THE AMERICAN OSPREY. 



North 

 islands 



N interesting bird, " Winged 

 Fisher," as he has been hap- 

 pily called, is seen in places 

 suited to his habits, 

 throughout temperate 

 America, particularly about 

 and along the seacoast. At 

 Shelter Island, New York, they are 

 exceedingly variable in the choice of 

 a nesting place. On Gardiner's Island 

 they all build in trees at a distance 

 varying from ten to seventy-five feet 

 from the ground ; on Plum Island, 

 where large numbers of them nest, 

 many place their nests on the ground, 

 some being built up to a height of four 

 or five feet while others are simply a 

 few sticks arranged in a circle, and the 

 eggs laid on the bare sand. On Shelter 

 Island they build on the chimneys of 

 houses, and a pair had a nest on the 

 cross-bar of a telegraph pole. Another 

 pair had a nest on a large rock. These 

 were made of coarse sticks and sea 

 weed, anything handy, such as bones, 

 old shoes, straw, etc. A curious nest 

 was found some years ago on the coast 

 of New Jersey. It contained three 

 eggs, and securely imbedded in the 

 loose material of the Osprey's nest 

 was a nest of the Purple Crackle, 

 containing five eggs, while at the 

 bottom of the Hawk's nest was a thick, 

 rotten limb, in which was a Tree 

 Swallow's nest of seven eggs. 



In the spring and early autumn this 

 familiar eagle-like bird can be seen 

 hovering over creek, river, and sound. 

 It is recognized by its popular name of 

 Fish-Hawk. Following a school of 

 fish, it dashes from a considerable 

 height to seize its prey with its stout 

 claws. If the fish is small it is at once 

 swallowed, if it is large, (and the Os- 

 prey will occasionally secure shad, 

 blue fish, bass, etc., weighing five or 

 six pounds,) the fish is carried to a 



convenient bluff or tree and torn to bits. 

 The Bald Eagle often robs him of 

 the fish by seizing it, or startling him 

 so that he looses his hold. 



The Osprey when fishing makes one 

 of the most breezy, spirited pictures 

 connected with the feeding habits of 

 any of our birds, 'as often there is a 

 splashing and a struggle under water 

 when the fish grasped is too large 

 or the great talons of the bird gets 

 entangled. He is sometimes carried 

 under and drowned, and large fish 

 have been washed ashore with these 

 birds fastened to them by the claws. 



Mrs. Mabel Osgood Wright says: " I 

 found an Osprey's nest in a crooked 

 oak on Wakeman's Island in late April, 

 1893. As I could not get close to the 

 nest (the island is between a network 

 of small creeks, and the flood tides 

 covered the marshes,) I at first thought 

 it was a monstrous crow's nest, but on 

 returning the second week in May I 

 saw a pair of Ospreys coming and go- 

 ing to and fro from the nest. I hoped 

 the birds might return another season, 

 as the nest looked as if it might have 

 been used for two or three years, and 

 was as lop-sided as a poorly made hay- 

 stack. The great August storm of the 

 same year broke the tree, and the nest 

 fell, making quite a heap upon the 

 ground. Among the debris were 

 sticks of various sizes, dried reeds, two 

 bits of bamboo fishing rod, seaweeds, 

 some old blue mosquito netting, and 

 some rags of fish net, also about half 

 a bushel of salt hay in various stages 

 of decomposition, and malodorous dirt 

 galore." 



It is well known that Ospreys, 

 if not disturbed, will continue indefin- 

 ately to heap rubbish upon their nests 

 till their bulk is very great. Like the 

 Owls they can reverse the rear toe. 



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