Blog # 322 Eagles vs. Ospreys

 Ophelia chasing a bald eagle away from her mate, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek.

Last night around 6:00 pm, Orpheus flew past the Salt Point nest towards Myers Park with a fish gripped in his talons. Suddenly Ophelia got agitated, giving off alarm calls  while looking overhead at something.  

A full adult bald eagle was following Orpheus, trailing him to Myers Park. In a rare  move, Ophelia took off in hot pursuit of the eagle heading toward her mate. Ophelia cut  the eagle from his course and worked hard to drive the eagle up the lake and away from  Orpheus and his fish. While she was chasing the eagle, Orpheus flew around the nest  platform with his fish, but did not stop. Ophelia kept flying along the railroad tracks,  probably letting off steam, until eventually returning to the nest. Her eggs had been left  alone for well-over five minutes but luckily nothing happened to them. Meanwhile,  Orpheus had returned to the nest, minus the fish, to incubate. 

Bald eagle and Osprey habitats overlap on Cayuga Lake as they are both fish-eating  apex predators. Local anglers and boaters will tell you that watching either of these  rambunctious raptors pluck their dinner from the water is a sensational sight. Eagles like  to harass the Ospreys at the south end of the lake on a regular basis, especially early in  the morning when the Ospreys fish for the morning meal. 

Bald eagles scoop their fish up with their ready talons, courtesy of USFWS. 

Bald eagles are skilled fishermen; they start by first scoping out the water for signs of  fish swimming near the surface. They watch carefully from the air or from a nearby  perch. When a fish is spotted, the eagle flies toward the surface of the water, then stops  flapping its wings and silently glides in for the kill, dipping its deadly talons into the water 

and snatching up its startled prey. This technique is not always successful as many fish  wiggle free of the bird as they are lifted into the air. 

An Osprey plunge diving after a fish, courtesy of Andy Morffew.

Ospreys will fish from a perch or the sky. The Osprey also scans for fish by first flying  high above the water. When a fish is spotted, this feisty raptor suddenly plunge dives at  40 mph. and disappears underwater. The Osprey surfaces, adjusting the fish in its  strong, sharp talons to be head first, before flying off. If the occasion arises, they will  also pluck a fish swimming near the surface.  

The Osprey is buoyant due to its smaller size and the heavy, waterproofing oils  embedded in its feathers. The Osprey can hang onto its slippery prey much easier than  an eagle because of its movable fourth toe. Osprey’s talons are turned all the way to the  back giving two toes in front and two in back, whereas bald eagles grip with three in  front and only one in back. The toes are also covered in spiny spicules, which gives  Ospreys an especially firm grip. 

The spiney spicules on the foot and ankles help grip wiggly fish, courtesy of Ospreytaleteller. 

Though their fishing techniques differ, these two bird species share both hunting  grounds, which is bound to lead to competition. Besides, eagles prey on Osprey  nestlings given the opportunity. Although they are skilled anglers, bald eagles are  kleptoparasites, preferring to steal an Osprey’s fish instead fishing for itself, which can  result in amazing aerial battles between Osprey and eagle. Both fight tenaciously to  dislodge the flopping fish from the talons of the other. Often the fish falls loose and back 

into the water, sometimes resulting in an amazing competition to recapture the prey.  Filled with daring dives and dramatic swoops, the birds fight to reclaim the spoils. 

Orpheus flying with a full gullet, the pouch below his throat, courtesy of Karel and Cindy Sedlacek. 

Granted the bald eagle is stronger, three times larger, and has wings twice as big as the  Osprey, but Ospreys are scrappy with speed and agility, making these epic battles hard  to call one way or the other. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace  

Candace E. Cornell  

Friends of Salt Point  

Cayuga Osprey Network 

Lansing, NY 

cec222@gmail.com 

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 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

GUEST PHOTOGRAPHERS: 

Karel and Cindy Sedlacek, a.k.a. BOGette, are the folks you see 365 days/yr.  livestreaming Red-tailed Hawks on campus and locally. In the warmer months, they also capture exquisite shots of Cayuga Lake’s Osprey with their cameras, which are frequently published in this blog. Both tech wizards at Cornell and accomplished musicians, the Sedlacek’s give us a unique view of these spectacular raptors. Karel and Cindy are Osprey nest monitors for the Cayuga Lake Osprey Network.