Jordan Lake: All over the lake, the osprey chicks are growing fast. They readily interact with the environment. Here two chicks, one on each side of Mom Osprey, are doing a typical osprey neck/head maneuver as they sway while trying to watch the humans who are watching them. An osprey will often do the same head/neck sway as the bird sights in on fish just before they launch to go after their prey. Did you see the chick peeking out from under mom?
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River. Ospreys don’t often really get angry with each other and actually go after each other with talons and beaks at the ready. This morning 2 male ospreys got very angry. I don’t know what started the argument because there were no osprey nests nearby to cause a territory dispute (those kind of disputes are almost always a lot of screaming and mild threats). I wondered if the osprey being chased was an immature bird, from last year, and had some how gotten on the wrong side of the other bird. I couldn’t see enough the plumage or eye color to know that. I was just glad to see the threatened bird fly out of the mouth of the tailrace and safely away. PS: the smudges and soft focus are the result of my determined efforts to shoot through the trees on the riprap…life in the photographer’s lane…
Jordan Lake: Ospreys are very practical when it comes to nest repair. They are also drawn to decorating their nests. Dad osprey is bringing in a stick for repair, but, note the lichen that is on the stick … you wouldn’t usually catch a bald eagle bringing a decorated stick home. Ospreys will bring all kinds of objects to their nests, such as extra large pinecones, plastic milk jugs, ribbons, mylar balloons and aluminum cans. I wish they didn’t have the jugs and balloons and cans available for them to scavenge. Note that dad very carefully lands the stick next to mom osprey. She chirped at him and got up to place the stick where she wanted it in their home.
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River: I promptly told this very handsome male osprey that I most definitely would not challenge him for his fish! I am, however, asking for you to be on the lookout for him. Did you notice that his back and upper side of his flight feathers appear to be black and not a deep brown? I have seen this osprey twice and since the first time was right after sunrise, I assumed the “black” was due to shadows. But, yesterday, when I took this photo, it was 9:51AM and so less likely for shadows to be causing the interesting color of his back and upper wings. If you see him, could you let me know? Thanks!
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River. The osprey’s eyes glittered with the intensity of the raptor’s attention. Talons stretched, taut and sharp. I could see the fish in front of the vibrantly alive bird. The osprey struck successfully and took the fish home. I snapped the shot and brought the memory home to share with all of you.
Jordan Lake Dam & Haw River: the riprap at the tailrace has become a traffic jam! There have been more than a dozen ospreys and 4-5 bald eagles all looking for fish. However, the bald eagle is a lazy hunter. In this case, an eagle, about 14 months old, had decided it wanted Mom osprey’s fish. The high speed chase lasted almost 2 minutes. The pursuit went from the dam to the south end of the riprap. Mom osprey dropped her fish at that point and the bald eagle went out over the playground and Mom osprey went looking for another fish in the riprap. This duel often happens where ever ospreys and bald eagles inhabit the same water ways. The photos also let you see the size difference between the two species.
doc ellen's journey 