We’ve had a lot of questions about the large birds that are building a nest in the pine tree near the boat launch onto Grassy Lake. Ospreys (sometimes called Fish Hawks) may look a little like Bald Eagles, but they are really very different. Ospreys are smaller overall, have smaller beaks, a black eye band on their face, a crest on their head, a white chest, and no white tail.
It appears that we may have some young birds in the nest in a month or so if recent activity is any indication. The average incubation period for Ospreys is 37 days.
Ospreys are very vocal, especially the young. They are incredibly good at demanding food from their parents as they grow! But they are a lot of fun to watch. Get ready to see a lot of fishing in the lake very soon. Enjoy!!!
Photos courtesy of Diane Sprague. Click on a photo above to see it full size.
Slide the white circle back and forth to see the difference between a Bald Eagle and an Osprey.
Although Ospreys are not endangered, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The MBTA provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any of the nearly 1,100 species of migratory birds, or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird, unless authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior. Take is defined in regulations as: ‘pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.”
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