Part 2 of "Sink or Swim: A Young Osprey's Lesson in Survival"
The young Osprey, still struggling to get her very large fish to the other side of the channel, gets back to her swimming. She has to keep
moving!
She is one determined Osprey. Survival is what it's all
about. If she gets a meal, it will be all worth the effort but she must survive
this challenge of bringing her catch to shore. She keeps paddling forward.
A closer look at this beauty.
Stretching her wings out.
Digs down into the water.
Pushes down on her wings and propels her body out and
pushes it forward almost a full body length.
More strokes but the fish fights back.
She uses both her wings to offset the fish's struggle.
Powers forward.
She appears to be getting a little tired.
She sees that the shoreline is close now and it gives
her a new surge of energy to go forward.
The Osprey is getting closer to the west bank.
A few more strokes and she will reach land.
She keeps up the swim strokes and looks for a good place
to land.
Big effort to get to the bank.
The fish must feel the shore too. It struggles harder.
A few more strokes and she will be at the bank.
Watching the Osprey's huge struggle to get to firm
ground.
The fish wants to be in deep water and it pulls back
towards the middle of the channel. Now the Osprey has to muscle back towards the
bank.
It's a life struggle all the way.
The Osprey wants the firm ground and the fish wants to
get free.
Amazing effort by the Osprey to try and get the fish further over the muddy bank covered with pickleweeds.
She hits solid ground. She
is now half hopping and half swimming.
A gigantic struggle goes on between the bird and the
fish as the fish pulls the Osprey back towards deeper water.
The Osprey is swept down the channel a few feet by the
struggling fish but gets control and makes her way towards the mud bank.
Few more strokes and she is almost there. But the fish
has other plans. The fight goes on and the Osprey is pulled back into the water
again.
Again she struggles to get to shore.
The Osprey manages to pull herself onto the bank using
her wings to lift her body onto the muddy shore.
Another fight. The Osprey has to struggle with every
bit of her strength to get back on shore.
She is getting quite a thrashing.
One more attempt to get on firm ground.
A major effort and she makes progress lifting her body
on to the pickleweeds using her wings to climb up onto the muddy bank.
She is using her wings and upper body holding on
to the pickleweeds so the fish does not pull her back into the water. Trying to get her right leg to grip land and pull her forward but she has to bring that huge fish forward too that is stuck to her left leg.
The fish starts thrashing wildly. The young Osprey loses
her footing and face plants onto the muddy bank.
Now she is almost like a seal trying to use her wings
like flippers to inch forward.
Giant flapping of her wings and she is upright and
moving forward dragging that huge catch with her. She actually uses her wings to
fly up further onto the pickleweed bank but only gains a few inches ground
instead. The bank is too steep to bring that fish forward. The fish's tail wedges under the pickleweeds and makes it impossible for her to drag it over the berm.
The Osprey tries to lift off a few more times flapping
her wings but barely gets the fish up out of the water. Looks like she is making
a decision to let go of her prey. He talons are starting
to unlock from the fish.
Using both her talons, she makes a huge effort to lift
the fish. She isn't able to get airborne but drags the fish completely out of
the water.
Amazing effort by the Osprey to try and get the fish further over the muddy bank covered with pickleweeds.
She uses all the power of her huge wings but can not bring the fish
past the pickleweeds.
She beats her wings half a dozen times or more but there is no
progress in moving the fish from where it is.
Few more pumps of her beautiful wings to dislodge the fish from where
it is.
The fish isn't moving and the Osprey appears to be getting exhausted.
She has made a decision. The Osprey's talon starts to disconnect form
the prey.
Now there is only one talon sticking into the side of the fish.
It's done. The Young Osprey disconnects all
her talons from the fish .
Close up of her letting go of the fish.
She grabs the pickle weed with her right talon
scrambling forward with her left.
Her wings are moving but she stays put. The fish thrashes in the
shallow until it reaches deeper water.
The Osprey is still pumping her wings.
Now I am getting concerned that her left leg is tangled in the
pickleweeds.
She keeps moving her right leg but can't seem to get her left leg and
talons out of the pickleweeds.
She twists her body at an angle and shows us that her right leg is free.
Half a dozen more wing flaps.
She stops and rests. Looks towards the camera and I say, "Yes, you
have had a rough day. Hope it gets better"!
Now she twists her body in the other direction and gives her wings a
full length pump.
Lunges forward, her right talons are seen with a clump of pickleweeds. She
proceed to free her left leg out of the tangle too. Wow, I am feeling quite exhausted just watching all that this young bird has gone through this morning!
Out she jumps with both talons empty! She is now free
to fly. Looks a little ruffled up, showing her displeasure of the situation. However, she has survived a very serious life
lesson today.
She flies back to her favorite palm tree where she
begins some serious preening. Time for me to head for home too. I wish her
better luck with her fishing and to keep safe. Later that day, as I was driving
back from the grocery store, I saw her with a much smaller fish. She was eating it
on top of her favorite telephone pole. All is well at the San Elijo
Lagoon!
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