On Osprey Time

An adult eagle harassing an Osprey with fish, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. A few yards off the lighthouse in Ithaca, a battle between an Osprey and a bald eagle ensued over the ownership of a fish. Although they are excellent hunters, eagles are kleptomaniacs when it comes to Osprey and fish. An eagle is well equipped for fishing with their large deadly talons, but instead of catching its own, the eagle will go after a fish-toting Osprey, forcing the Osprey to drop their prey, which the eagle grabs in midair. It’s good trick if you can pull it off, and the eagle does most, but not all, of the time. When the eagle misses his booty, the fish is often left on the ground for scavengers. As opportunists, eagles also scavenge carrion or catch and eat amphibians, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles, and other birds’ nestlings. Bald eagles and Ospreys share the same habitat, often leaving Ospreys the victims of fish and nest raids by the eagles. Once an eagle gets an Osprey in its sights, th