Bird of the Week – Osprey
Osprey are comparative newcomers to Interior Alaska.
Osprey, Chena Lakes Flood Control, North Pole
Note those talons, among the longest among all birds. The Osprey feeds almost exclusively on fish – another name for them is Fishhawk – and however slippery a fish might be, it’s unlikely to escape those talons.
Osprey need about 100-115 days to raise their kids: Three days from completion of the nest to lay the eggs; about 37 days to incubate the eggs to hatching; 50-55 days to fledge and 10-15 days to be ready to migrate. Longer if they have to build the nest from scratch. If you are going to eat fish, obviously you need the water to be unfrozen. So perhaps this is a species which will benefit from global warming.
But Osprey are indisputably breeding in Interior Alaska.
Osprey Nest, Interior Alaska
Osprey hunt by stooping, diving feet first, on fish in the top three feet or so of the water column. They are quite successful at foraging, and, since DDT was banned, quite successful at breeding. Osprey were severely impacted by the egg shall-thinning effets of DDT.
Osprey are among the most studied raptors, including some research done by Mrs. WC on the Ospreys at Cascade Lake, a reservoir in central Idaho. And this is a cosmopolitan species, found everywhere there is open water with fishing sufficient numbers to support big birds, across Europe and Asia. The North American populations winter in Central and South America. WC saw them in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America.
For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
Osprey rock. My classes have followed birds tracked by satellite on their way to S.Am., and we watch pairs nesting along the Willamette River, near downtown Corvallis, OR. OSU researchers have studied them quite a bit.
I imagine they have trouble with all the Eagles in Alaska. Bald Eagles bully osprey. They let the osprey do the work, then and steal their fish.
WC-sometime when you are in Brazil, will you stop and check on Krubozomo Nyankoye and his toucans-if he has any. Haven’t heard a word out this particular Mudflatter in a few years. Sure miss hos wit and perspectives on life.
http://www.kwwl.com/story/14700535/osprey-have-perching-problem-in-iowa-great-lakes
Ospreys have slowly been reintroduced in NW iowa and other parts of the state. Never seen one in person,yet.
I’ve seen them in Jamaica Bay, a NY nature preserve, and elsewhere. I’ve never photographed them, however, so as always, these photos are a welcome sight!