Soaring High With the Ospreys...

  With the sun shining and the winds calm, I was truly tempted to toss down the rakes and shovels and escape to the woods.  My brain needs the comforting that only Mother Nature can bring.   I used some willpower, however, and stuck with the yard work.  If I ever want to finish this project, I cannot keep getting distracted.

  Since I could not go to nature, it came to me!  The usual birds were in the feeders and several doves were on the ground picking up dropped seeds but overhead a single osprey kept a constant vigil.  I am thinking this is the male of a breeding pair that was courting two weeks ago.  Then, he did the full fish dance while she sat screaming in the top of a pine tree.  He would soar to great heights then start dropping.  Drop, hover, drop, hover...all the while with his feet dangling loosely below him was the show for the day.  Then, off he went to catch a mullet to present to his ladylove.  She accepted and that was that.  Now, the pair have a nest in the back of the Bayou and she is actively incubating the eggs.  Since that is time-consuming, he does all of the hunting.  Each day, he spends the time over the water in search of, not only his food, but hers, as well.  He will defend her and the nest fiercely against all predators and make sure she is safe.  This year, they have nested nearly a month early due to the warmer weather.  Hopefully, all will go well.

  Today, this fine bird hovered over the area of the yard where I was working.  He stayed there for quite some time before venturing back out over the water.  I would stop occasionally and dream about soaring (or gallivanting off for a hike!) with my friend, the osprey.  If only I was not so committed to getting this cleanup done!  Oh, well.  Tomorrow may find things a bit easier and I can, at least, head back to the creek bed and collect the thoughts.  The brain works better back there.  Thanks for visiting, Friend Osprey.  You made my day much better!