Question

Have you experienced any stellar wildlife moments recently?

Answer 1

answer:I once saw something while kayaking that I’ll never forget. There was this family of raccoons at the edge of the reeds just above the tideline on the beach. Mama raccoon and some cubs. Along came this Osprey with a foot-long fish in its talons. The mama coon got on her hind legs and raised her paws to the Osprey which began to circle above with the fish. Then the Osprey just dropped the fish right on top of the coons. The temptation to give this event an anthropomorphic interpretation is very strong. Recently—and I’ve seen this a few times—I saw a bald eagle carrying a fish come under mid-flight attack by an osprey. The most amazing dogfight ensues between these two expert fliers at incredible high and low altitudes. The eagle will often drop the fish after a particularly hard hit and the osprey will snatch it up before it hits the ground and take off with the eagle on it’s tail. This can go on for quite some time. Or sometimes the osprey will just break it off after a few vicious passes. Is the osprey just screwing with the eagle for kicks? It certainly looks like it sometimes. The osprey most often comes out the winner. I think it’s because they have better configured talons for holding onto slippery fish.