It was high tide today at the beach and the fish were running. I won’t know about the fish if it wasn’t for the Osprey who were fishing in the Sound while I was there.
The Crows are not as worried about the Osprey as they are when an Eagle is in their territory. They get rather crazy chasing the Eagles and this is especially true with all the youngsters out of the nests. The Osprey and Crow relationship is a bit different. You could say they just ignore each other.
The size difference between Bald Eagles and Osprey probably explain a lot. The Bald Eagles average around 31″ vs the Osprey at 24″. Both birds eat fish but the Eagle will eat other birds & carrion. Hence the Crows worries.
I first noticed the Osprey as I came down the trail to the beach. From the staircase I could see a big bird in the dead madrona that hangs over the lawn at the beach level. At first I thought he as an Eagle but if you look at his head notice the bandit strip that comes from his back to his eyes.
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I walked down the beach as usual feeding the crow family as I went. Several babies in tow were crying for their share and nagging their parents. As I walked back to the trailhead I saw the Osprey fly along the water and dive in for a fish. He came out with it in his feet and flew off to the south where their nest must be. I was rather disappointed I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough. Lets just say even if I had it out, getting a shot is near impossible. Then to my surprise another Osprey came along looking for a fish. I was ready and snapped several photos off while he was diving and flying. I figured it was a bust but when I got home and viewed the photos to my surprise one showed him on the surface of the water. I chopped the photo to get a little better view of that. Open the picture and zoom yourself and you can see him.
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The next couple of shots are of him sitting back in his tree preening his feathers after getting wet. This gives us a good view of his bandit face and white chest feathers.
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Crows of Arroyos 