"Squirrel-huntin'" our neighbor used to call it -- driving along in a car while keeping an eye on the scenery. That's what I was doing yesterday morning down near the river when a flash of white in a tree caught my eye. A crow was keeping an eye on a larger bird with lots of white on its head, chest, and legs . . .
This is a little traveled road and not a soul passed as I stopped to take a picture of what I guessed was an osprey -- but I wasn't sure till I got home and put the pics on the computer and began to crop them.
Oh, yes, it's an osprey, I'm pretty sure!
These next two pictures are from the internet -- I'd need a much better lens to achieve a picture like this. But what a gorgeous bird!
The osprey, also known as sea hawk, fish eagle, or fish hawk is found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica. About 24 inches (60 cm) in length with a wingspan of about 71 inches (180 cm,) it weighs from 2 to 4 plus pounds. Its diet is mainly fish -- the one I saw was just by the river -- when a fish is sighted, the osprey will hover momentarily over the surface of the water then plunge in feet first to grab its prey.
Now I have to keep my eyes open for signs of a nest. . . wouldn't that be nice?