Month: April 2021

After some fishing on the wing at a newish pond, the osprey was attacked in the air by a Canada goose. (I knew this was potentially dangerous since I recently watched a video of a goose capturing and drowning a seagull.) Orville pulled away, and the goose returned to guarding his nest which the osprey had flown over. The chastened osprey left the area and headed back to his more familiar pond.

After flying, diving, and bathing in his usual haunt, he flew over a pasture. An adult red tail streaked up from behind and attacked. A mere split-second tangle sent a couple of feathers flying. The hawk did not pursue as the osprey flew away low and fast.

Orville didn’t return to my whistles and was quiet. He finally started chirping in the front yard and returned to the glove–clearly shaken. Blood stained some of his pond-dampened belly feathers, but he acted fine as I flew him on a third pond. (No fish about).

Orville has had no luck this spring, and the fish are still slow. I decided to take him to a smaller, more “fishy” pond. After easy transfers and a peaceful 1.5-hour trip, he left the glove towards the feeding fish.

Instead of a direct dive, he began circling about 50 feet off the water, staring down, making several false stoops until he finally executed the quintessential straight-down osprey dive!

It was so much fun to see him hunting for a good while–soaring, diving, wheeling about–that I was not really disappointed that the trip yielded no fish catch. He returned well to several tidbits and then finally for his whole fish.

The drive back was smooth. The system of handling and transporting seems to work fine. I hope he continues to hunt on the wing.