I have been birding the Lake Hills Greenbelt in Bellevue about 4 times a week for over 25 years and have never seen this before. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a large fir tree at the SE end of Larsen L. This tree is where the hawk is usually seen quite regularly. A pair of RTHAs have a nest about 4-500 ft. west of there. Ospreys are less common and usually seen only 1-2 times a month. It usually perches in a shorter tree at the east end of the lake.

This morning I saw the RTHA at its usual perch quite a ways off. When I got a lot closer I noticed an Osprey showed up and started diving at the perched hawk. It did this about 5-6x before the hawk decided to leave. The Osprey continued to harass the hawk until it flew completely out of the area. Then the Osprey circled back and landed on the same branch where the hawk had been.

This is the first time I have seen this interaction between and Osprey and RTHA. I was wondering if this behavior unusual or more common than I am a where of.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
h2ouzel AT comcast.net.