Beautiful Ospreys | April 21, 2013 |
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Ospreys (also known as fish hawks) are remarkably beautiful raptors who dine only on fish.
Each spring a few ospreys visit the Toftrees pond, and I've been lucky to have some encounters with them, such as the following overhead view. |
Or an over-the-wing view.
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What is even more fortunate is encountering a pair of ospreys flying close together. (They were circling one another continuously.)
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A few days afterward, I encountered the pair again. I saw the first in the far distance as I was approaching the pond. The second was perched on a tree limb by the pond itself.
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The ospreys were calling one another, and the farther one flew directly toward the perched osprey, who gave an appropriate greeting.
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As the one flew over the other, the perched osprey then dove off the branch.
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Although seeming to be farther apart, they soon met up.
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Unfortunately that meeting took place behind trees, and I didn't have a clear view. But I could see them circling one another as they flew farther away.
I wish them well and hope they build a nest and have a lovely time together, giving birth to more ospreys for future springs. Photo note: On the week beginning April 13, 2013, I used a Pentax K20D, with the Sigma 150-500mm lens, for the photos. |