ospreys of Jordan Lake

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By Jordan Lake Dam: Chase 4 photos, 03-19-2019
Uh, oh, ever have one of those days when no matter which way you turned, it was the wrong way?
The osprey was trying hard to keep the year-old bald eagle from stealing it’s fish.
 
 
The osprey noticed the incoming, much more dangerous, problem before the immature eagle did.
 
 
Then the immature bald eagle realized there was another challenger for the osprey’s fish.
 
 
The adult bald eagle came in on a steep dive.  The osprey dropped its fish.  The younger eagle made a try for the falling fish.
The adult bald eagle stalled out of its dive, hovered and missed the falling fish too.  Oh, my.
 
 
 

By Jordan Lake Ranger Cove nests: 3 photos 03-18-2019
Ranger Cove: Bald Eagle nest and Osprey nest
 
I was finally able to get to Ranger Cove!
 
Bald Eagle Nest
Ranger Mom was sitting on her eggs/chicks.  The eggs may have hatched but I couldn’t be certain yet.
Ranger Dad did a fly-by, but was too quick for me to catch a photo of him.
 
 
 
Osprey Nest
 
The autumn and winter weather took down the osprey’s old nest.  No problem. 
The parent ospreys picked another tree and are hard at work on a new nest.
Here Dad Osprey supervises the delivery of a new nest stick by Mom Osprey.
 
 
I am not sure that I really want to know what Dad Osprey is saying about Mom Osprey’s apparent landing point!

By Jordan Lake Dam: Osprey Dive, 6 photos 03-16-2019
Osprey dive at somewhere between 30-50 mph on average.
 
The dive goes like this:
 
Fish spotted and instant flight path changed from horizontal to vertical.
 
 
Picking up diving speed by becoming completely vertical.
 
 
Preparing horizontal attack path.
 
 
Plow into the water.
 
 
Climbing out of the water.
 
 
Heading home with breakfast.
 

By Jordan Lake Dam: Osprey Shake 03/13/2019
Ospreys go in, I mean often way deep under water when fishing.
The dive picks up a lot of water on the body of the osprey.
Water weighs 8.35 pounds per gallon.
Flight calls for a bird without an excess load to haul into the air.
Ospreys do a shake to shed the excess water. The shake is just like what a wet dog does.
The shake starts at the beak and twists through to the tail.
Here you can see the osprey is ahead of the spray and the shake has gotten almost to the tail feathers.

By Jordan Lake Dam: Osprey 4 photos 03/11/2019
Osprey Fish Dance in 4 Steps
 
The osprey is superb at hovering over the water, watching a fish.
 
 
The twist in midair to track the fish.
 
 
The impact into the Haw River, which is running at 10,000 cubic feet per second. 
See this morning’s FB video and realize this approximately 3 pound bird is fishing in FAST moving water.
 
 
Fish caught.  Now to make a run for the nest before the bald eagles realize the osprey has a catch.