Sink or Swim: A Young Osprey's Lesson in Survival, Part 1

Survival lessons are always a way of life for many birds. One bad decision and it may be their demise. Here is what happened to a young Osprey the other morning when his ordinary fishing session turned into much more than he bargained for. A lesson that I'm sure she will remember. Every day is a lesson in survival for the young Osprey. The first sight I noticed was a huge bird floating in the middle of the tide channel. The tide was extra high that morning and the channel must be about 60 ft wide from bank to bank. The Osprey was there in the center of the channel and I knew why it was still in the water. She had caught a fish but couldn't bring it up to fly off. It must be a huge one! She struggles to swim to the far bank while holding onto an angry fish below. A look at what happens to this young Osprey faced with a decision whether to "sink or swim" and how she handles a huge catch of the day. Enjoy!

It was just another ordinary morning at the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center Trail with a few Snowy Egrets chasing each other around the receding sand bar. The tide was coming in quickly and all the birds were busy grabbing and foraging for their breakfast.

Looking north, I noticed a young Osprey splash down into the tide channel but come up empty taloned. Thinking she just wanted a morning dip, I didn't pay much attention to her activity. She flew east and I lost sight of her. I decided to  walked around the loop looking for other bird subjects but nothing new caught my attention.

Getting bored watching the mallards swim by, I sat down on the bench near the north entrance to the trails hoping to capture a few shots of the young Osprey. She could be flying back to her favorite palm tree nearby with a fish. Feeling lazy sitting in the warmth of the sun, I watched a pair of teenage ducks swim by. As usual, they are always accompanied by their mother. Lol, one of the teenagers had lip bling, a crab claw stuck to her lower beak. She was adorable and she looked like she was not in pain but showing off her new hardware.

 Close up of the "lip bling".

 

All of a sudden the ducks stopped and became alert. Looking north to see what they were alerted to, I saw a large bird floating in the middle of the tide channel. It took a second to register that that was not a Cormorant surfacing but an Osprey treading water! The tide channel is quite deep in this area, probably around 8 to 12 ft. at high tide. 

I jumped to my feet and ran towards the back entrance to get a better look at what was going on.  The Osprey is now swimming. Why doesn't it lift off and fly away? She must have something in her talons. 

There is quite a bit of turbulence in the water.

I see a large object struggling under water. She has captured a fish and it apparently was too much for the youngster to fly off with it. Either she decides to hold on to it or her talons are in so deep she can't release it at the moment. She has decided to swim across to the far bank. 

She is doing a huge butterfly stroke. Using her wings as we would our arms. 

Treading water and resting a few seconds before more butterfly strokes. 

The struggle that is going on under water is evident by the splash and the turbulence of the water. 

Start of her butterfly stroke.

Pushes her body out of the water with her huge wings. 

The Osprey inches forward. 

More strokes. Swimming in a steady motion.

Gathering her strength for another butterfly stroke. This goes on for quite a while as she uses her huge wings to stroke forward towards the far bank. 

Lifting her body forward.

Maximum motion forward. 

 

Bringing her wings out for another butterfly stroke. 

The fish struggles the whole time she is making her way to the bank. 

The taloned fish is angry and refuses to come along quietly. 

Lots of turmoil under water. The youngster has to keep her head above water. Lucky she has specialized nostrils that automatically shut closed when she enters the water. 

 

The Osprey keeps powering towards the shore. I'm starting to feel a little uneasy. My heart is starting to beat a little faster feeling as though I am photographing something that may end tragically.

Huge effort is made as her wings push her body forward.

This photo really shows the swimming technique of this bird. 

Folding up the wings forward for another stroke. 

She keeps swimming. I start whispering encouraging words to the youngster. Keep going... don't stop!

 

It feels like she is gaining only inches but she is in a survival situation. It may be that she needs to bring the fish to firm ground to unlock her talons out of his side. She may still have hope that this fish could become a meal if she can get it on dry land and kill it . 

Pushing forward.

She appears to be getting tired. 

Keeps moving forward. 

The fish appears also to be a little calmer but it doesn't last long. Soon it starts to thrash again.

She keeps the forward momentum. 

Drags the fish behind.

 

Repeating her butterfly strokes she inches forward. One body length at a time. Keeping the wings in motion as the fish fights for its life.

The "Osprey swim stroke" 1... Put your wings straight out.

2...Push the water down with your wings.

3... As the wings pushes the water, project your body forward while you hang on to the huge fish with all your strength.

4... Rotate your wings out as your body sinks and bring it up and start the Osprey stroke all over again.

A look at the wing coming forward. A part of the "Osprey swim stroke".

 

She stops to rest looking towards my camera. What will happen to her? Will she be able to hang on to her big catch? See Part 2 of "Sink or Swim: A Young Osprey's Lesson in Survival".