Hi Bill and Tweets,



I have seen this behavior?numerous times on the Deschutes River in Oregon with its many dozens of Osprey.? (Scott Downes mentioned to me after one of my earlier posts that when floating the same stretch of river that my friends and I do, he stopped counting at 33 Osprey nests.)? The?theory that makes the most sense to me is that the birds are simply cleaning the fish slime off their toes and talons.? Even though Osprey feet are adapted for catching fish, it would seem that fish slime would reduce their gripping ability.? Human fisherpeople certainly?rinse hands?after handling a slippery fish, so it would make sense that Osprey need to do it as well.?



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net



----- Original Message -----


From: "Bill Anderson" <billandersonbic at yahoo.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 12:16:16 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] Edmonds osprey (9-13-11)



Last week I?photographed an osprey skimming over the water below Sunset Ave. in Edmonds at sunset.? T uesday afternoon (9/13) I?photographed similar behavior that I cannot explain, only document.?
?
The osprey approached the Edmonds underwater dive park at Brackett's Landing from the north and started a long, low?south bound swoop of the dive park.?? While making the swoop, the osprey would get down to water level and drag its feet along the water, making a rooster tail.? At times the osprey was so low that it apeared its breast was scraping the water.???It would pull up a little, then once again descend to water level and repeat t he?foot dragging.
?
Over an?elapsed time of about a minute, the osprey made ten of these?foot?dragging, rooster tail generating, mini-swoops during its long swoop?of the length of the dive park.?? When it reached the ferry dock it flew up and over the pedestrian bridge to the ferry and continued flying south.
?
For the past?three summers I have photograhed many osprey patroling?Puget Sound off Sunset Ave. for fish.?? I don't believe this osprey was hunting.? The typical osprey hunt I have photographed consists of the osprey circling high overhead and then hovering above a target before diving. ?At the risk of anthropomorphizing, I would?say this osprey was?playing. ???A kid on a water slide came to mind.
?
If anyone has an explanation for the osprey's behavior, please?reply to?Tweeters as I am sure?there are others in?Tweetsterdom who would like to know what was going on.?

?
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA
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