Ospreys Redux

My friend Allan and I made another trip to Green Lake to check on the progress of the nesting ospreys there.  This was precipitated by a visit to the Green Lake Association Osprey Cam (http://www.greenlakeassociation.com/glaw/index.php/what-we-do/watershed-education/green-lake-osprey-cam/ ) where we noted that the two fledglings in the nest were quickly reaching a size where they would have a solo flight and then leave the nest for good.

Only one of the fledglings was visible from the ground.

Mama osprey began circling above us, sending out a distress call to hubby who, as usual, was nowhere around.

After about 30 minutes, Papa osprey appeared with lunch, a rather large fish, but he saw us and flew away, fish in talons.  Note the size of the fish.

 

 

After a few minutes, Papa returned with a slightly smaller fish. The bum had been snacking while he waited for us to leave! Once again, he flew off to his quiet corner somewhere.

 

The next time that he came back and refused to land, we deduced that if the fledglings were to be fed we would have to leave the area, so we moved a short distance away.








Success! He finally landed with what was left of the meal. (Photo taken from afar.)

If you think you might want to see the nesting ospreys, just go to the center of the city of Green Lake and find the high school baseball field; it won't be difficult to locate. But you'd better act quickly---the fledglings look as though they'll be taking off soon.