Subject: Osprey behavior
Date: Aug 16 17:21:41 2001
From: dani217 at attglobal.net - dani217 at attglobal.net


I live about .6 miles from and 400 ft. above the Green River.Last week, I
heard an osprey. It was a young bird flying over my house, with a fish in
its grasp. At first, it was flying in a circular manner with a lot of wing
flapping and vocalizing. Then it repeatedly ascended a short distance,
and dove, constantly screaming, for several minutes. It then flew back
toward the river and out of sight.
This afternoon, I heard the osprey approaching again. It held a fish in
one foot. Again it flapped around, screaming, then began a series of
ascensions and shallow dives. After a few minutes, it headed back to
the river and lost altitude.
Is it an inexperienced hunter, astonished to have a fish wriggling in its
talons or just a normal osprey celebration? It seems likely to attract
the attention of larcenous bald eagles.
Sandy Daniels
Auburn, WA
dani217 at attglobal.net