Lynnwood Osprey 2013

[Bill Anderson]

There are two osprey nests that I know of in Lynnwood, WA. The nests are only about a half mile from each other as the osprey flies. I have been photographing the osprey at these nests for the past three years and will be visiting them throughout the summer. These photos are all from Monday (6/17).

One nest is in a cell phone tower in the Dunn Lumber yard near the corner of Hwy. 99 (Pacific Hwy.) and 168th St. SW. The best place to view the nest is from 48th Ave. W or the Walgreen's parking lot, depending on the light.

The male brings home a fish.






Dad assumes guard duty after dropping of the fish.


The female remained low to the nest, so I assume she is either sitting on eggs or a very young chick.

 

[Bill Anderson]

The second nest is located atop the center field light stand of the southwest softball field at the Meadowdale softball complex. The original nest was built in the light cluster itself, but that was torn out two or three years ago by Parks & Rec. and replaced with a much safer nesting platform. The osprey pair didn't miss a beat and continued to nest there upon their return from Central America.

When I first arrived the male was in the nest along with the female.




After I set up under the nest, the male flew from the nest with a fish and landed on the nearby family tree. He faced west towards Puget Sound, went into the defensive position, and began shrieking.




The object of concern was another osprey with a fish of its own that was flying high overhead and heading to an unknown (to me) nest somewhere to the northeast.


Our osprey are not communal. Last year I witnessed one of the Meadowdale pair strafe and hit another osprey which flew too close to the nest.

 

[Bill Anderson]

After the intruder flew off, the male resumed eating the fish.


It was interesting to see how he could bend over and twist his head 180* to eat the fish.


The osprey have a certain method of eating fish. They bend over, bite into the fish, then twist their heads back and forth to tear open the fish.


After the male ate a portion of the fish, he took the rest back to the nest.


Like the Dunn Lumber female, the Meadowdale female stayed very low on the nest.


Given the height of the light stand, I won't be able to see a baby until it has all its feathers and is large enough to raise up and peer over the top of the nest.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Yesterday one of my friends sent me an e-mail asking why I have not been posting any bird photos. Terry and I have spent much of the past two weeks photographing the Pt. Edwards eaglets starting to fledge. With his 500mm lens + 1.4 teleconverter, Terry's photos of the eaglets are so much better than mine that I have not bothered to post mine.

My son has started evening tennis lessons at Lynndale Park. While he is playing tennis, I will be photographing the nesting osprey at the nearby Meadowdale softball complex. When I first arrived Monday night (7/15) the female osprey was at the nest.


She took off and made two short flights to and from the nest. As she took off, she made her "Where's dinner?" cry that I have been hearing for the past three years.






The big news is that the pair have at least one baby. Here it is, exhibiting the characteristic red eyes and white spots on the feathers of juvie osprey.