Retro blog... "Catch Me if You Can"

Originally Sent:  October 06, 2012 

What a glorious morning! The sun is out and I am hoping for lots of bird subjects. The day is perfect for taking photos and enjoying the sunshine and the ocean breeze. I had no clue that there was going to be an exciting aerial show of the year happening at the lagoon today!

The first bird that I see as I entered the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve was the young Osprey "Leucy",  the female leucistic Osprey that I have been taking lots of photos of lately, perched on a post across the way from the "Clapper Rail bridge".  She was on guard and tracking something out to the west of her.

Waiting to see which way the young Osprey might fly, I noticed something flying towards me from the other side of the channel.  Instinctively I track with my camera and start to snap away. It's coming directly towards me! Oh my, it's a California Clapper Rail which are seldom seen flying. It happened so fast, there was no time to focus properly.  However, you can see the Rail was surprised that I was there snapping away!

 

The California Clapper Rail is an endangered bird but they are thriving at our lagoon thanks to a successful reintroduction program which began around 2001. This guy lands right under the bridge where I was standing. When he realized I was there, he immediately took cover as soon as he touched the ground under some pickleweed. 

Now the drama shifts to Leucy. She has spotted another raptor coming her way! It's a Northern Harrier and our Osprey takes the offensive tack. She is off her perch and flying to ward off the intrusion into her comfort space. It's like these birds have an area they feel other competitors and aggressors must stay away from or they feel the need to take flight or fight. Leucy has chosen to show the Northern Harrier she is not afraid and gives chase.

Look at her! She is really fired up today. Flying back to her post after her show of strength. Typical teenager! She appears to be full of herself today! I think that when the weather is perfect like today, the whole lagoon comes alive and everything feels electrified and definitely Leucy appears energized!

She is done preening and looks like she is going to fly. Before I can adjust my camera, she is airborne. She flies by and I am lucky enough to grab this shot. She is on the move and I'm jogging too, hoping she goes to the tall perch by the boardwalk.

YES! She is there and is perched with her back to me but her head is turned and looking very alert. I greet her and give a few low whistles and say "Hi Leucy". Now I have eye contact... lol or her eyes to my camera lens.

As she hears me call her name, giving her a few soft calls, she does this... isn't she precious!!

She sits back up and looks to the sky. There are a few Red-Tailed Hawks soaring... 

 

A few more soft whistles from me and she does this again. Now I am laughing to myself. You have to believe that these magnificent birds have their own personalities. Leucy has sure won me over with her cute little antics.

Back to her fierce self. She spots something and now is very focused. Appears to be looking out towards the Solana Beach side of the Lagoon.

She starts to call out unfolding her huge wings. She is ready to fly... what a beautiful bird. She is now calling out continuously. I hear another Osprey calling... someone is calling back!

Off she goes and she is saying "Game on"!

 

And the game is "Catch me if you can".  It is the adult male Osprey with the carcass of a fish that he has been eating on for a while. He comes charging off his post from the Solana Beach side of the lagoon and does a teasing "flyby". The air is filled with calls and cries..

There they are flying all over the lagoon. It started here on Cardiff side but now the "chase" is moving fast and they are already over on the Solana Beach side. Look at the size difference between the young female Leucy (she is the one with the white flight feathers on her right wing) and the adult male Osprey with the prize in his talons. He is a wonderful hunter and may be her parent.

Leucy has her talons out but the male Osprey keeps the fish just close enough to entice her to keep chasing.

At one point she almost caught him and he did a "Top Gun maneuver" putting on the breaks as she flies by and he changes direction! Leucy is going full speed trying to catch him.

These are lessons that she needs to learn to keep her alive and safe. She is learning a lot today and he appears to be showing her many of the evasive/defensive maneuvers. This male is an awesome adult Osprey. I got a close-up of him the other day in the fog, the one with a rainbow on his wings! He always seems to be around keeping an eye on Leucy. 

 

Leucy comes back to the tall perch and she isn't even panting. This tells me she is not stressed but enjoying the chase. She appears to be a very fit and healthy young Osprey. As you can see in this photo, she looks like she is having a wonderful time, she is energized and focused on the adult Osprey and that fish he has in his talons!

The male Osprey with the fish is doing a flyby again and she is ready for the chase again. Up she goes and more calls and cries are heard throughout the lagoon.

If you could read her body language, I would say that she is saying "here I come to get that fish"!  Isn't she one magnificent Osprey!! 

 

Leucy floats towards me and I am in awe. She reminds me of a teenager that is full of energy and can't resist being taunted with yummy food. She is calling and calling as she gains clearance over some low trees. If you didn't know that it was more of a "begging for food" call, all that vocalizing and calling you would think she was trying to hurt the male Osprey but all this is the normal behavior of an youngster. To hear  juvenile Osprey calls and other Osprey calls, go to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds page.

She flies right over me banking to her right. Way too close but we sure get to see her underwings and see that she appears healthy and fit. Looks like she is getting a new feather on her tail too.

There she goes chasing the male adult Osprey. They both disappeared over the hills to the northeast.

Just before I had to leave, I scanned the Reserve to see the male adult Osprey coming back into the reserve. But what was strange was that he few back so high in the sky that I could barely see him even with my 250mm lens.

 

He finally lands with his half-eaten fish on the Solana Beach side of the lagoon, the same post he was eating his fish before "the big chase". What an exciting morning this has been and now its time for me to head for home.  

Have a fun week everyone!