Subject: Re: drowning Bald Eagles
Date: Jan 02 15:58:03 1996
From: Jerry Blinn - 76506.3100 at compuserve.com


>> Don Baccus asks about lefty and righty Osprey....

Well, I don't know the answer to that - I've watched a lot of Osprey fishing
and never paid attention to "handedness." I will in the future, though.
Possibly it would be a case for two sub-species: Pandion haliaetus dextra,
Pandion haliaetus sinistra. Oh, even a third: P. h. ambidextra.

Actually, Osprey don't ~emerge~ with the fish aligned. Typically, they emerge
with the fish any way they could get it -- they do the fore-aft alignment in
the air.

Of even more interest to me is the unique mechanical configuration of the
Osprey's wing. It is specially designed so that when the bird is mostly
submerged and holding on to a load, it can raise its wings straight above the
surface and achieve a powerful downthrust to pull its body out of the water.
This special wing articulation is unique to the Osprey.

Also, when the Osprey has just cleared the water and has a little altitude
buffer, it will shake its body vigorously, like a dog, to get rid of the
extra weight of the water.

I enjoy nothing (well, almost) more than standing in a trout stream up to my
waist, thrashing the water with a fly rod, watching Osprey outfish me 10 to 1.

Jerry