Osprey Osprey Everywhere – Part 1
For the last eight weeks, the surrounding Chesapeake Bay have welcomed back and been entertained by the Osprey. They are easily sighted if you are in our area around the Kent Narrows waterways in the sky or perched on signs, buoys, channel markers, trees, and man-made nest platforms. We’ve not had a pair of Osprey take residence and build a nest on our nest platform this season, but I witnessed a few attempts. The first on was on April 7th, I shot them through a double-pane window so not to spook or disturb him which caused a focus problem, but it’s proof we’ve enticed interest!
Another day…..

Male Osprey with nesting material on platform on May 3rd. Another Osprey harrassed him & he finally departed with the material.
A third time…..

A female Osprey returned shortly thereafter, and perched for a few minutes before departing without them. Later that evening, I check the platform and the sticks were gone. 🙁
I imagine young Osprey that returned this season are trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing, maybe trying to entice or impress a mate with their building skills. 🙂
In the meantime, our Oyster Cove platform is a regular perch for the area’s Osprey just as it was last season. And again, the different pairs all think they ‘own’ our platform and at times will fight over who gets to perch on it.
When they aren’t chasing each other off, the Osprey perch temporarily to rest, territory watch, sleep, eat, and even mate.
Even mated Osprey meet up at the platform for a ‘home away from home’ perch.
Lippincott’s Channel Marker 3 is another perch enjoyed and fought over.
The Osprey dines almost exclusively on live fish, often catching its meals by hovering over the water at an altitude of 50 to 200 feet, then diving feetfirst into the water to catch its prey. It is very entertaining to watch them in action. AND very challenging to photograph! Here are a few of my attempts at trying, to show their form and technique.
Another Osprey, another dive…..
One more time…
Each osprey foot has a reversible front toe, as well as barbs (called spicules), which help it hold onto a slippery fish in flight. And that’s why I’ve never seen an Osprey drop a fish!
I watched two Osprey fishing at the same time and they both snagged a fish quickly. They then flew to each other and swirled around and off together, as if they were celebrating. A mated pair fishing together was a first for me! 🙂
It is here I’ll make a stop and finish a Part 2 with lots of Osprey flight photos.
Thank you for your visit, I hope you enjoyed these behavior shots as much as I enjoyed taking and witnessing them. I do love my Osprey!