"An Osprey Homecoming" has been nominated
 

"An Osprey Homecoming", the nature documentary that my partner
Christi Vedejs and I produced after three years of blood, sweat and
tears has been nominated for TWO EMMY Awards in Best Photography
and Best Script. Needless to say we are thrilled!!!

How hard was it to get the birds to follow the script?

Well done Jacques, but don't just stand there, give us a look, even at a trailer, please .. I like to be gobsmacked by the beauty of wildlife

Scripts on nature documentaries are often invasive or patronising and I look forward to yours.

Go to http://www.anospreyhomecoming.com and you can watch
the trailer.

The script was written after the birds gave us the best story we
could have possibly asked for including the first osprey
chick hatched in southern Michigan in 60 years and a bald eagle
that swooped in and attacked the nest one morning.

congratulations. that is so awesome. what a dream come true.

plus, i love ospreys. what cool birds.

FANTASTIC. Congradulations. Bob

Congrats, that's a wonderful accomplishment.

Looking forward to the video.

Jaques- I was sort of teasing about the birds and the script. But I know what you guys experienced. We were living temporarily in an apartment for a year, and it was right on the river. About 75 feet from our 3rd story apartment was an Osprey nest. Over that year, we watched them build the nest, and have a small clutch of offspring. Then, we watched them lose their nest in another hurricane.

Jacques,

I viewed the trailer. Nice work. I love the use of multiple POV (underwater, aerial etc).

Congrats on the nominations and good luck!

Thanks everyone! I very much appreciate your support.

Keith, I would have had a hard time dealing with that.
The eagle that attacked 'our nest' was driven to a
crash landing in the trees by the poppa bird, C-09.
C-09 proved his courage that day by whomping a marauder
four times his size.

Jaques, I also had a hard time, listening to the babies on the ground. It was an old dead Pine they had built in, and the branch gave in the high winds. Eventually, the little ones made it back to the top. And here I had been torn between calling somebody, and taking in a new bird or two. I always did like raptors, and want a hawk.

If anyone ever finds a bird who is injured or in trouble,
especially a migratory species (which are protected under federal law),
it is always best to call the experts. In almost every town there
are dedicated avian rehabbers who have the expertise and will
come to the rescue. They will take baby birds that fall out of nests too.
Of course in the middle of a HURRICANE (gulp!)
it might take much longer than one would want it to.

There are a few places here, but even after the storm, it's hard to get anyone to do anything. In the end, it all worked out. And you are also right about raptors being protected. I get in much less trouble since I stopped listening to most of the voices... ;)

I'm still looking to get my own raptor, but finding a licensed falconer to mentor you here is nigh on impossible.

With this recognition, it shouldn't be long before your production is showing on PBS, right? Ospreys are very interesting and spectacular birds. Since they are so widespread and growing in numbers, the show should catch the attention of many viewers. The best of luck to you.

In my town, we have Ospreys everywhere. They soar high and serenade us with their chirps and dive for fish in every body of water. We've put up hundreds of nest platforms and some people have erected them in their yards. One pair likes the high-rent district on top of a ridge and nests in a fir that's 3 miles from water. They apparently feel that the exclusive neighborhood makes the commuting distance worthwhile. We've had a couple of birds stay here the whole Winter in recent years, which is unprecedented.

Despite their ferocity in defending their nests, they can't hold off Canada Geese, when they take over their platforms. However, since the geese are nesting earlier now, they are often finished with them before the Osprey arrive and they function on a time-sharing basis.