Observations & Images
29 March 2006
25th day of incubating
THE NEIGHBORS
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Observations & Images
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| Tension was in the air throughout the afternoon as the nest site was visited by interloper Ospreys who were curious about the nest. Here one such male Osprey stranger approaches the nest where the female is sitting on the eggs. | |
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The female Osprey confronts the stranger alone. Her strategy consists of a series of loud warning cries. Here she watches the hovering stranger with a look of concern. |
| The stranger hovers for a moment than flies off allowing the female Osprey to relax. | |
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The resident male Osprey shows up a few minutes too late to help defend the nest but he carries a consolation prize in the form of dinner for the female. |
| A contrast of tails as the male flares into the nest. | |
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After consuming the fish on her eating perch, the female Osprey does several laps around the nest. |
| She passed very close on one lap. | |
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Flying up to a perch overlooking the nest and the incubating male, the female Osprey casually grooms herself. |
| The peaceful scene was suddenly broken by the male Osprey who rises up uttering threatening cries. | |
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Hovering over the nest was another male Osprey, probably the same trespasser from earlier in the afternoon. |
| Both resident Ospreys directed a barrage of warning cries at the stranger. | |
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The trespasser wisely flies off. |
| With the trespasser now gone, the female Osprey, at left, returned to the nest. | |
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The male settled back to incubating but the female was very agitated for a few minutes after the incident judging by the repeated loud calls she let out. |
THE NEIGHBORS |
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| The briefest glimpse of something passing through the tall grass caused me to move back to the road in the hopes of catching whatever might emerge. A few moments of quiet waiting eventually resulted in seeing this Raccoon race across the road heading toward the Lagoon. | |
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A vocal Great Blue Heron flew past also heading toward the Lagoon. |
| The Pileated Woodpecker taunts me during its second observed visit to the area by staying elusively at a distance. Here the bird flies into the pines where it effectively disappeared. A careful search could not turn up where it was in the trees. | |