The “Mother of the Year” award might be wrapped up after you watch this female osprey lay out to protect the eggs in her nest.
We’re quickly coming up on Mother’s Day and this osprey really showcases what it means to be a mother, and a tough one at that.
Some violent storms moved through the Boulder, Colorado area this past week, bringing strong winds, rain, and pea-sized hail. Though we humans might not think too much about hail smaller than a “golf ball,” it turned out to be quite the test for this osprey as she protected her nest.
This particular bird has been nesting at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in northern Colorado, and it turns out that the Boulder County Parks and Open Space department have a camera set up on the nest.
Ospreys are a very unique species of bird, being of only one genus and family and found on every continent on Earth except for Antarctica. These birds can reach more than two feet in length and can have a staggering wingspan of up to 6 feet.
This mother osprey needed all the size and wingspan she could get to protect her eggs from the pelting hail.
The camera was installed so that the department could monitor the nesting process and eventual hatching of the ospreys, and the around the clock livestream video was rolling when the storms moved in.
Following the storms on Tuesday night, the Parks and Open Space used their Facebook page to share the video of the resilient mother osprey protecting her nest.
You’ll see in the clip that the female osprey has no choice but to lay across its nest to protect her fragile eggs. One direct hit from the pea-sized hail pellets would be detrimental to the safety of her offspring, so she never moves away from the nest and takes the brute hits of the hailstones.
Eventually the storm subsides and the strong mother stands up to check on her eggs as the hail pellets are piled up all along where the outline of her body and wings.
The short clip of the mother osprey enduring the bad weather for the betterment of her eggs is quite the scene.
The caption for the video reads:
“The female osprey at the Fairgrounds was relentless in protecting her eggs through last night’s hail storm. She was pounded by pea-sized hail and never left the nest.
The eggs remain intact and we hope to see chicks in a few weeks.”
Just another example of how strong and resilient mothers can be.
For all the mothers reading, Happy Early Mother’s Day, and make sure to save this video in case you have to “encourage” your children and family to treat you with Mother’s Day festivities.
