The leap into the open space surrounding the nest is one step.
The next is to safely stick a landing.
This female osprey fledgling seemed as intent on watching my friends and I
as she was in making sure her feet were going to meet the branch at the right angle.
And, yes, she made a great landing!
Most of the photographers and bird watchers at Jordan Lake
have noted the intense direct stare at them of an osprey as he passes by with his catch.
Is he proud or is it he wants to be certain what the predator – the human – is doing?
I think it is some of both reactions – and thought provoking for me.
Birds have a built-in lens protector that flicks across their eyes.
This third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane.
It allows the bird to still see while its eyes have extra protection.
You can see the translucency as the nictitating membrane slides across the osprey’s eye.
Quizzical was intently watching his mom Kate.
I heard an osprey scream the “eagle alert”.
I looked across the cove to see a male osprey, flying with a fish in his talons.
Then I saw Kate heading across the cove, I thought to take the fish from the osprey.
No, Kate had other thoughts in mind.
As she dove towards the osprey nest, the female osprey came up out of the nest and dove at Kate.
To no avail. Kate hurtled past both ospreys and into the trees where the nest was, hidden from my sight.
Both ospreys circled a couple of times. The female eventually headed further up the cove.
The male osprey, still carrying his fish, followed his mate.
Some 4 minutes later Kate reappeared. Beak all wet and shiny. She had feasted on the osprey eggs.
out of the shadows below the causeway the osprey appeared, fish dangling from his talons
this morning this osprey missed his fish….
do you see it?
he went around a second time, dove again and missed it then too
gave up and headed back over the lake
doc ellen's journey 