Birthday Present
Standing there looking out over the sunrise reflection on the water, there is a sound like a baby chicken, almost. We see ospreys here often enough to know what that sound is. Sure enough, there about 50 yards across the river is an osprey in the middle of a plunge toward the water. It hits the water and up it comes with a large shad in its claws. It shakes the water off, rearranges the fish to point head first forward, and flies a few yards upriver before a bald eagle appears and challenges the osprey. There is not much of a contest. The osprey drops the fish and moves away, while the eagle retrieves the fish from the water and flies off with it. It lands on a tree across the river, presumably to eat the fish, and the osprey dives on it – forcing the eagle to fly off into the swamp with the fish. The osprey doesn’t press ownership any further and both birds disappear from sight.
What a birthday present. There are still some things that you can’t get on the Internet. This is one of them, I believe.
The river is at 3.5 feet on the Butte La Rose gauge. The Ohio and Mississippi are both in their fall low periods. As I look out at the water in the river it is hardly moving, and it has that greenish cast that we call “clear” and my west coast friends wonder how we can say that.
Rise and Shine,
Jim
5 Comments:
Happy Birthday Jim! What a glorious sunrise. Loved your story about the cypress too.
Thanks for the comment, Alma. It was a good day with the eagle and with the cypress.
Happy Belated birthday. I'm birding in the valley and only get Internet every few days.
I'm living the volunteer life. Hopefully, I'll get to work in the Atachfalaya Basin sometime.
My blog is at http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/
Happy belated Birthday, Jim! Your words paint pictures in my mind and I can see the splendor. Thank you very much
Thanks for the birthday wishes from Kirkus and Taylor! And for the comments.
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