I don’t get a chance with Ospreys very often and one in the city is even more unusual.
Two days ago Mike, my good friend and neighbor, alerted me to a couple of “raptors” that he saw in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley. Further discussion strongly suggested that they were Ospreys so I made a mental note to look for them at the first opportunity. Yesterday, on my way home from running an errand in the valley, I checked out the location and found one of them.
Once again I didn’t have my big lens with me so I was using my ‘baby lens’ but I did get a few documentary photos of marginal quality. Normally I wouldn’t post photos like these but I’m excited to find an Osprey in the city so I couldn’t resist.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @321 mm, not baited, set up or called in
The Osprey, a male I believe, was circling the water below when I arrived. Trying to get decent photos was highly frustrating because, except for one small patch of blue, the skies were milky white with clouds which makes a terrible background and tends to put poor light on the underside of the bird..
He flew the same loop around the water four or five times while I was there and each time I had to wait for him to get the blue patch in the background. But by then he was always banking steeply in a turn and looking straight down at the water for fish so I never did get a good look at his face in my photos. I think it’s an interesting posture but I sure wish we could see his face.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @321 mm, not baited, set up or called in
Time and again this flight pose was the best I could get. To make matters worse, the autofocus on my older 7D Mark II was acting up so most of my photos were soft. I’m not sure I’ve ever wished more strongly that I had my best birding lens and best camera with me when I didn’t.
Sharp eyes may have already noticed that he was banded on both legs, with a federal band on his left leg and a colored band on his right. Hopefully at some point I’ll be able to get better photos that allow me to read more of the numbers so I can report them to the Bird Banding Lab.
Based on what Mike said and what I observed I don’t believe the Osprey spends much of the day at this location. Instead I suspect he has a routine of fishing various small bodies of water in the valley so I’ll have to get lucky to find him again.
But you know I’m going to try. For many of my readers seeing Ospreys is almost an everyday occurrence but for me an Osprey sighting, especially in the city, really gets my juices flowing.
Ron
Note: I’m aware of several nesting platforms in my area that are routinely used by Ospreys from year to year but I’m not fond enough of Osprey photos taken at artificial platforms to make the effort. That’s just a personal quirk of mine.
I saw that one too. The blue band has 2B on it.
Sorry, 2 R, not B
Ron, i had the opprtunity to drive the auto route at bear migratory yesterday on my way from sw utah to oregon. Yes lots of cliff swallows. But what was unusual was many were dotty in the gravel of road, almost frozen,car could get 3ft while slowly moving before they moved. Many others were doing normal flying action. Reaction of being exhausted from “fall-out? Getting warmth on a cold 30 degree day? Ive seen other birds post fall-out. But not swallows. Love your blog. Thx. Barb R
Barb, it isn’t unusual for them to “stick” to the road at the refuge when a car approaches pretty close, especially on cold mornings, but 3ft seems unusually close. My guess is that it isn’t fall-out exhaustion.
ok. so maybe for warmth. also i noted that the western grebes werent calling. just swimming. there were several pairs. i only heard 2 calls in whole auto tour. i thought this was unusual for grebes. too early for pair bonding. usually when i see grebes in klamath falls on oregon in april they are very vociferous
interesting that i cant type in my website name. do i have to do an “image” then copy? oh well not to worry on this just curious. yes i have a website. yes i do 50% wildlife
So exciting! I especially like the wing positions in the second shot. I really hope you have more opportunities with him. I like the closeup showing the flared tail and those talons as well.
Thank you, Marty.
I can’t get into your posts using my usual browser today. I am glad to have found a way in.
I can just about feel your excitement and am confident that more Osprey in the City series will follow. And am excited with and for you.
EC, I wonder what’s causing the problem. No one else seems to be having the same experience. I hope it doesn’t continue.
Yeah, just wondering if the browswer problem might be why I can no longer get your blog on my phone but have no trouble getting it when I am at my desktop computer? (That was the “header too large” something, something message problem on my phone.)
“An Osprey In the City” is a great title for a book! But you’ll have to find that bird again to get some “face” photos for it. 😉 I do like the bend of the neck, though, a very unusual view.
Michael’s very eloquent commentary on people’s disconnect from the natural world around us really got to me, having been absent from FP for about a month now. I’ve missed it, and you, and all the peeps here — and glad to be back in the fold, so to speak. I have A LOT of catching up to do!
Welcome back, Chris. You’ve been missed.
And having now done a semi-speedy catch-up on photos and comments posted since @ Mar 13, it’s great to see how you’ve become more comfortable w/ your new camera in the last month. The resulting images are wonderful. And the videos of the singing Western Meadowlark(s) and Black-billed Magpie’s nictitating membrane are terrific additions to your blog! (Thanks also for that link to the sky-dancing Harrier—what a sight!) 😎
I’m glad you enjoyed catching up, Chris.
Very neat find! You know they are WRCNU mascot.
Thanks, April. No, I didn’t know.
My Florida home for the past 18 years had a lake in back. Ospreys fished there irregularly and I tried to get photos of them diving, all to no avail. The sequence of events was usually “splash-click.”
Kenneth, I know that “splash-click” sequence all too well with kingfishers!
The posture is interesting! And what Kris said 🙂
Thanks, Kathleen.
We have a nesting pole just 5 minutes walk from our house, plus others around town. I tend to see them almost very day once they start nesting. But it still feels special every time I see one.
“But it still feels special every time I see one.”
In your shoes I’d feel the same way, Mary Ann.
To hear about and then find it, what treat. Our local eagle nest is right by a hiking trail. And I’ve heard of another nest being in a tree above playground at an elementary school.
Their numbers are growing so it’s bound to happen that we have urban eagles now.
Diana, very few of our Bald Eagles stay for the nesting season, Nearly all of them take care of that responsibility further north of us.
Get that R5 out there and find that Osprey again. Pretty decent photos Ron all things considered. Shame he or she did not turn the head toward you at some point.
I saw an Osprey at our Goldwater Lake a couple mornings back, but it was way up in the tops of trees far back from the lake and stayed there the whole time. I got there at 8 so quite possibly it had already done some fishing before I got there.
That band number looks like it is 5 something.
I agree about the 5 on the band, Everett. I could guess at one other number or letter but guesses aren’t much good to the Bird Banding Lab.
I think that Michael’s comment speaks for most members of your “posse’–
surely does for me—the beauty and stimulation that comes from seeing the
creatures that you present daily really IS life-affirming as is hearing from
the members of the non-blase’ tribe out there–filled with like-minded
curiosity and appreciation for the natural world that you work so assiduously
to record and bring to us in all of its beauty and endless variety–thanks !
Thanks very much, Kris. What you describe is a big part of the reason I’m still blogging after all these years.
In metropolitan Southern California spotting a Osprey is pretty rare, even down at the beach. Just a few weeks ago my wife and I were at Topanga beach for an early morning walk when I spotted one flying low over the water. I excitedly pointed and announced the sighting to her and to a few strangers who were also enjoying the early morning (assuming all would be interested). My wife was excited, but as usual the other onlookers simple replied, “A what?”. By the time I’m done explaining to the semi-interested party, the bird is gone. I know I should not care, but I always find it so disappointing; the lack of knowledge and interest in such a large and magnificent creature as the Osprey. Funny how humans can become so blasé about the daily miracles of nature on display all around us. Such a disconnect. I guess that is why I am drawn to your site – sharing a virtual moment with kindred souls is life-affirming.
I agree, Michael. I’ve been pleasantly surprised recently when two old high school friends and a brother-in-law demonstrated much more interest in, and appreciation of, birds than I thought they had. And then there’s neighbor Mike, who surprised me the same way some time ago. But like you, I see that blasé attitude toward birds and nature way too often.
WOW – Great shot and yes for some of us an Osprey during the Spring, Summer and Fall regularly occurs, but I do understand because it gets my juices up as well! If i am brutally honest seeing any bird of prey gets my juices going! You have some absolute beauties where you live, I can only envy those sightings!!!!!
Thanks, Dick. Yes, around here we’re lucky with the variety and numbers of raptors available to us.
Actually, I really enjoy seeing this posture. It reminded me of a dancer. Thank you, Ron!
Thanks, Mary. I enjoy the posture too. I’d enjoy it more if I had other photos that allowed us to see his face. Maybe next time, if there is one.
Neat in spite of not being perfect. 🙂 VERY interesting to see his head cocked the way it is – don’t know that I’ve ever seen that in a hunting raptor. They are an “occasional” here.
Around Townsend they’ve put up a number of platforms to keep them off the power poles…… 😉
Judy, he had to make repeated sharp turns to keep the water below him so this steep, banking flight posture with him looking almost straight down was closer to the rule than it was to the exception.