Osprey Nest

[tamrock]

I spent most all this last week in Elko, Nevada. Last August I found this Osprey nest along the Bear river in Utah and got some pictures of the adults. On my way out to Nevada this time, I didn't have a whole lot a time to do much, but drive straight through all the way from the front range all the way to Elko. I put 12 hours on the road as I had to hustle. I only saw this young Osprey in the nest on this go around. The nest is along the floodplain of the Bear river and it was way over the banks this time. I waited a while to see if any of the adult Osprey would show up and so was this little one as it was scanning the sky's all around looking for it's mama or papa to show up with some dinner, but I never saw them. I didn't have much time to waist, as my guys in Nevada were calling asking me where the heck I'm at? Told em to cool their jets as I'll get there when I get there sometime that night like I said I would. Another thing I noticed with these large nest these Osprey build is there are other little birds that use the lower part of the nest also. It's like an apartment building for other birds.

 

[BosnMate]

If I told this before, please consider my age and the BS factor. Back when I was gainfully employed, there were Osprey fishing in the log pond, and nesting on top of power poles around the log yard. I got to see one get a dead branch for its nest --- off an oak tree. The bird folded up its wings and rocketed out of the sky, just when it got to the branch it wanted, it flared it's wings, went past the little limb, and swooped up, breaking the branch off going upwards. I thought that was pretty cool, seeing as how if an oak branch still has a little green, it aint gonna break off worth a hoot. Hitting a semi green branch hard, on a direct dive, would hurt if it didn't break off. I've also seen them catch fish and end up in the water. They flap their wings until airborne, then shake the water off, and then turn the fish around so its head is pointing forward and fly to the nest. Really an interesting bird.

 

[tamrock]

That sounds like an awesome sight to witness. I was watching an Osprey at a Lake here in Colorado. I saw it dive into the water from a distance, but it was too far to see if it caught anything? I did after that watch it head to a forest of pines, so I was thinking it may be off to eat what ever it caught or feed it to it's young. I think Ron Woodcraft posted an Osprey in flight here. I enjoy looking at the archives of the shots he post for all of us to enjoy. He's pretty special with a camera in hand.

 

[RustyGold]

Here at our local regional park (El Dorado) there's a few days where the Osprey return to the small lake and there are dozens of
pro photographers taken pictures of them.
They are awesome to watch!