Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 64 Harriet's arrival ends months of speculation, apprehension, and downright anxiety among the thousands of webcam viewers who have come to know and love her and her mate, Hal. No sooner do they and their chicks head south in September for the winter than the count down for their return begins. e ospreys' autumn departures seize our imaginations and fill us with an unquenchable desire to follow. We remain tethered to them throughout the darkness of their six-month absence. We wonder. We wait. We remain restless until they are safely back in the spring to start another breeding season. Instincts drive the same breeding rituals each year; yet no two years are ever the alike. Last year Harriet arrived to find a goose settled in her nest, sitting on her own egg. Like a war-zone drone strike, Harriet appeared out of nowhere to dispatch her, only to be left with an egg she is unable to remove. Later that night, a great horned owl pulled the same drone maneuver on her, knocking Harriet from her perch in an effort to place her own flag on the nest. Harriet prevailed. A day later a Rocky Mountain snow storm rolled through the valley, covering both Harriet and the offending goose egg. Still stuck with the goose egg, Harriet was saved by an egg stealing raven that stealthily ventured to the nest while Harriet was out fishing. is all happened just within the first four days of Harriet's return—before Hal had yet been seen. e osprey drama continues unabated throughout the spring and summer and well into the fall. Eggs are laid in the middle of the night. Chicks hatch within hours of each other. Eagles swoop in to attack and try to steal a chick. Harriet and Hal noisily defend. Hal spends all day delivering fish to feed his hungry family. Harriet spreads her wings to umbrella her chicks from fierce thunderstorms and scorching sun of long summer days. Fighting break outs when the rivers flood and Hal's fishing success rate falls. Sometimes a chick dies; sometimes they all robustly grow and are banded by University of Montana scientists. Occasionally one is later photo- graphed along the Gulf of Mexico, confirming their successful fall migration. What a show! It's no wonder that we all stand in line at the theater for spring to begin. Dunrovin expects Harriet to return to her nest by the first week of April. You can watch her at www.DaysAtDunrovin.com. e ospreys are not the only spring show on the ranch. Last spring's performances included another maternal struggle within 50 vertical feet of Harriet. In the barn stall beneath the ospreys' nest, the Lovely Lady Lonza spent night after night shifting her burdening weight to find comfort during the last days of her pregnancy. e foal watch commenced when Lonza began to "wax" and drip creamy colostrum in preparation for nursing. Her stall was F OR THOSE OF US WHOSE LIVES AND WORK ARE DICTATED BY THE SEASONS, SPRING OPENS THE NEW YEAR. Spring is synony- mous with anticipation, rebirth, and new beginnings. Spring can arrive gradually, with tender green shoots pushing their way up through the melting snow. Or it can rush at you all at once as flocks of ewes seek shelter to lamb or newborn calves seem suddenly to appear in still brown pastures. Dunrovin Ranch encompasses several worlds, each with its own version of spring. Since installing a web camera above the ranch's ospreys' nest, life at Dunrovin revolves in part around the ospreys' migration. No matter what the weather or the color of the vegetation, spring in this part of Dunrovin's world does not slowly unfold. It is ferried to us on the wings of our beloved ospreys. It abruptly lands the moment Harriet Osprey's talons touch down on her enormous nest where she has reigned supreme for many years. Spring Rebirth at Dunrovin by SUZANNE MILLER MATEUSZ PIESIAK

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