Author Archives: Harriett Raptor

Ospreys are beachcombers. A sundry of shore line flotsam and jetsam are frequently found incorporated into their structures: plastic bags, pieces of plastic toys, fishing line and more. Looking at an osprey nest, one can tell how the world has … Continue reading →

Osprey Nest 2 The nest site is not far from water, usually on top of a large tree (often with a dead or broken top) allowing 360 degrees of visibility. Nesting on a structure over water will protect them from … Continue reading →

Osprey nests are built of sticks and lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, algae, or flotsam and jetsam. The male fetches the nesting material and the female arranges it.

If the sky dance is spectacular foreplay, then the copulation itself is fast and furious, lasting just a few seconds. Successful fertilization requires a “cloacal kiss.”   A male will land on a female’s back many times without this final … Continue reading →

Early in the breeding season, males typically perform an undulating aerial display called the “sky-dance.” At the top of each undulation, males hover briefly with their legs dangling and their tails fanned, and then dive downward with their wings drawn … Continue reading →

Older, more experienced birds arrive in their old nesting areas first, always to the very same nest they built the year before. Males precede females by three or four days and start to rebuild their nest.

“Jonathan and I have taken care of the Eagle threat,” said Harriett. “Next, nest repairs.” “I do so want the Doctor to be proud of me.”

It’s not the size   Hell hath no fury! Plus, it was two against one. “No contest,” said Harriett. “We no longer have a problem.”