Friday, September 19, 2014

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

Most birders enjoy the challenge of identifying the species of the bird they are viewing. No such pleasure here, as the Osprey ranks high among the species least likely to be confused with any other bird.


The sexes have the same appearance, although the female is larger. The juvenile Osprey (aabove) is quite distinctive, with pale fringing on the wing coverts and back feathers easily setting it apart from the dark brown adult Osprey. Also note the eye color (more orange in the youngster, yellow in the adult) and the buffy patch on the neck.


The juvenile also has more streaking on white areas of the head, especially the crown.

Check out the talons in the 3rd photo:


These Ospreys were all seen in August along Cosey Beach Ave. in East Haven, CT, near my cousin Rich's beach home. The platform nest nearby fledged 3 chicks this summer. Both chicks and adults often brought their catch back to the platform, in part to avoid disturbance by the local gulls. Here the adult has returned with a large fish:


The youngster looked for a handout, but the parent jumped to the roosting spot and enjoyed an undisturbed lunch:


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