Nesting osprey a magnificent sight
Birds can be viewed at Lakeside County Park, Clear Lake State Park
Clear Lake is a photographer's dream because of its abundance of wild birds. Pelicans, grebes and a variety of other wild birds draw photographers from throughout the nation, and one of the most photographed birds is the osprey, especially when they are on their nests with little ones.
Lakeside County Park has a pair of nesting osprey located at the playground and the nest draws dozens of observers every day. Earlier this week I observed the male osprey leaving the nest and flying out over the lake. A few minutes later he returned with a fish clutched in his talons. He flew to the nest where the female took the fish and tore it up before feeding it to her two chicks. A pair of tourists were standing nearby and couldn't believe what they had just seen.
Osprey are found throughout the world. They are located on every continent except Antarctica. The worldwide population is estimated at more than 400,000 birds. Osprey are common on Clear Lake with at least a dozen pairs of birds living around the lake. They can be easily identified in flight by their white belly and long and black-tipped narrow wings. The head is mostly white with a dark brown stripe that extends from the eye. Their beak is hooked at the end, which allows them to tear a fish into small bits. Their feet feature two toes pointing backward, and the bottom of their feet have short and sharp spines that help them hold onto fish. Their feathers also have an oil coating that keeps their feathers dry when they dive into the water.
Fish make up 99 percent of the osprey's diet. They primarily feed
on hitch, small carp, catfish, threadfin shad and small bass. They locate prey by flying low over the water. When they spot a fish near the surface, they climb and then dive with their talons outstretched. Once they grab a fish they turn it so its head faces forward. The osprey then returns to its nest with its catch. At some lakes the osprey have learned that bass fishermen mean food and they will follow the bass fishermen and grab the small bass the fishermen release. Some fishermen will even throw a bass high into the air just to watch the osprey dive on the fish. I have had ospreys at Indian Valley Reservoir follow my boat hoping I would release a bass.
Osprey mate for life and their nests can be huge. They return to the same nest year after year and continually add to it with dead sticks and grass. The nests can weigh as much as 700 pounds. They build their nests near the tops of trees (preferably dead ones) and sometimes even on power poles. Since their diet consists entirely of fish, the nests are almost always located near water. There is an osprey nest in the parking lot at Clear Lake State Park that draws dozens of observers each day.
Down through the years a number of nests have been built by humans to accommodate the osprey. There are more than 20 manmade nests located around the lake, constructed atop power poles. The osprey return to the same poles year after year.
The female lays from three to four eggs and then incubates them for approximately 35 days. Both the male and female rear the young. It takes from three to four fish per day to feed an osprey family. They have a unique way of feeding their young. The adults often eat the head and tail of the fish while leaving the more nutritious center for their young. The parents also vigorously guard their young. I once observed a great blue heron fly to an unattended osprey nest holding three young and attempt to snatch them for an easy meal. Unknown to the heron the parents were in a nearby tree. They gave a loud scream and divebombed the heron, driving it away from their nest.
Lake Pillsbury has osprey along with bald eagles.
The osprey is another good example of the abundance of wildlife at Clear Lake and why we have to protect and preserve the lake.