While kayaking a lake that is mostly shallow, I saw this osprey hanging out there. I think it flies between another body of water and this one. It seemed to come back to the same area of the lake when it caught the fish.
Osprey with Fish
I did see it splash into the water on the other side of the lake before it flew back in circles with a fish. Lucky for me that it landed nearby.
Osprey with Fish
Look at those talons speared into the fish. I am assuming the fish is already dead.
Osprey with Fish
He seemingly holds on with one foot. This was a cloudy day and very windy. Sitting in my kayak to try to take shots was far from steady. I’m still okay with these. Here’s hoping to see one dive in close by in the future. Have a great weekend.
I went to check on the Osprey family this weekend. Parents were flying in and out of the nest, which is a good sign the baby or babies hatched.
Busy Osprey Family
I was hoping to see a parent bring in a fish, but not this time.
Busy Osprey Family – Baby head pops up
I only got a few pictures that included a baby osprey. This is one of them. I do not know if this is the only one.
Busy Osprey Family – Feeding the young fish
I do not think the parent was feeding herself here. They seemed to be handing off low to a baby in the nest.
Busy Osprey Family – Reinforcing the nest
I did not witness a fish being brought in, but saw one of the parents bring in a stick, Considering there is visible in this picture a big hole in this nest, it is probably a good idea. Were you busy this weekend? I hope you had time to relax.
If you build it they will come. That is certainly the case with platforms and osprey. Ospreys are another bird of prey you can find in New York. I saw a few on a trip in June to the Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario region near the Thousand Islands. In every case I found them on a platform that they built a nest on.
Nests
In that part of New York in different places platforms have been placed on top of telephone poles by people. Soon after Osprey have come by and build nests on them. Other places they may nest include channel markers and dead trees over water.
A nest on one of the Thousand IslandsI could not tell if any of these nests had eggs or chicks, but since there was always one parent on the nest, or going for a short fly nearby, I would think there may have been at least eggs.Mate hanging out below.
Habitat
Osprey will live around a variety of water locations: rivers, ponds, salt marshes, lakes, etc. I have seen a few on the Hudson River, including one on a channel maker where a creek meets the Hudson. The ones in this post were on Lake Ontario or on one of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River.
Heading to a nest near Lake Ontario with a fishThis Osprey seemed to be so proud of his fish. He kept taking it out of the nest to fly around with it in circles only to return to the nest again. It was not ideal lighting conditions as it looked kind of dreary on and off, but still find to watch them.
Fishing
Osprey eat mainly fish and they are known as being excellent at fishing. Osprey circle high above shallow water before diving feet first to catch a fish. It takes an average of 12 minutes for an Osprey to catch a fish.
If you you visit the Thousand Islands or Lake Ontario region, look for their nests on top of telephone pole platforms or channel markers. They are interesting birds to watch.
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