The osprey dove today! It was a fairly slow dive presumably after a fish. He was riding up front and suddenly dove after a couple of seconds of head bobbing. I didn’t get the video of course, but there now promises to be lots more! I haven’t entered* this bird yet, and he has never gotten a fish from water. (I usually enter them with a tub or wading pool). I was actually happy that he was riding on the boat so calmly.
He had already come to the glove for a big tidbit, then again for a small fish. He then came quickly to me in the boat over about 50 yards of water. He shied away from me (seated, near a protruding electric motor–a scary landing site even for older birds in the past) but landed well for the first time on the boat perch.
He then rode with me for maybe 30 minutes, scrutinizing the water, every turtle, and other things I couldn’t see. I was shocked when he actually dove. I had not waterproofed the telemetry he was wearing (still works). He lifted off from the water without difficulty. This was his first time ever for that also!
He flew from the boat back to his yard perch when we got very close to the dock. He flew to my glove for another fish. It was a great day!
Well, I did have some trouble getting the hood on him. He likes to duck and dodge. Once hooded, he hopped and scrambled up my arm and ended up on my back. As I was stuck, bent over inside the mews, with the hooded bird digging into the skin of my back, my son came to the rescue. He got my glove and got the bird to step onto it.
Starting over with him back on the perch, I got the telemetry on, removed the hood, and then started the great day.
*exposing a young raptor to prey for the first time