An Osprey Flyby

Last spring I had an Osprey flying over me last spring. These birds are relatively large by raptor standards, only a little smaller than our vultures and bigger than any hawk in my area; eagles are the only eastern raptors that really dwarf them.

My Hawk Watch book says that from below they look like a cross between a hawk and a gull; their wings can be as crooked as a gull's but wider and non-pointed like a hawk's. Note though that you don't get a sense of how crooked their wings can get in my pictures.

Ospreys can be bullied into dropping a caught fish by an eagle (usually a Bald Eagle), but my guess is that their size and feeding habits don't lend themselves to conflict with other raptors:

  • They like eating fresh fish, which means our vultures probably ignore them.
  • Hawks and falcons probably recognize that Ospreys are kind of big to be confronting.
  • Ospreys and owls work different hours.

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282300736, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282300751, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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