ospreys of Jordan Lake

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By UPDATE on 3 Eagles + 1 Osprey
I have had several delightful questions sent to me about my video.
I thought I would share my answers here with photos from the critical points:
1. The little male osprey caught a very, very large fish.
He has it tucked against his chest as he muscles the fish up.
2. It took several tries for the osprey to lift the fish from the water.
3. The osprey got some altitude and was making the bend toward his nest when he saw the eagle heading for him.
4. Bald eagles make a habit of stealing fish from ospreys … so the osprey tried to up his speed but…
5. Out of the cove to the osprey’s right (regretfully I didn’t get the osprey in the frame)
came a second bald eagle and the osprey dropped his large fish (you can see the splash).
Two eagles are not good odds for an osprey to face.
6. One of the bald eagles made a dash for the fish.
7. The fish was so large that the eagle was having trouble getting out of the water (don’t worry, eagles swim well).
8. While the first bald eagle was trying to get out of the water,
the second bald eagle made an attempt to harass the first eagle into abandoning the fish.
9. Bless his heart, the little osprey tried to get back his fish –
he’s in the upper left of the photo and was easily missed in the video.
The osprey gave up the chase and the fish.
The first eagle finally cleared the water without the fish.
10. Out of the back cove, Hershey dashed in (sorry about the focus) and grabbed the fish. Whew.
11. Hersey makes the mad dash for home.
And, THANK YOU for all your wonderful responses to my efforts with the Jordan Lake Neighborhood series!!

By Jordan Lake Neighborhood, 6 photos, 03/23/2017
A proper bald eagle scowl.  
 
Usually I am the watcher.  Today I found myself being the observed species by this osprey.
 
The tiny fluffs of feathers on each side of this double-crested cormorant’s head are his “crests”.
Only the mature double-crested cormorant has the crests.  
There are none on the immature bird at the lower right.
This is a first for me and my camera – a great horned owl.
Truly a mouthful…for this great blue heron.

By JL Eagle nest report: First Nest, 5 photos March 7, 2017

Each year when the ospreys return to Jordan Lake, territory disputes occur.
The east side of the First Nest Cove belongs, more or less, to the ospreys.
The west side of the cove, more or less, belongs to the bald eagles.
The osprey female initiated this encounter when Petruchio crossed the “line”.
Ultimately Petruchio pushed the osprey back east of the line and for the moment quiet reigned.
I gotta admit I admired the spunk of the much smaller osprey!

By gone tomorrow? 2 photos

Ospreys go south for the winter, some go all the way to South America.
The adults leave first in the fall and then the fledgling females.
The young male ospreys are the last to leave the lake.
I caught this fledgling, hatched this year, fishing at the lake this morning.
With the freeze projected for tonight he may too be gone tomorrow.
Note his still orange fledgling eye and the white edging to his flight feathers – marks of a youngster.

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