Thursday, July 9, 2009

Colington Harbour Ospreys.

I was out on my deck the other day and saw this osprey on my piling.
So I'm going to move in to see how close he'll let me get.
Close enough to see he's eating a fish.
I love watching the ospreys catch fish. They swoop down to the water and grab the fish, (and yes, they can go into the water a ways) then carry it head first like a torpedo to reduce drag, back to their nest or, in this case, to my piling, to eat it.
I like this picture under my willow trees with the sun coming through.
He knows I'm here.
He's alert.
But he doesn't seem to mind me. And he keeps coming back.
Enjoy the videos.
There are numerous osprey nests throughout the harbor on platforms atop pilings. And an osprey makes a sloppy nest. Makes you wonder how the chicks stay in. Ospreys are seasonal birds here. They leave in September along with the tourons, and migrate to South America. I eagerly await their return the first week of March. It means spring isn't too far away. And after a cold, gray, Nor' Easterly-filled February, I'm more than ready for the promise of spring.

5 comments:

  1. So, is a touron a moronic tourist?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've wondered about that too. Russ also uses the term.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, a touron is a moronic tourist
    and they're a separate species.

    They can be abusive, condescending,
    and a real pain in the ass, but it's all OK, since they're ON VACATION.

    They drive 30 mph in the passing lane on the by-pass where the speed limit is 50 mph. And they rubberneck at everything.

    Oh look! There's a Burger King.
    Hey! There's a Western Sizzling.
    OMG! A Dunkin' Donuts!!!.

    Let's go into one of those big stores, Wings or Blues, and buy some crappy beach tchotchkes to take home with us.

    And if it's raining, you hear this:
    "Is it always raining like this down here?"

    Touron. It's uttered like Jerry Seinfeld utters "Newman."
    With contempt and distaste.

    ReplyDelete
  4. we call 'em 'touristas' in Carteret county.

    ReplyDelete