Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Close up on Ospreys!
I witnessed something marvelous in Wenatchee the past few days, on a high platform above the Columbia River, (them not me,) a pair of Osprey with their young.
The platform was in front of our hotel, fronting the river, and the two adults came and went all day long,
hunting and feeding the chicks, with fish from the river.
It was hard to tell exactly who was who. Both male and female parents do the hunting and feeding, and the chicks were already quite large, perhaps ready to leave the nest soon.
Can you imagine their first jump off that platform? Yikes.
“Osprey are a migratory raptor that prefer to nest on the tallest snags or structures, as close as possible to the shoreline where they fish. Power poles tend to be attractive for osprey nesting, which is not always a safe option for the birds and increases the risk of fire and power outages.”
Platforms were constructed by Chelan PUD, to protect both the birds, and the power lines. We saw several along the river, all occupied. More on that here.
In case you wondered, I took these photos using my Lumix FZ300 and its incredible zoom, as good as carrying high powered binoculars to watch the show.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Great shots!
Thank you! I was thrilled to watch them close up!
Great pictures – even with them moving around! Great lens – and skill.
Thanks so much! It was amazing to watch them!
Beautiful photos! No human will disturb that nest.
Thanks, John! They seem quite safe and content up there!
Indeed, it must be scary for the young ones to leave the nest for the first flight.
Fantastic, Susanne.
Thanks, Don.
Awesome photos.
Thank you. 😊
Love to watch them fishing. One of the more fascinating birds around.
Yes! They put on quite a show!
What a great sight. The birds probably appreciate the platforms for some easy nest building.
Yes, they really like the platforms. Keeps them off the power poles and more space.
Wow, what a treat to be able to watch these magnificent birds! And you got some great photos with your Lumix 🙂 I have the Lumix FZ330 (a slight update on your model) and I agree, the zoom is exceptional and I actually find it easier to use than binoculars even if I want simply to observe, not necessarily to take photos.
Thanks, Sarah! It really was a treat to watch them! And capturing them with the fish was a thrill!
Your superzoom camera certainly earned its purchase price with those wonderful Osprey close-ups!
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. It really was a thrill to watch them and get pictures, too!
Wow, amazing to see and so close too, Susanne! I see a lot of ospreys and nests here. Excellent shots!!
Thanks so much, Terri! We saw 4 of these platforms along the Columbia River, all of them occupied. I loved watching the ospreys in front of our hotel and was so happy to capture them feeding!
They definitely look ready to fledge! Great shots!
Thank you! Yes, they’re almost full size and ready to fly!
Fantastic photos and experience! I use my lumix for binoculars too!
Thank you! Works great, doesn’t it? 😊😊
So very cool!
Thank you!
Wow! Incredible photos of them.
Thanks so much! I was thrilled to watch them through my zoom, and happy with the pictures, too!