Signs of Spring - Osprey Nest

This is the mother Osprey as she circles around me and the tree her nest is in. It was a pretty aggressive act towards me. One more circle and she landed in the nest where she hunkered down. The male sat about 250 yards away in another tree luring me away with his call.

The nest is to the left an above where the mother Osprey is. They have been working on this nest for a week or so. We had some really strong tropical winds in February and I think they have really started to shore this thing up. Some of the redness of the nest is from dirt, not just the pine needles. I have seen them carrying small branches and dirt.

There are no eggs yet. The young from the past year or so have been hanging around. The young male has had a hard time detaching himself. I have seen the two males fishing in the pond. Quite a sight. They are very powerful birds. The past two years they have really made their presence felt in this area of my subdivision. The alpha male is quite a show off and makes himself known almost immediately.

These photos were taken late last week during a rainy day. I knew I would have the pond to myself - no other humans. Once the swans accept you the others are more willing to put up with you. Sure enough the Osprey's let me get close enough to get these shots. Hopefully this week, I can set up my "good" camera and get some closeups. I was thrilled to see them fish and she would set on the nest with me right there.