey. Sunny and Stormy will eventually face a great challenge - navigating their way for the first time over unfamiliar land to an unfamiliar wintering ground in central or south America, thousands of miles away. But we have them to watch for another 6-8 weeks I predict, so enjoy them while it lasts! Cheers.