When we first arrived to Florida, one of the first unusual birds we saw that we have never seen before was the Osprey. Just about anywhere along the coastline, and even inland where lakes, ponds or rivers are found, you can find them. They are not hard to miss, and of all the birds I have photographed, Osprey's are without a doubt my favorite.
When I first saw the Osprey and their wingspan of almost six feet, I was amazed at not only their size and speed, but they are the most animated of all the raptors. They are unique for they are not of any other species, but they are a species all to themselves. Once you see one, you can understand why. They are also known as a Fish Hawk, Sea Hawk or Fish Eagle depending on which part of the world you are standing.
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Watch A Movie Clip Of An Osprey
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They are the kings when it comes to fishing, for their diet only consists of fish, so they are quite the skilled hunter at locating and killing their prey. It all happens so fast, as they will hover over a body of water, circling high in the sky, and when they locate their prey, they slowly descend, sometimes hovering in mid-air, flapping their wings violently, then screaming down to the water's surface in a split second, snatching their catch in their mighty talons. I have also seen them actually dive below the water's surface to snag their prey, for they have closable nostrils to keep out water during dives and when they come out of the water, they shake their entire body to remove the water from their feathers.
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View Photo Of An Osprey Hovering In Mid-air
View Photo Of An Osprey Bringing Back A Fish
View Photo Of An Osprey With A Sheepshead
View Photo Of An Osprey With Eating A Fish
View Photo Of An Osprey Examining His Dinner
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The talons of the Osprey are reversible, and the scales on their feet act like barbs to help secure the fish, and they can rotate the fish in their talons in flight to reduce the drag so that they can lift from the surface and fly faster. This is to avoid the scavengers that will often follow the Osprey, usually high above them and then swoop in to try to steal their catch. We have seen Magnificent Frigatebirds and even Bald Eagles do this as they try to get an easy meal.
During breeding season is when they become the most animated and the best time to really see their behaviors in action. They build very neat nests, and they can be found in snags, Slash Pines, man-made platforms and even on the tops of light poles and electric towers. Starting around late January to early February, they can be seen in pairs, flying everywhere and breaking off dead branches in mid-flight with their strong talons and taking them back to their nest to build them up. They typically use the same nest as the previous year, so they rebuild and add to them with engineering precision. When they are finished, they then line then entire interior nest with Spanish Moss to keep the warmth for the eggs, and to make it comfortable during the incubation period.
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View Photo Of An Osprey Carrying Nesting Material
View Photo Of An Osprey With Spanish Moss
View Photo Of An Osprey Landing In A Snag
View Photo Of An Osprey Displaying Her Wingspan
View Photo Of An Osprey Taking Off In Flight
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Ospreys life span can be up to thirty years, mate for life, and they are very faithful to their partner. When the eggs are laid in the nest, usually 3-4 eggs, one parent will sit on the eggs, while the other will go off and hunt for fish, or bring back additional nesting materials. After a while, they will then switch to allow the other mate to take a break and fish for themselves. They are very attentive to each others needs, and they communicate constantly to each other when they are together.
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Listen To The Sounds Of An Osprey
(MP3 Format - :22 - 356KB)
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During nesting, the parents are also very aggressive, and will chase off any and all other birds that come within their territory, even other Ospreys. We have witnessed them take off after Black and Turkey Vultures, and once at Honeymoon Island when a Bald Eagle landed within several active nests, a scene that is very rare whereas a group of about seven males all ganged up together and attacked the Bald Eagle and chased it off the island. They typically won't take on a threat as a group, but this one time they did, since the Bald Eagle is twice their size and speed.
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View Photo Of An Osprey Communicating With Her Mate
View Photo Of An Osprey And His Baby In Their Nest
View Photo Of An Osprey Feeding Their Babies
View Photo Of An Osprey Watching Over Her Babies
View Photo Of An Osprey Baby Less Then A Month Old
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When the young are born, they look almost identical to their parents, except their feathers are much more "speckled" and their eyes are a bright orange, whereas the adults become a bright yellow. It is easy to tell a male from a female, since the female has a brown "necklace" of feathers that goes across their white chest, and the males are completely white on the chest. When the young are old enough to fledge from the nests, the adults will teach the youngsters on how to fish, dive, circle and often can be seen playing games high up in the air as a way to ready them for adulthood. If you watch them long enough, you may even see the youngsters being corrected as the adult will fly right behind them and nip at their tail feathers to correct them.
For the past two years, it has been the most rewarding to observe, listen to and photograph these fascinating birds. I have photographed the Osprey more then any other species, and with good reason, for they are truly the most interesting birds I have ever come across and they always bring a smile to my face when I see them when I am out and about.
Article Written By Dawn La Follette