-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Osprey (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NAL1212
- Start date
christineredgate
Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th
Thanks,Nal for your photos.Yes Osprey's are so spectacular to watch when they are fishing,very powerful birds.Sadly our birds which visited the UK to breed have now returned to Africa and warmer climes,so it will be many months before we see any again.
Hill_Walker
Neil
Thanks for the photos.
What gets me is that i lived right next to Bassenthwaite Lake through the summer of 2004 and didnt see the soddin Osprey once! And i use to take my dog walking along the lake twice a day! Mind you i wasnt into bird watching then so maybe that explains it
However i did talk to a few people that did manage to see it catching fish.
What gets me is that i lived right next to Bassenthwaite Lake through the summer of 2004 and didnt see the soddin Osprey once! And i use to take my dog walking along the lake twice a day! Mind you i wasnt into bird watching then so maybe that explains it
However i did talk to a few people that did manage to see it catching fish.
Kentbloke
Ah, yes, well
Sighting of a lifetime!
In the 'excitement' of loosing my wallet last night(it's been found) I forget to mention my close encounter, yesterday - and today(16th) with an Osprey :king: It was in the town centre of Hythe(Kent), fishing in the canal - for all to see! At one point today it flew, quite literally 10feet above my head - totally astounding sight. :bounce:
A small crowd stood and watched in awe, this bird fishing, just feet away from us. Strangley, some people seemed oblivious of what must be a 'once in a lifetime' sighting?
The killer for me was that my digi stills/moviecam chose today to pack up grrrrrrr :C Plenty of pics taken though by others including the local press.
This was a young bird, though I didn't notice any rings on it(I must admit I was looking at what it had in it's talons) so I'm not 100% certain there weren't? Also when perching, feathers covered it's legs
I have been birding for 30 to 40 years (on and off) and have never witnessed anything like it! Not only a 'lifer' for me but an extraordinary close up view of one of natures wonders.
Some pics of this bird here:http://www.geocities.com/folkestone_birding/index.html
In the 'excitement' of loosing my wallet last night(it's been found) I forget to mention my close encounter, yesterday - and today(16th) with an Osprey :king: It was in the town centre of Hythe(Kent), fishing in the canal - for all to see! At one point today it flew, quite literally 10feet above my head - totally astounding sight. :bounce:
A small crowd stood and watched in awe, this bird fishing, just feet away from us. Strangley, some people seemed oblivious of what must be a 'once in a lifetime' sighting?
The killer for me was that my digi stills/moviecam chose today to pack up grrrrrrr :C Plenty of pics taken though by others including the local press.
This was a young bird, though I didn't notice any rings on it(I must admit I was looking at what it had in it's talons) so I'm not 100% certain there weren't? Also when perching, feathers covered it's legs
I have been birding for 30 to 40 years (on and off) and have never witnessed anything like it! Not only a 'lifer' for me but an extraordinary close up view of one of natures wonders.
Some pics of this bird here:http://www.geocities.com/folkestone_birding/index.html
Last edited:
Macswede
Macswede
Ospreys are fairly common here in Sweden but I don't think I'll ever lose the thrill of seeing one.
I remember last August my girlfriend and I went shopping at a nearby shopping centre not far from the centre of Stockholm. There's a small lake next to it and I half-jokingly suggested that we walk round it just in case there were any interesting birds. We saw nothing out of the ordinary but when we had almost walked right round the lake an osprey suddenly appeared and started fishing.
I suspect it was a young bird though I have no photographs to prove that. It didn't catch any fish but it came very close and seemed totally unperturbed by all the joggers and the groups of alcoholics gathered round the park benches and the families out for a walk and the children bathing. The weird thing was that I saw no sign at all that anybody else even noticed the presence of this magnificent bird. I mean they're not that common - at least not that near to the city.
At any rate, we came back the following day and it appeared again. Shame I didn't have my FZ20 at the time or I could have taken some great pictures.
I remember last August my girlfriend and I went shopping at a nearby shopping centre not far from the centre of Stockholm. There's a small lake next to it and I half-jokingly suggested that we walk round it just in case there were any interesting birds. We saw nothing out of the ordinary but when we had almost walked right round the lake an osprey suddenly appeared and started fishing.
I suspect it was a young bird though I have no photographs to prove that. It didn't catch any fish but it came very close and seemed totally unperturbed by all the joggers and the groups of alcoholics gathered round the park benches and the families out for a walk and the children bathing. The weird thing was that I saw no sign at all that anybody else even noticed the presence of this magnificent bird. I mean they're not that common - at least not that near to the city.
At any rate, we came back the following day and it appeared again. Shame I didn't have my FZ20 at the time or I could have taken some great pictures.
Allen S. Moore
Well-known member
It sort of brings to mind what happened in the middle of June. I was just walking across a little car park in the south of the Isle of Man when a family party of choughs flew overhead. I stood there and watched them go round the corner before continuing to my car. Opening the door, I heard someone in the next car saying in a loud voice, "You'd think that people would have better things to do than standing there looking at crows!" I leaned over and said that they were not any old crows, but Manx choughs, at which they said, "Oh, we didn't know, where did they go?" By that time, the birds were out of sight!Macswede said:Ospreys are fairly common here in Sweden but I don't think I'll ever lose the thrill of seeing one.
I remember last August my girlfriend and I went shopping at a nearby shopping centre not far from the centre of Stockholm. There's a small lake next to it and I half-jokingly suggested that we walk round it just in case there were any interesting birds. We saw nothing out of the ordinary but when we had almost walked right round the lake an osprey suddenly appeared and started fishing.
I suspect it was a young bird though I have no photographs to prove that. It didn't catch any fish but it came very close and seemed totally unperturbed by all the joggers and the groups of alcoholics gathered round the park benches and the families out for a walk and the children bathing. The weird thing was that I saw no sign at all that anybody else even noticed the presence of this magnificent bird. I mean they're not that common - at least not that near to the city.
At any rate, we came back the following day and it appeared again. Shame I didn't have my FZ20 at the time or I could have taken some great pictures.
Macswede
Macswede
I'm sure you're right, Kentbloke, though Swedes are generally fairly interested in nature, even the domestic variety. There's a very popular Swedish nature programme with a competition where viewers send in their own home video films. In this case I don't think anybody even noticed the bird. I think the biggest problem is that people only see what they expect to see and at a duck pond near the centre of town that means ducks and swans and maybe gulls. Sparrow Hawks, for instance, are fairly common in Stockholm but the only time most people notice them is when one kills a feral pigeon and starts to feed on it in the middle of the road. Then the traffic stops and pictures appear in the local papers.
That's a good example of the same sort of thing, Allen.
I remember seeing Choughs on Islay by the way. We travelled around quite a bit looking for them and then suddenly there was one in a field just a few yards away. After that we saw them several times, once in a flock. Great birds!
That's a good example of the same sort of thing, Allen.
I remember seeing Choughs on Islay by the way. We travelled around quite a bit looking for them and then suddenly there was one in a field just a few yards away. After that we saw them several times, once in a flock. Great birds!
Last edited:
ldsmith
Well-known member
rayl
Well-known member
Kentbloke said:
I remember that report as well Kentbloke, I suppose the chance to witness a wild creature up close and personal in the town centre pails into insignificance compared to the latest episode of Corry or Deadenders.
I’ve been confined to barracks for a couple of weeks but managed to have a day out on Friday and watched a couple of young Buzzards hunting and engaging in play fights, a much better tonic than anything the doctor can prescribe. Well done with the Osprey, a wonderful encounter.
Ray
DiggitalD
Thoughtful Monkey
I live in Southern California - Orange County - and Ospreys aren't too common here. About a month-and-a-half ago, five showed up in a local bay. I don't think I've spent a week since not watching them. Just today I discovered that a pair has moved into my neighborhood - probably broken off from the brood I'd seen. This is awesome. I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with osprey migration patterns. Will they stay through the winter to nest?
Blackwater
Member
Southern CA ospreys
Hi,
I'm the webmaster at Blackwater Refuge in Maryland. We have one of the largest osprey populations on the East Coast.
I was looking on the web for details on California osprey populations and found this site which talks about the lack of nesting ospreys in southern CA:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/cgi-bin/read_one.asp?specy=birds&idNum=25
Nonmigratory ospreys are located in southern Florida, the Caribbean, etc. Migratory ospreys are located throughout the rest of North America, and they would begin their nesting/breeding season in March and raise their chicks throughout the summer.
I have read of migratory ospreys stopping off in southern California or Baja for the winter. If your ospreys have stayed put for so long, it's possible they plan to spend the winter there. If that is the case, they would probably head north when spring approaches and breeding season nears. But that is just my guess.
How wonderful that you're getting to see them in an area where they are not abundant. They're magnificent birds, and very entertaining to watch. I hope they stay with you for the winter.
Hi,
I'm the webmaster at Blackwater Refuge in Maryland. We have one of the largest osprey populations on the East Coast.
I was looking on the web for details on California osprey populations and found this site which talks about the lack of nesting ospreys in southern CA:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/cgi-bin/read_one.asp?specy=birds&idNum=25
Nonmigratory ospreys are located in southern Florida, the Caribbean, etc. Migratory ospreys are located throughout the rest of North America, and they would begin their nesting/breeding season in March and raise their chicks throughout the summer.
I have read of migratory ospreys stopping off in southern California or Baja for the winter. If your ospreys have stayed put for so long, it's possible they plan to spend the winter there. If that is the case, they would probably head north when spring approaches and breeding season nears. But that is just my guess.
How wonderful that you're getting to see them in an area where they are not abundant. They're magnificent birds, and very entertaining to watch. I hope they stay with you for the winter.
DiggitalD
Thoughtful Monkey
Thanks for the link. Apparently, Newport Bay is one of the few breeding spots in Southern California. It seems I may get to see them for a while. I mostly see harriers, red-tails and red-shoulders, so this should be fun. Osprey's are so much more fun to watch, not to mention easier to spot since they're usually perched over the same spots of water.
Similar threads
