The first thread on this years season is here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1109408/#top
Today has been very windy and Dad was flying back and forwards by the nest, much to Big Hook's delight. They mate often and eagerly and the nest is now never unattended.
I managed to take this head on shot of Dad yesterday. It's very unusual to be able to get either bird at this angle.
From earlier this afternoon. I can't recall seeing any mating occur when both birds are already on the nest. It's invariably when Dad comes flying in and immediately mounts Big Hook.
Big Hook always remains in this tail up position for about 10 seconds after Dad departs.
That's it for the next couple of days. We've got storms coming and I doubt that I'll go to the nest tomorrow.
Great pics As Usual, Margaret. thanks.
That head on shot is wonderful! Great pictures Margaret.
Margaret, all your photos always are so sharp and clear. That head shot is just amazing, but the rest of them are too. I love reading about your observations. Hope the storms don't last long!
Beautiful start Margaret...great shots and that first one is a stunner!!
Margaret your pictures are superb. The head on shot is without a doubt a classic. Congrats, you are obviously a dedicated birder and talented photographer as well.
Yes! Shot number one makes me think of power! Nice shots Margaret!
Every HOUR! Ooo, maybe we'll have triplets instead!
That head on shot is great Margaret! All the pics are real nice! Looking forward to more.
Beautiful...
We're listening Nanny! LOL
no, we're NOT listening. blah blah blah. I can't hear or see you. blah blah blah
Well then I'm listening Nanny!!
OMG...anyway back to the Osprey!! LOL
Lets just say it worked and I had a boy!
This message was edited Aug 13, 2010 7:10 PM
Ha ha, just saw your explanation to your earlier post, nanny. My imagination was running rife.
Thanks, Rian, Burd, Rose, GG, duc, Kim and Pelle.
Duc, the storms were a fizzog, but we have had some much needed rain. Kim with the additional rain, the Pink-eared Ducks should be getting active.
Welcome and thank you, elageo. I'll admit to be fairly happy with he head on shot. We don't see the ospreys coming into the nest from that angle very often. The wind was coming from a different angle to our prevailing winds.
There have been triplets at the nest before, Mrs Ed. Here's hoping for more than a single chick.
I'll head off to the nest this afternoon and will give an update then.
Not much to report from this afternoon. More mating and Dad brought a small stick and a nice big clump of weed. It clouded over just when the lighting is usually at its best. Big Hook is rarely off the nest now.
Not really anything to show you, but I have cropped this shot to show the difference in Dad and Big Hook's eye colours. Big Hook is the bird at the back, facing the left of the screen. Our Ospreys certainly don't seem to have the bright yellow (adult) and bright orange (juveniles) irises of the northern hemisphere birds and the dark ring around the eyes doesn't seem as pronounced.
I like that shot. Is the after-mating stick and clump of weed he brings to her akin to a rose and a box of candy in the human world? LOL
Beautiful shot Margaret! Funny Granny!
LOL GG! yah. I'm sure. All I know is that if Mr. Ed delivered some home improvements…
nah. I won't go there.
You bring up a question I've been wanting to ask you Margaret. I've noticed that most of our Osprey seem to have much darker brown coloring from their eyes to the back of their heads than yours do. Is it just this pair that is much lighter than the others in your area?
Great closeup by the way.
I forgot to add a photo that shows our ospreys' coloring.
Nice shot of the 2 together Margaret! Did you use the 1.4 converter on that shot?
while we're comparing, here's one from southern Baja Mexico.
GG, with the amount of activity going on at that nest, it would look like a rose bowl and chocolate shop in a very short space of time. No, don't go there, Mrs Ed. we're all still recovering from the mental picture nanny had us conjure up. LOL.
Thank you, BeaHive.
Burd, I have the tripod, but no head or teleconverter yet. Well, I have a Canon teleconverter but that doesn't allow autofocus, so I'm trying to find one of the Tamron converters to buy.
Duc, good question about the differences in ospreys. I'll quote directly from Alan Poole's book: "Ospreys A Natural and Unnatural History". Published in 1989. Now out of print, it's a fascinating book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in these fantastic birds.
Quote: "Four Osprey subspecies are currently recognized: P. h. haliaetus from the Palearctic (Europe, the northwest coast of Africa, and Asia north of th Himalayas); P. h. carolinensis from North America; P. h. ridwayi from the Caribbean; and P. h. cristatus from Australasia (Australia, New Guinea and nearby South Pacific islands) (Prevost, 1983a). Decades of arguing were needed to hammer out this classification. As new specimens were discovered and described during the nineteenth century, numerous taxonomists tried to make species of them, but these efforts generally failed. (The subspecies concept did not take hold until the end of the nineteenth century.) By the early 1920s, Pandion had been reduced to one species, composed of the four races recognized today. A few additional races were proposed, but none has proved worth of recognition (Prevost, 1983a).
Size and plumage are what best separate the four Osprey subspecies, but the differences are not always straightforward. Finding geographic variation in Osprey body size, for example, is complicated by sexual dimorphism. Within subspecies, females not only weigh more than males but also have longer wings, tails, claws and bills. This means that male and female Ospreys from different parts of the world overlap considerably in size. Males from all populations nesting the the northern hemisphere are larger then Australasian females. Yet in both sexes, Ospreys from tropical and subtropical climates tend to be smaller than those breeding at cooler, higher latitudes. Australasian Ospreys, for example are 12-14% smaller (on average), sex for sex, than their Palearctic counterparts, an Red Sea Ospreys are slightly smaller than Swedish Ospreys". End quote.
It then goes on to describe plumage differences and that a field observer would be able to readily distinguish between the four subspecies. Quote: "P. h. ridgwayi is instantly recognizable by its very white head and breast plumage. Either sex of P. h. cristatus seems noticeably smaller than other Ospreys, and the combination of a dark breast band and a relatively light crown also set the Australasian birds apart". End quote.
So yeh, they do look different and are smaller. Swedish visitors have commented on how much smaller they look to their local Ospreys and that the head shape is different.
By the way Iove your shots, Duc and Mrs Ed.
I've been looking at a photographer's website. He has photographed Ospreys around the world and I can recognize the Australasian Ospreys instantly, just from the thumbnails.
Edited for typos
This message was edited Aug 16, 2010 6:55 AM
Love that close-up Osprey shot, Margaret.
Hi GP. Thanks. Aren't they just the most gorgeous pair? I never get tired of watching them.
From this afternoon. Dad was bringing more little gifts of sticks and weed to Big Hook, who was truly appreciative. :)
In this shot, he's arriving without gifts but with a glint in his eye.
This is a really poor shot that I've tried to rescue just a bit for posting. Dad was partially in shadow, Big Hook was almost fully in shadow, but I really love the interaction between the two of them.
Last, another shot of Dad flying towards the nest.
That last shot is spectacular! Great photo work and devotion to the pair!
The special bond between them does show in your photos Margaret...so nice!
I find bird behavior more & more interesting all the time. Any good recommended reading in that area?
Thanks for the information Margaret. It's really interesting to learn about how to tell a male from the female too.
I agree, you really did show that "bond" between them.
Your photos are so beautiful. I liked that first one too which shows the strong muscles in the legs and the large talons that make it easy for the bird to pull a large fish from the water.
Nice shots Margaret! Even in shadow they look great!
Thanks, pirl. I'm glad you're enjoying them.
Thanks, nanny. The book by Alan Poole, "Ospreys - A Natural and Unnatural History" is a fascinating read. You might be able to get it in a public library over there. There's not a copy in any library within Australia (go figure). I purchased mine through Amazon. You could also start by having a look at anything Rob Bierregaard has written or been involved in. Here's a link to one of many http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2009-08-06/Front_Page/TRACKING_THE_OSPREY.html If it's behaviour about birds in general, it would probably be best to check with Resin.
Thanks, duc. From my perspective, seeing photos of the Ospreys and Bald Eagles together and knowing that your Ospreys are much larger than ours, gives me some idea of just how big the Bald Eagles are. (Hope that makes sense).
Thanks, Burd. Here's another shot from yesterday of the male arriving with a clump of weed. I wasn't going to post it because of the #&8@!?% branch, the bane of our lives.
I hope you don't mind Margaret. That pic just called out for a caption. Love the way she is looking at him.
Aww, sweet pic!
Beautiful pictures Margaret. Branch or no branch, she is looking at him so lovingly!!
