Young Osprey: Out On a Limb
By saying that this Osprey is "out on a limb", I actually mean it in a couple of ways! For this is a young Osprey and I don't think it knew 
how to get off it! I could hear the adult Osprey whistling and encourag -ing it to fly but this young one seemed to be totally undecided as to how to do that. That is how I was able to get so many pictures of it so close. I just drove my car closer and closer and it just stayed and looked down on me.
There is an Osprey nest just up the road nearby and this would have been one of this seasons young. I had heard it as I was looking for my Monarch butterfly that had been on the Milkweed leaves along the road there. When I was ready to leave I looked down the road and saw the Osprey still out on the limb, as if stranded. It really afforded a great view for another lucky photo shot opportunity.
16 comments:
What a beautiful, beautiful bird. How lucky you are to see them.
How funny to have wings and be afraid to use them :-) That is an absolutely gorgeous bird! The colors are so lovely with that bright white and all those lovely browns and that red eye. I'm sure glad it stayed around for you to take pictures.
I so wish I had your luck!
These are more amazing photos.
I do love to watch Osprey. How fortunate to have one sit still for a portrait. Hopefully it will get more expert at moving off branches soon. Our Osprey are on the move and have left the nesting areas. I still see them flying over the water from time to time.
Superb shots - is it luck that you find these opportunities, or skill?
kingsdowner:
There is a lot of luck involved, but also in the past ten years of birding I have developed a sense of knowing where to look and that is an asset too. There are a lot of Osprey in our area and a river runs through our community. During the summer it is not uncommon to see an Osprey flying overhead with a fish in its talons. The Osprey also build nests on power lines and I know of a few of those locations. Another nest location easy to view is alongside a secondary highway. There are often opportunities for photos and sometimes you just gotta be there,with your camera nearby, on a lucky day.
His dilemma was your good fortune. As Mary said, it is very strange to have wings and be afraid to use them. I'm sure he must have taken the plunge after a while. Meantime, your photos are really beautiful!
Gorgeous! He'll get over it! At first they chicken out before they make the next big jump! I saw something similar with a family of Roseate Spoonbills. The parents deliberately placed themselves further and further away, to encourage the chicks to come after them and be fed.
Cheers, Klaus
kjpweb:
The thing about nature is that in most cases you just have to be a bystander for when the sympathy factor kicks in, there really is nothing you can do but watch.
I have photos of an Osprey that just wouldn't leave the nest until another one pushed it off!! I'll look these up for tomorrow's post.
Being someone with cats, I like to say, You've never been ignored until you've been ignored by a cat. And now I think I'll clone that and say, You've never been stared at 'til you've been stared at by a young hawk. Truly amazing shots!
Maybe he is just a belligerent teen: "I will fly when I want to fly!" Great close-up shots though!
Oh wow..what a catch. I have never seen one. Being is the right place at the right time and having a reluctant youngster. I guess birds have stubborn kids too..
I have never seen a young osprey. Love the pictures.
What an amazingly happy accident for you. These shots are wonderful!
Great photos.
These are outstanding, but that's no surprise. ;-) Beautiful.
Post a Comment