Observations & Images
10 April 2006
37th day of incubating
THE NEIGHBORS
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Observations & Images
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| The female Osprey wings her way toward the nest. Today the Ospreys are very close-knit unlike over the weekend. | |
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A very windy day accompanies much activity around the Osprey nest. |
| The female Osprey, seen standing at left, looks at her mate who does not willingly give up his incubating job. | |
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When the male refuses to move, she flies off into the pines. |
| She eventually returns to the nest. | |
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A new pair of Ospreys frequently overfly the nest site today. These are probably the pair pictured yesterday at what is possibly a new active Osprey nest in the Refuge. The male of the new pair is pictured here hovering over the nest. His presence caused some alarm with the resident male who is pictured rising with his wings open. |
| After a loud harangue from the resident male, the interloper male Osprey flew off in the direction of the new nest. Note his wide wingspan. As mentioned before, the wingspan of an Osprey may approach six feet. More can be seen below in THE NEIGHBORS. | |
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The male Osprey finally relinquished the nest to the female while he went to collect more material. |
| He made two quick runs to collect sticks then again switched places with the female who flew off into the pines. He is all attention today unlike his attitude over the weekend. | |
THE NEIGHBORS |
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The Pileated Woodpecker couple are definitely moving into the neighborhood. For long periods every day now the male and female take turns working on enlarging the nest cavity in the dead palm tree. Here one of the birds can be seen working. |
| The birds take turns working on the cavity. The one not working usually flies into the pines near the Osprey nest before returning to relieve its mate. This is the male Pileated Woodpecker. He can be distinguished by the red on his face trailing behind his bill. | |
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The male returns to the nest cavity to work allowing the female Pileated Woodpecker to fly off into the pines. The female Pileated Woodpecker has a less extensive red headpiece along with having a black line behind the bill rather than a red line like the male. |
| This is one of the new pair of Ospreys seen here carrying material back to their nest. Their flights frequently take them over the neighborhood as their nest is farther inland. | |