Osprey (Olivia and family!)

My family and I have spent the week at Fair Haven Beach State Park.  There is a "pier" (concrete walkway) that makes a large L shape out into Lake Ontario.  The entire thing might be a mile in length.  One end of the L separates the lake from a small bay.  The other edge of the L is parallel to another cement walkway across a wide channel for boats to go into and out of the bay.  On my way to the end last night (June 24th, 7:45 p.m.), there was a sign that said "Osprey next ahead.  Please give them space."  I could see the bird perched on the light post at the end of the opposite pier.  And once we got to the end of our walkway, I was amazed.  The entire nest was this beautiful stick construction--haphazard and, at the same time, strong and organized.  The bird started flying from her perch back towards her nest.

As you can hear in the video, it was an extremely windy evening.  The sky was clear, but it did not get above 72 degrees Fahrenheit all day.  Ospreys are identifiable by a few characteristics.  In flight, they take an "M" shape because of a bend in their wrists.  Their curved beak and sharp talons are typical of birds of prey.  They have a dark colored back and wings with light underparts as well as a white head with a dark band travelling back from the sides of their eyes.  For a somewhat menacing looking bird, one of their calls is a rather sweet sounding whistle.  What a great experience I had observing them (Mom and Dad were hanging around the nest.  If my sister wasn't so afraid of most birds, I would have stayed for hours.