a vacation moment

[lee s]

Anyone notice that the Osprey will turn it's prey "nose to the wind" as it flys off?
....lee s.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I worked in the Penticton Airport tower for 22 years . We were lucky to have an osprey nest right out the back window toward the parking lot. Osprey that caught too large a fish would struggle to get it into a nearby tree then cut it in half with their beaks. They then always flew the front half to their nest leaving the back half on a wide flat limb. By the time they returned for the back half it was always gone! Crows and Ravens always got it.

[John Rhoades]

I love fishing in Yankee Jim Canyon, but I don't recall seeing power lines. They must either be at the top or bottom end of the canyon.

I caught a dozen or so fish there a couple weeks ago - all on drys - what a nice place to spend a September afternoon.

John

[DShock]

My nephew Preston and I were float tubing at Rock Creek Res., on the east side of Mt. Hood., when a bald eagle dived down and caught a fish, RIGHT BETWEEN US! Ospreys are cool!, but seeing a eagle that close and seeing it's claws catch that trout was amazing!
Doug

[backbeach]

I'm actually a big Osprey fan, despite my comment about tying materials. As a kid, cutting my teeth learing to fish for stripers on the Westport river (SE Mass.) my Dad and I always saw a few opreys working the river. He told me that it was one of the few places they were doing well at the time due to problems with DDT in other watersheds. Evidently it got in their systems and made their egg shells too fragile to hold up until chicks hatched. I've seen them take schoolies, but never begrudged them a meal. As far as a vacation mement goes; my Uncle had shot a rabbit that made it out on the ice of the Taunton river before it "expired". While we were trying to figure out how to reteive it safely, a large redtailed hawk settled the issue by swooping down and taking it. Our beagles, arriving just after the fact, were very confused!

[Helicopsyche]

A couple years ago when I worked at a hatchery, I was stocking a lake in NE Washington. Out of nowhere an osprey showed up to pick up an easy meal. Well the resident bald eagle decided it looked good and dive bombed the osprey making him drop the fish. The eagle grabbed it and took it to a nearby tree to enjoy his stolen meal. The osprey, more than a little mad, began buzzing the eagle, and was then joined by his mate and they both buzzed the eagle. The eagle who was nearly falling on every pass decided eventually that it wasn't worth the hassle and let the opreys have the fish.

It was so cool to see, but I couldn't understand why they didn't just pick up another fish. I could see them swimming around near the surface so surely the birds could have.

Adam