Earl and I saw a Bald Eagle, or its sister, The Osprey, fly across the river and land high in a pine tree. The telltale sign is that largeness of the bird with a white head, which is what we were looking at. The Osprey, or sea eagle, is a large bird of prey that is commonly seen circling above lakes, rivers, streams and ponds, or perched on dead trees (also known as "snags") or telephone poles. It is almost the size of an eagle and is dark brown with a white head and a brown mask from the eyes down to the cheeks. It also has a white and brown breast and underside. The osprey has large talons that allow it to "fish" by diving down and gripping onto fish. Additionally, the skin of the osprey's feet is rough and prickly, helping the bird maintain its grip on a slippery fish. After catching a fish, the osprey returns to its perch to eat or feed its young. Paul, the owner of the camphouse, and a forester, has seen bald eagles in the county on the river directly south of us. Another friend of mine who practically lives on the river bank every weekend, spends his time on a screened in porch above a run of rapids. He says that there is a "sucker" fish in the river, similar to a mullet, which jumps up-rapids during a certain time of the year, and that he has watched Ospreys come down and take the fish out of the water in their talons, sometimes snatching fish so large that the Ospreys have difficulty rising back up over the treeline to return to their nest. I did not take the photograph above, but it is what the bird looked like in the treetop. It's easy to see how the Bald Eagle and Osprey could be confused when spotted from a distance. The photograph is of an Osprey.
