A Near Drowning

  Late this afternoon, Mark suggested we meander about the hillside.  It was the perfect afternoon for that leisurely stroll since the temperature was not too high and there was a lovely southwest wind making it even more comfortable.  We started, of course, at the pier.  There, I spied what first appeared to be a duck in distress.  Then...maybe it was a cormorant.  Or...perhaps a large gull??  This was bewildering, to say the least.  Since the bird was off in the distance a bit and it kept going under water, I was just not sure what it was but I could tell it was not doing well.  With the small skiff on shore, there was not much we could do to help.  We watched and after a few moments, the bird managed to take flight...almost.  It fell back into the water but immediately tried to fly again.  This time, it used all its strength and made it to my brother's pier and landed on a post.  The bird was not any of the aforementioned fowl but rather an osprey.  This confused me as the ospreys are usually expert fliers.

  After a moment, the bird took off to the back of the Bayou where there is a dead pine tree that is a favorite roosting spot of the ospreys.  I told Mark we had to go check on our friend.  Once we neared the pine, I could see the bird trying to preen its feathers.  It was soaked!!  Poor bird!   I eased nearer and nearer fully expecting the bird to show some distaste for my presence.  It did not.  So, I sat on the old oyster bench and started taking photos.  I was only a mere twenty feet from the old dead pine and not much further from the osprey.  The treetop had long fallen leaving a short stob of only about twenty feet so my view of the bird was quite good.  It was at this time I realized that this was a juvenile osprey perhaps of the most recent nesting.  Obviously, its flying skills are not perfected and a simple dive nearly killed it.  The bird had nearly drowned.

  It did not take long for the bird to relax enough to carry on with its task of getting the feathers in order.  The osprey shook, flexed and stretched.  With each gust of wind, it spread its wings wide and let the air fluff the feathers.  Using its long, curved beak, it laid feathers back in place.  It almost seemed after a while that the bird was literally putting on a show for me!  After about a half hour and a hundred or so photos, I decided to leave the bird in peace and escape the mosquitoes that were gnawing on my arms and face.  Hopefully, the osprey will be alright after its terrifying experience of near drowning.  Take care, Little Osprey.  I am rooting for you!  You will get better with this flying and diving.  See you around!