Jordan Lake. The fishing strike of an osprey is so swift that the exquisite maneuvering is difficult to see … I am happy I can share this moment by moment experience with you.
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TagHard Luck Osprey Fledgling Learning How to Fish
Jordan Lake. Hooray! The Hard Luck Osprey couple managed to raise a chick this year. Last year they didn’t raise any babies at all because of their hard luck with marauding bald eagles and a fallen nest tree. This morning I got to watch their new fledgling trying to learn how to fish.
Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute 07/13/2022
Jordan Lake. Doc Ellen‘s Natural Minute. This morning I watched an Osprey plummet, I do mean literally twist and dive from the sky to the surface of the Haw River to catch a fish. I almost wasn’t fast enough to catch the osprey catching the fish! Have a very blessed day. Take care, be safe.
Osprey Skipping Behavior
Jordan Lake. Hard Luck osprey nest. Sometimes ospreys get their entire front – from beak to their feet pretty cruddy with the leftovers of fish. The best way the ospreys have found to scrub is to skip themselves – like a stone that you might skip across a pond. The motion of skipping and rubbing against the water acts like a very stiff brush and helps loosen up the debris. I get to see this action every couple of years at the lake. I see it more in the summer and I have to wonder if the heat and humidity in the air makes the fish leftovers stick tighter. This is the longest sequence I’ve ever been able to photograph and I am very happy to be sharing it with you. Enjoy!
Osprey Chick Wing Wapping
Jordan Lake. Hard Luck Osprey Nest. You may remember that last year the parents at this nest lost their offspring to a bald eagle and then they lost the tree and their nest in a storm. This year the parents, at a new tree and nest, have a chick that’s gotten to the stage of wing wapping and it’s thinking hard about flying in a few weeks!




Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute 06/22/2022
Jordan Lake. Doc Ellen‘s Natural Minute brought to you through the generosity of Captain Doug and his expert helmsmanship. We came upon an Osprey family. Mom Osprey to the left and her three chicks to the right. Note that they are starting to exercise their wings … but are still unsteady with their bodies. Flight is their goal!
