August 19 2015. Lakefield ON. Well, the delayed grandson arrived today; 7Lbs 7 oz. and everybody is well. Under the circumstances I’m sure you’ll understand that it wasn’t much of a birding day, nevertheless a late, fleeting glimpse of an Osprey registered with me and was a reminder that many Birds of the Day are just happy happenstance sightings.
I’d say that almost every day I hear or see something that makes me pause for a moment. Around home this summer it’s been the odd flight of Chimney Swifts, a passing Common Nighthawk or one of our wrens (Carolina or Winter). And now as summer starts to lose its grip, a bank of sunflowers is attracting American Goldfinches while a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is still hanging around the monarda. For me they all add a touch of sparkle to the rhythm of daily life.
Today after visiting hours, we were sitting on an outdoor patio enjoying a latish dinner. It wasn’t a particularly scenic spot and not much to see; a cheerful family crowd in front of me and a solitary, somewhat academic-looking man making a pint of beer last several hours behind. And then while I contemplated my emptying glass, an Osprey soared low overhead, it was holding a fish, face forwards as they do, more aerodynamic that way. It was there one moment and out of sight the next; just an Osprey. But really NOT just an Osprey; I know them as elegant, accomplished, catchers of fish who patrol waterways, hover, plunge, seize fish, haul themselves out of the water and, in mid-flight, shake themselves dry like a retriever. Bird of the day today – just because.
I love how Osprey carry their fish head facing forward! I always thought of it as aerodynamic too!
Read your post this morning. Congratulations to you and yours. Thought of your post this aft while reading an article in the August 23rd edition of the New York Times titled, Ospreys: The Birds of Summer. An Osprey appeared while the author was enjoying a morning cup of coffee on his porch.