Blog #300 Orpheus and the Case of the Missing Head

Headless Osprey at Salt Point. 

Scanning the cottonwood on Salt Point this afternoon, I came upon a frightening sight. A  decapitated Osprey. Could it be Orpheus? April Fools. Of course it’s not Orpheus; it’s a  juvenile Osprey, and it’s not really headless. 

Ospreys have their quirky postures. As pointed out in the blog # 299, Orpheus and the  Case of his Missing Foot, Ospreys often stand on one foot when perching as do many 

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large legged birds. A putative one-legged gull on the beach floods the call centers of  bird rescuers with reports of a desperately injured bird.  

Preening—combing their feathers and spreading uropygial oil on them for  waterproofing—is the time Ospreys really get into all manners of contorted positions to  make sure they groom every nook and cranny. It is bit like the watching Olympic  gymnasts stretch, twist, and strain to reach gold. The Osprey’s rendition of the headless  horseman pose is common, especially when reaching those hard to reach places in the  middle of the back. I have a photo of a one-legged, headless Osprey. 

Another curious look that can catch you off guard is when the Osprey closes its  nictitating membrane (third eyelid) or shuts its eyelids entirely. The translucent 

Osprey with nictitating membranes over their eyes, courtesy of Flicker. 

Sleeping Osprey with white feathered eyelids closed. C. E. Cornell

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membrane acts like goggles shielding the eyes underwater. When actively preening, an  Osprey jabs its face into its feathers quickly and repeatedly as it cleans and straightens  them. For maximum protection, the bird keeps its white-feathered eyelids closed as they  do while sleeping. 

Today, April Fools, spring played a joke on our female Ospreys. The males take shelter  in the trees, but the females faithfully guard their nests getting covered with snow. The females are probably second-guessing why they left the tropics. If only they had stayed south one more week . . . 

Male Osprey gathering sticks, courtesy of Andy Morffew.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT OSPREYS:  

• AVOID GETTING TOO CLOSE TO NESTING SITES DURING THE BREEDING SEASON. IF AN ANIMAL  VOCALIZES WHEN YOU'RE NEAR, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE! BACK OFF IMMEDIATELY. 

• CARRY BINOCULARS TO VIEW WILDLIFE FROM AFAR. 

• RESTORE, CLEAN, AND PRESERVE LAKESHORE AND WETLAND HABITAT. • HELP KEEP LOCAL WATERS CLEAN, HEALTHY, AND SAFE. 

• RECYCLE USED FISHING LINE, WHICH CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OSPREY.  

• JOIN THE CAYUGA OSPREY NETWORK AND VOLUNTEER TO HELP MONITOR OSPREY NESTS. WRITE TO: CEC222@GMAIL.COM. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace  

Candace E. Cornell  

Friends of Salt Point  

Lansing, NY  

cec222@gmail.com  

EYES ON OSPREYS 

WATCH! 

Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam 2021 

READ! 

On Osprey Time—A Blog on the Ospreys of Salt Point 

VISIT! 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail

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