House of Sticks

  With spring in the air, the critter world is busy nest and den building.   Most smaller birds have already created their nests and are well on the way of hatching their eggs.  The larger birds are still busy choosing mates and nesting spots.  A few days ago, a pair of ospreys was doing the fish dance where the female sits perched in a tall pine and the male does a sort of aerial dance.  He soars to great heights, drops down then goes back up.  This yoyoing is all to impress the ladylove who is watching with keen interest.  At some point, the male will catch a fish to present to the female.  If she accepts, it is a done deal and they search for a suitable site for a nest.  Then, the nest building begins.  

  An osprey nest is quite the undertaking. The things are huge!  At the start, the nest is about three feet in diameter and maybe a foot deep but, if the pair chooses to reuse the nest for several years, it can get up to six feet in diameter and several feet deep.  If the pair stays together and raise a successful brood, they add to the existing nest.  This reinforces the nest and makes it more comfortable for Mama Osprey and her young.  

 This afternoon, I was far down near the creek when I heard a loud scream.  Knowing the ospreys were near, I started searching.  Sure enough, there was a lovely one nearby.  The bird saw me but was more interested in the task at hand...or talon.  It was clutching a rather long branch which was nest building material.  Ospreys will actually break off branches while in flight.  The "grab and go" method is their preferred way of gathering building material.

  I watched for a bit but not wanting to make the bird agitated, I eased my way back up the hillside and let the pair resume their task.  With egg-laying just a matter of days away, the abode needed to be completed.

  It always excites me to find that the ospreys have chosen my creek as their home.  The number of ospreys is steadily increasing in the area which means the Bayou is healthy.  The birds will not stay where the food supply is scarce.  The Bayou is teaming with mullet so the birds know that they can readily feed their hatchlings when the time comes.  

  As I walked back up the hillside, I heard yet another loud scream and looked up.  The male osprey was headed to the creek with another branch in tow.  Ahh, happy times on the Bayou!