Since my Seahawks are out of the playoffs, I thought I would pay tribute to the real sea hawk, the osprey. We have many osprey in our area but I have not been able to get too many good photos of them yet. These ones I got were on the same bay I got most of my best eagle photos. We even tracked down the nest thanks to the eagle following the osprey back to her nest and trying to steal her fish. That did not end well as both the male and female were there and put up a hell of a fight! They eventually chased off the eagle and kept the fish.
The difference between ospreys hunting and other birds like the terns is they attack talons first.
Once they catch a fish they will turn it face forward to fly off with it to make it more aerodynamic. I have heard they will drown before releasing a fish though I have never witnessed anything like that.
Ospreys are also unusual in that they will not only return to the same nest each year but will continuously expand the nests so that the nests get huge over time. I have seen a few that you would assume must be a pterodactyl nest they are so huge. They will often take over cell towers and build nests but the phone companies are not usually too happy about that. If anyone has any good bird droppings this week, love to hear them. We have an eagle pair hanging around our house the last week, I’m hoping they will build a nest nearby. This one was scouting a tree about 50 yards from my house and about 150ft up.
Hope they become my new neighbors!
Very cool. We have an osprey that lives nearby, but I have yet to see it drop and get a fish.
Yesterday a sharp-shinned hawk parked itself on a power line near our house, so we got a good long long at that one. They have a very falcon-like head.
I’ve never seen one of those, had to look it up. Does look like a falcon.
Love watching osprey fish over the lake. The dive is pretty dramatic.
Last week my wife and I were heading out for a run and saw some raptor chasing after the quail in our yard. Did not get a good look at it (SO FAST), and it flew away empty-handed.
My shower looks out at the tree in that eagle picture & I was watching a squirrel run up the tree when from out of nowhere a hawk came out of the trees and came within inches of grabbing that squirrel before he took off down the tree. The hawk just flew back in to the trees. Definitely something you don’t see everyday and good reminder why squirrels don’t stop moving and are so fast and shifty!
Last summer there was a Cooper’s hawk nesting somewhere near my neighborhood and the juvenile would bitch and moan while perched on a utility pole until the mother came back with a fresh snack. Teenagers! Always complaining!
Occasionally either the mom or a different adult would perch on my fence and it was amazing because I’d be outside watering tomatoes in the morning and look over and not 20 feet away there’s a hawk just chilling on a fench.
That is so cool! Unless you have a cat or chickens!
I have neither, so I was not concerned!
I did give it a pep-talk about being sure to eat the squirrels and chipmunks.
I don’t know if they eat squirrels and chipmunks, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t if given the opportunity.
I love ospreys and what you say about their nests is true — the big ones are really striking. It’s illegal to harm the nestlings or parents, and breaking up a nest once they start building it rarely works. If they like a spot, they just keep coming back.
So what companies will often end up doing is building a platform nearby in the water and put some sticks on it in the hopes that the ospreys will voluntarily relocate, since they often prefer to be surrounded by water to help keep the chicks safe.
That’s amazing. Is that nation wide? Seems like where I saw them take a cell tower, they got moved or less likely moved voluntarily?
I don’t know the exact law but I am pretty sure as soon as there are eggs the federal migratory bird law kicks in, so the window for trying to move a nest is fairly short. It can be a lot easier to get them to give up if a good alternative is offered, and I think a lot of bird watchers will drop a dime on companies they suspect of harming ospreys or chicks.
@Loveshaq Great photos!
Have you been to the boundary waters in Minnesota? I think you would love it. Back in the day I went canoe camping there for a week, hanging out one morning I kept hearing splashing and could not figure out what was going on – it was an osprey fishing right outside our camp. One night a beaver swam by and protested our presence by slapping the water with his tail. Eagles everywhere. Good times.
I have not been to Minnesota other than plane changes. My buddy is from there & kayaks down some river every year but not sure which one. Maybe I will try to go with him one of these years.