Since the eaglets have fledged from the Ranger bald eagle nest, the ospreys have been playing “king-of-the-eagle nest”.
That is until Mom Ranger stopped by to make sure the neighborhood ospreys remembered the nest was hers!
ospreys of Jordan Lake
TagRanger Nest Cove: Dad Osprey 06/20/2018
Ranger Nest Cove
Dad osprey dove steeply into the water, feet first.
Alas, he missed his fish. Ospreys succeed in about 1 in 5 tries.
The spray from his wings and the impact of his body flung water far and wide.
He managed to soak two dragonflies.
I commiserated with the dejected look on his face.
JL Raptor: Ranger Nest Cove, again! 06/19/2018
JL Raptor: Ranger Nest Cove 2
Yikes!!! I think the heat (100 degrees) today got to me …
I left the last photo of the osprey vs eastern kingbird series out.
So here is Dad osprey getting to the nest and the eastern kingbird heading to his nest.
Sorry about the omission!!!
JL Raptor: Ranger Nest Cove 4 photos 06/19/2018
Ranger Nest Cove
So, the ospreys have been harassing the Ranger bald eagles.
Turn about happens.
Dad osprey was trying to get a fish he had caught to his nest.
As ospreys sometimes do, he had removed the head from the fish.
On Dad osprey’s way from his perch to the nest, the eastern kingbird found the osprey.
The eastern kingbird is showing a red alert patch on his head because Dad osprey is in the kingbird’s nest territory.
And, oh yes, the eastern kingbird landed on the osprey’s head!
Satisfied with the aerial landing and peck, the kingbird zipped off and Dad osprey got to his nest.
Whew!
JL bald eagle nest report 06-04-2018
Ranger Nest
The feud continued this morning, bright and early.
Dad osprey decided to buzz the bald eagle nest, again.
When Dad osprey launched from his perch I could’t see either parent eagle.
As you can see, mom Ranger showed up ready to fully engage with the much smaller bird.
The eagle chicks watched intently.
Dad osprey danced a side-ways jig and dove into the trees with Mom Ranger right behind him.
No birds got hurt, but the feathers continue to stay ruffled.
JL Eagle Nest report: Ranger nest, 3 photos 06-01-2018
Ranger Nest
This morning I had gotten down the path and put my folding chair in place.
Went to pick up my camera … an eagle screamed in the tree right over my head.
My heart just stopped, thinking that one of the chicks had fledged and crossed the cove to my side.
I didn’t want to spook it so I bent over to pick up my chair to back out of the area when a shadow exploded over me.
It wasn’t a chick at all, oh, no, it was Mom Ranger and she was angry. Yikes!
But it wasn’t me she wanted to take on … it was dad osprey.
The ospreys have been in an uproar since their chicks hatched and are now a good size for eagle snacks.
The ospreys have been almost constantly chasing the adult eagles away from the osprey nest.
The eagle chicks watched Mom flash by above them.
You can see in the last photo that Mom Ranger had had enough of the harassment and meant business.
Both adult birds flew into the sun and I lost them.
Several minutes later I got my breath back and marveled at the surprises Jordan Lake shows me.
doc ellen's journey 