Bay Photos by Donna

This morning, as the last few mornings and evenings, I’ve been on my balcony with my binoculars, exploring the skies, listening to the sounds, searching for an osprey.  Seen eagles enjoying a high soar, ducks flying about their day’s adventures, even a bit of honking from what sounded to be a pair of Canada geese over at CBEC.  But still no osprey, not our Oliver or Olivia, nor a transient just passing through on his way to his summer home destination.

Today was a beautiful spring day in the low 70’s, partly cloudy skies, the winds finally dying down to a breeze from the past several days of 20-30 mph south/southwesterly winds.  With the time change and darker mornings, my plans are now to be on the road sooner to work so I can convince myself to leave on time, if not a little sooner to come home to sky-watch.  Succeeded today, I arrived home about 4:15pm.  🙂  No osprey though, was hoping to see or hear one when exiting the car.  From my balcony I didn’t spot any, just a bunch of gulls fighting over a large fish that if any good, I’ll post at a later date, and two separate eagle sightings in the distance.

Around 5:00 pm, a small rain cell from the east passed over us out of nowhere. After it passed, I was back on the balcony trying to capture a not-so-bright rainbow over Lippincott’s channel marker to my west , and a wide-angle shot of our osprey nest.

March 13, 2012 @ 5:20 pm

Oyster Cove Osprey Nest from my balcony - March 13, 2012

It was then I heard a kew-kew-kew-kew sound from above.  What?  Looked up and found an osprey soaring above me in the breeze, chattering (at me?), and then catching a wind that took it out of my sight over the roof before I had a chance to react with my camera.  Was it Olivia???  I grabbed my tripod and watched and waited.  Within five minutes, the osprey returned, coasting the breezes, circling the nest and landed.

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey landing on Oyster Cove nest platform

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey - Welcome! Are you Olivia?

The osprey did not turn towards me so I could try & capture a frontal shot to compare to the last couple years photos to help confirm if it was indeed Olivia’s markings.  It did keep looking down and around of what was left of the nest, as if thinking, what the heck happened to my home?  Also, the osprey did not make any noise while on the nest.  Previous years as Olivia waiting for Oliver, she would perch on the nest, just keep looking at it, then leave.  You could almost see her shaking her head in disgust, LOL.

After a couple minutes, the osprey took flight over towards Marshy Creek and disappeared.  Thirty minutes later, the osprey was on Lippincott’s channel marker to the left of the nest in Marshy Creek, eating a fish. 🙂

Osprey on Lippincott's channel marker eating a fish while keeping an eye on its surroundings

Osprey on Lippincott's channel marker eating a fish

Osprey on Lippincott's channel marker eating a fish while keeping an eye on its surroundings

That channel marker is a favorite perch for Oliver and Olivia.  Especially while the other is on egg or baby-duty.  The osprey continued to stay there, enjoying the setting sun.

At 7:53 pm, almost two hours later, the osprey was still sitting on the channel marker, in the late dusk.

I would love to say it is Olivia, and my gut feeling says it is based on the date of arrival, along with the combo nest and favorite marker perching.  But whoever it is, that osprey just completed an impressive journey of possibly 3500 miles from as far south as northern South America where the majority of northeast osprey migrate for the winter.  He/she looked to be in pretty good health for such a remarkable trip!  🙂

And so now it is official, our osprey journey begins as we follow this season’s osprey from their arrival until they depart in the fall for another winter vacation in the tropics.  I hope you enjoy their adventures that I capture and share.  So stay tuned, and as always, thank you for stopping by!