Near the first pond east of Lake Yahola, I spotted about 17 top-feeding ducks at the edge of the water. I picked out a male wood duck and the rest looked like gadwall. So I made my way toward them, from behind some cattails. I was pretty well-covered. My plan was to edge my way up (I was about 40-50 yards away from where I saw the ducks). But before I started, the osprey flew over. Third time I’ve seen him (I say ‘him,’ but it may be a different one), 2nd time with a camera. He circled directly over me - and the ducks - three or four times before moving on. I thought me may be considering duck for lunch.
Since the osprey was why I came out, I left the ducks and walked east below the dam in the direction he was flying. I found him about 100 yards down, perched conspicuously on top of a tall, dead tree right at the edge of the water. The pond is wooded, so I had the benefit of coverage walking up to these places. But the downside of that is, lots of foliage fowling up the shot. So I used a little beaver trail I found - there were several crisscrossing the timber on the water’s edge - and army crawled up to the edge, stopping every few feet, not to draw attention. I was only four or so more feet to the edge where I’d have clear shots of him, mostly unaware of me. But before I got there, a red-tailed hawk kind of just “shooed” him away. There wasn’t a conflict and at first I thought I must’ve scared him off, until the hawk came into my field of view. The hawk just had bigger guns this time. I kind of wished he would’ve waited a little longer to clear his territory.
On the way out, the osprey was circling Yahola, smaller circles in a big one. On his way back from the other end, he started diving and buzzing the water line three or four times, then continued on east again, towards where I saw him the first time that morning.
Tags: Osprey, Oxley Nature Center
