Amelia Adventures
Submitted by Thomas Oliver
https://ameliaadventures.com/
February 10, 2020

Amelia Adventures’ Valentine’s Day Kayak Tour Starts at 4pm and returns at 6:15pm. Perfect for evening dinner reservations. For reservations, click here.

Did you know Osprey Mate “For Life”?

When we’re out on our Coastal Naturetuer tours we always see our “Eagle of the Sea” proudly flying and fishing.  Ends up that they are in a quite serious relationship 🙂

There are several benefits to these valentine’s long term pair bonds:

• Larger territories: Birds that mate for several seasons tend to require larger territories. If they must make annual efforts to attract new mates, they would be unable to defend the amount of space they need for feeding. This is particularly true for birds of prey, which need large ranges to find sufficient prey to support a family.
• Longer youth care: Larger birds require longer incubation periods for the young to fully form within the eggs. After hatching, the chicks require more extensive care or teaching from their parents. With long term bonds, birds can mate earlier in the season and give their offspring the necessary time to develop fully before fall migration or harsh weather sets in. This is true for many large birds, including cranes, raptors, swans, and geese.
• Multiple broods: While many birds that mate for a single season also produce multiple broods, birds with longer bonds can often restart a brood if predators or other circumstances, such as natural disasters, destroy the nest. This is another tactic birds can use to increase the odds of having viable offspring even in uncertain seasons. Birds of prey and many waterfowl have different nest threats that make long term bonds and multiple broods a necessity if their species are to survive.