Osprey (formerly called Fish Hawk, due to their almost exclusive diet of fish) boast a great success story. Once seriously endangered due to DDT and other pesticides, they have made a strong comeback and are now found throughout the U.S. (Audubon.org)
“Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them…” (All About Birds), this Osprey circled the wetland ponds, looking for breakfast on a recent morning.
Osprey build their nests in tall trees, but often use other structures such as telephone poles and platforms. They often reuse the same nest, adding material to it year after year.
This man-made nesting platform is easy to miss if you don’t know when to look up when passing by on the Wildlife Drive at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
” Such platforms have become an important tool in reestablishing Ospreys in areas where they had disappeared. In some areas nests are placed almost exclusively on artificial structures.” (All About Birds)
Very protective of their nesting site and their young, this adult was calling out a warning to visitors who stopped for too long to take a look!
A beautiful and powerful bird. A joy to watch in action. Thanks for the post. Beautiful shots.
Thanks, Berny! Wish I could have been quick enough to catch him diving for his breakfast!
Osprey are doing well here in Australia also. They love power poles to nest. Great shots BJ
We see them a lot on power poles and telephone poles, too, AB. There are many ponds and canals in the vicinity of our home, and they are sitting there overhead surveying the landscape (or should I say waterscape?) every day as we walk or drive by.
I like the Ospreys very much, I’ve seen them catch fish on a lake, they are very good at it. Besides, they are beautiful birds. Nice post Carol. 🙂
Thanks, HJ. I love watching them swoop down and grab a fish, and then turn the fish just right so they carry it pointing headfirst back to their ‘picnic’ spot. So fascinating to watch!
I love osprey. These are great pictures!
Thanks, Pam! They are so photogenic. I love the bold, distinctive coloring of their feathers and head. And it’s delightful to listen to them as they call out.
Love your Ospreys! This morning our couple, Sandy and Stanley had come together for the first time to start remodeling their nest. Lots of new sticks and branches are being flown into the nest right now 🙂 Happy New Year to you!
Happy new year to you too, Tiny! I always love hearing the stories you share about Sandy and Stanley and their housekeeping and their behaviors. It was such A relief to read your posts after you reported that they came back safe and sound following hurricane Irma!
I just saw our couple this morning together in the nest for the first time. And by late afternoon they had brought lots of new materials into the nest that was fairly bare after Irma! My next post will probably be an update on them.
Look forward to seeing it and hearing more. An exciting time of year!