LONGMONT — An osprey and her eggs are unharmed after a hail storm Tuesday night at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.
Boulder County Parks and Open Space posted a video of a female osprey protecting her eggs as she was pelted with pea-sized hail for over two hours. When it all cleared she finally stretched her wings, revealing her eggs were unscathed.
“These eggs were laid on April 15, and so we're hoping to see chicks sometime between May 22 and May 27,” said Nik Brockman with Boulder County Parks and Open Space.
Both the male and female osprey are back to taking turns between sitting on the eggs and going out to find food.
Boulder County Parks and Open Space has been monitoring the couple for some time, and put up a live camera in 2011.
“The osprey tend to be primarily a bonded pair, so they have the same mate through their life,” Brockman said.
Each year, the couple comes back to the Boulder County Fairgrounds to lay their eggs. But it’s not all marital bliss 30 feet in the air atop a utility pole.
“We observed a few times where a very different male or female showed up on the nest,” Brockman said. “It kind of created some drama.”
The live cameras give viewers a glimpse of nature and an opportunity to connect to wildlife.
“The female osprey just held her ground and was protecting those eggs, and it was very inspiring,” said Brockman.
