Pandion haliaetus; the Osprey

 

 An osprey perched in a tree near its nest. Image by the Author.

Identification: The osprey is a large bird of prey, larger than the average hawk but a bit smaller than most eagles. Adults can have a length of near 25 inches and wingspan near six feet. Osprey are usually seen over open water or nesting. The osprey has brown feathers over his back and wings, and a largely white underbelly. In the northeast, osprey have a mask-like band of dark feathers crossing their eyes. Their diet is mostly fish, and they can be seen over both fresh water and salt water.

Lord of hawks, the osprey wields aquiline majesty with a kestrel's grace. He conducts maritime hunts in plain view; soaring, hovering, and plunging along coasts, slow rivers, and ponds. The sight of an osprey diving from 100 feet and submersing himself entirely is matched only by his uncanny ability to emerge clutching fish from the most unlikely bodies of water. Many a fisherman has cast away the hours without nibble or tug, only to see an osprey drop in from above, pluck a fish from the seemingly barren waters, and fly off crying piercing notes of victory.

Giant Hawkbird? Most Likely an Osprey

One thing the osprey has going for him is the relative ease with which you can spot him. Rather than skulking in the woods, or lurking amidst tree tops, osprey spend much of their time above the open water, where they are clearly visible. True exhibitionists, osprey build their homes in readily viewable spots atop pilings, buoys, and utility poles. They construct sprawling stick nests and occupy these for much of the spring and summer. In these nests the osprey can be observed tending eggs, and raising chicks, much to the delight of nature centers everywhere. If you google "osprey cam" you will be treated to your choice of live feeds featuring footage of nesting osprey. 

Although most people in the northeast have regular contact with the osprey, I have noted a marked reluctance on the part of non-birders to commit to an osprey identification. On numerous occasions past, my assistance has been sought in establishing the exact species of large birds of prey. In almost every instance the answer has been "osprey." One summer after receiving an unprecedented number of these queries I mused to my wife that I could probably answer all nature related questions with "it's an osprey" and be correct most of the time. However, this year I encountered a curator of a local nature center who had evidently put this idea into practice. As I cheerfully began explaining that I had just seen a juvenile bald eagle fly over the parking lot, and that I've always found the juveniles more handsome than the mature specimens despite their popular appeal and so on and so forth which is normally a topic of much appeal and edification I was interrupted.

"Osprey," she said, before i had progressed much farther than "I just saw." Her eyes glassed over. Clearly she was retreating inward, shielding herself from the darts of the hundred misidentifications and wives' tales naturalists no doubt suffer daily. An understandable practice yes, but unbecoming nonetheless. True, when in public I wear no insignia proclaiming my status as author of a highly regarded animal blog. True, to her I appeared no different than the commonest of boobs who mixes his phoebes and kingbirds. Still, I was stung by her brusque dismissal. At this moment I vowed to drink silently from this bitter cup, savoring the sour taste with which this wretched encounter seasoned my nature center visit as the saints did season their repast with wormwood, to turn what might be an occasion of mere earthly satisfaction to one of most sanctifying mortification. I vowed that I would never dismiss another question or comment regarding the natural world without first hearing it as though uttered by Carl Linneaus himself. Only then; if it proved to be wholly lacking merit or common sense, might I address its author's statement with anything less than the utmost generosity. 

I digress. Despite my initial misgivings, the curator turned out to be a lovely woman, quite knowledgeable about turtles. I must return to the subject of osprey identification. I think it likely that the hesitancy to throw caution to the wind and wholeheartedly label osprey as osprey has a two-fold origin. First, one must consider that for many people the osprey population was considerably depleted during their childhood. While osprey are plentiful now, during the mid 20th century their numbers suffered greatly due to use of DDT. This pesticide famously caused birds of prey to lay fragile, easily destroyed eggs. So perhaps some still recall the osprey as a rarely sighted visitor to the northeast. Perhaps during these times the man who proclaimed, "look an osprey" was as likely to be laughably mistaken as he who shouts, "look a northern goshawk" at every raptor who visits his suburban feeder. I don't know. I wasn't there. It may be that one of my gentle readers can clear this up for me.

I think the second reason underlying reluctance to identify is ironically the ospreys omnipresence at nature centers and atop buoys. It is possible that some are so familiar with seeing an osprey on top of a buoy or sitting on a stick nest, they have come to consider him a bird who does only this. They rarely see more than the top of his head peaking out over twigs. Thus, he remains hidden in plain sight. When he soars out over a bay a new view is afforded that differs somewhat from the bird huddled on his nest. The flying, hunting osprey is rarely captured on "osprey cams." 

Osprey from Beneath. Image by Steve Hillebrand courtesy of Fish and Wildlife Service

Do not be intimidated. If you too have previously only thought of the osprey as a nesting bird, you can easily learn to identify him in flight. First of all, don't be thrown off by where he chooses to fish. He is just as likely to appear over your local pond as over the coast. A large bird of prey over the water will most likely be an osprey, but you can look for a few simple clues to clinch the identification. He will have a mostly white underbelly, thus distinguishing him from the larger bald eagle which is only white on the head and tail. He will circle, and every so often hold his position in one spot by beating his wings. This frequently, but not always precedes a dive. When he dives he will go completely under water just for a moment. If he catches a fish, he will fly off with it turned forward so that it runs like a line going from his head to his tail. This adaption allows him to fly with less wind resistance. The most distinguishing feature on specimens in the northeast is a mask of dark brown feathers. This cuts across the eyes giving him an appearance not dissimilar to that of Darryl Hannah's replicant in the film Blade Runner.

Using these principles you will soon be on the fulfilling road to successful osprey identification. You will find this quite rewarding, and rarely spend a day at the beach in which you fail to sight at least one of these majestic creatures.  

Further Reading