Sunday, August 05, 2012

Birds Versus ...

Porter Bay, Vermont
44 13.82 N 073 20.60

Today is a down day for us.  More of those pesky severe thunderstorms coming through.  When will I carry out my threat to stop listening to those weather forecasts?

Yesterday we spotted two osprey in what we believe to be an eagle's nest.  Three years ago along Otter Creek, there was a man-made pole with a nesting platform on top.  It was filled with an osprey family including three young.  A quarter mile away at the top of a 150 foot tree was an eagles nest, also with young ones.  Now it appears that the osprey nest is abandoned and the eagle's nest occupied by osprey.   Osprey normally choose nesting sites closer to the water.  I wonder if this pair doesn't simply enjoy thumbing their noses at the eagles.  A few weeks back I watched an osprey violently harassing a bald eagle sitting on a branch.  I think there's bad blood between those two families.

Last night after sunset, a school of little minnows started jumping out of the water right beside the boat.  Were they greeting the nearly full moon just rising or were they spooked by an underwater predator?    Anyhow, a flock of three gulls quickly landed and tried to make a meal of the minnows.  They weren't very skillful.  One gull caught two, and the others caught none.


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