On my commute this morning from Seattle to Tacoma, a bit north of
Federal Way, I saw way ahead of me a bird diving on another bird, and
I assumed it was the usual crow diving on red-tail, but then I
realized the diver was bigger than the divee. Finally they resolved
themselves into an adult Bald Eagle diving on an Osprey that was
frantically trying to get out of its way. They were 3-400 feet up in
the air at this time, really moving. I assume the eagle was after a
fish the Osprey had, but I couldn't tell. I don't know if the two
interact territorially or if it's always kleptoparasitism when the
eagle is after the Osprey. I have read about this interaction for
years but have rarely seen it.

A few days earlier I was coming in to Seattle in late afternoon, and
three Ospreys in a row were flying south along I-5 just opposite the
stadiums. I have no idea what was going on there.
--
Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
1500 N. Warner, #1088
Tacoma, WA 98416-1088
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html