Fish Dancing

  The springtime Fish Dancing has begun!  A few days back, I wrote about an osprey that took noticed of the old dog and me as we relaxed on the pier.  This was a solitary bird that was simply soaring above us while it fished.  Today's ospreys were doing something far different.  The male was doing the "Fish Dance" to impress his ladylove.  The female perched in a tall pine tree on the edge of the marsh while her suitor did his best dance.  He would soar to great heights only to stop, hover, drop, hover and so on until he was just above her.  Then, he would flap his wings vigorously to gain altitude once again.  Most of the time, his legs were dangling beneath him unlike when he is actively hunting. 

  After several times of this undulating aerial dance, the male osprey's attention turned to hunting a mullet. The female osprey sat on her tree branch screaming encouragement to her beau. Once he had snagged a nice fish, he immediately flew to the pine tree, danced a bit more then presented his ladylove with the gift.  She accepted!  The marriage is official!

 Now that these two are a happy couple, they will begin to build a suitable nest and start their family.  The male will take over the fishing completely while the female lays and incubates the eggs.  He will bring her fish so she only has to make short flights to get water and bathe.  After the eggs hatch, she will still spend most of her time on or next to the nest while the male provides.  Rarely are the chicks left unattended especially with the nesting bald eagles in the area.  The eagles are not beyond raiding an osprey nest and stealing the young.

  I find it interesting to watch the critters of the Bayou.  After a bit, you begin to understand their actions and appreciate the individuals involved.  Just a few years back, we had one pair of ospreys nesting on the Bayou but, thankfully, we now have about a dozen pairs in the general area.  They are amazingly beautiful birds with quite the elaborate lifestyles!