Nesting Ospreys

We walked at one of our regular hang outs today – the Delta Ponds.  Had a bit of overcast but it was warm and pleasant.



It’s hard to believe such a peaceful place is located so close to downtown.

There is an osprey platform and I had noticed a big nest on it before.  Since it had grass growing in it, I figured it was empty.  NOT SO!!  It has a nesting pair and if you look closely, it looks like a baby is already in the nest.

I suppose that might just be a twig, but to the right of the mom, it looks like it might be a baby head.

I don’t know enough about birds to know if this is a baby or not but it was fun to speculate.  Soon after this mate flew in, it took off again – carrying what looked like a fish in it’s talons!  Why was it carrying the fish away?  Maybe it wasn’t what mom had requested or maybe he was just hungry and wanted to eat it himself – I have no idea!  Mom does look a little surprised though.


Sorry for the poor quality images.  Now that I know there is activity in the nest, I’ll make the extra effort to take my big camera down there and try to get some better shots.

We also saw the usual Canada geese.  This one appears to have a tracking number around her neck.  I couldn’t find anyway online to identify this bird or why it was wearing a collar.


We only saw one western pond turtle today.  When the sun comes out, they crawl up on logs to sun themselves, but today this was the only one trying to catch some rays.


The wildflowers are just starting to bloom.  In a few weeks, there will be lots of color along the trail.










And this little guy was singing such a happy tune, I had to get his picture.  Don’t know what he is – a common sparrow I guess.  Judy??

The bird was backlit so when I lightened the exposure, the entire sky faded away to nothing!!

We also saw a bufflehead – something we have not seen at the ponds before.  this little guy was so busy diving, that I couldn’t get a good picture of him.  They disappear clear under water and stay down for quite a while.


One final shot of the osprey as he soars over the ponds.  What a wing span!

Overall, it was a pretty good day at the Delta Ponds.