Saturday, April 11, 2009
These photos show an Osprey giving fish rides. This rarely documented behavior was exhilarating to see. There is a small man-made waterfall and a fish ladder separating the Upper and Lower Carmans River. Fish ladders, while very accommodating, are still hard work. The Ospreys, sensing this, will often pick a fish up from the surface and ferry it upriver. These rides may not be entirely altruistic, however. Perhaps the birds know that the fish need to spawn upriver and that a little help now will reap benefits for the Osprey in years to come. The fish pictured here may be an Alewife but I am really not sure. My lack of knowledge doesn’t stop with birds. I’m not an ichthyologist either. JK
hehe…you made me chuckle…(pretty cool photos too).
Whew. Sigh of relief here. Thanks Kelly. I wasn’t sure if this post would go over as funny or stupid.
I hope you and yours have a Happy Easter. JK