Osprey - Bird Prey (2 Viewers)

[Bob Brent]

Has anyone noticed Ospreys catching avian prey on a regular (daily) basis ?

I have been monitoring the Osprey here in Tobago for a couple of seasons, and have seen them hunting over mangrove and light suburban areas as they make their way towards their roosting sites during afternoon and evening periods.

Has anyone else seen such behavior ?

 

[CBB]

Hi Bob,
I watched Osprey quite a lot last year but didn't see any such behavior. However, check this out. Suppose a meal is a meal! Damm! I'm hungry now :eat: :eat:

In "Ospreys, A Natural and Unnatural History", Alan Poole writes:

"Other people have recorded Ospreys with other nonfish prey: snakes, aquatic mammals, voles, squirrels, and even birds (numerous citations deleted). Many such records are questionable, however. Ospreys regularly scavenge carcasses for nesting material, so they need not have killed all that they carry or all that one finds in their nests. Whatever the case, live fish have comprised over 99% of the diet of every Osprey population studied to date."

He also speaks of Ospreys dropping Conch shells onto a steel drum filled with concrete, on an island in the north Red Sea, to get at the meat inside and once having witnessed an Osprey carrying a small Alligator back to its nest.

Chris

 

[Bob Brent]

Hi Chris,

Yes, I agree about the research, everything I've read agrees with your quote
which is why I find this so curious, and even the reason behind placing
this post. It is universally accepted that the Osprey's diet is 99% fish and
that avian prey is a rarity. However I believe that Osprey's here have
adapted to the local abundance of avian prey to the point that siblings
learn to hunt and catch birds at the same time, or even before, they learn
how to fish. From what I can figure out it appears to be a sort of fail safe
for the juvenile birds, some of which remain behind during the first
migrations, to ensure that they can eat during bad weather when fishing in
the shallow seas around the Island becomes impossible due to lack of
visibility.

The Osprey are clearly taking advantage of the openness of suburban areas,
which makes it easier for the hawk to sight prey, and offers luxurious
working space.

The question is Chris, if they are doing that here, are they also adapting
along migration routes and at their North American breeding grounds ?, or
elsewhere in the world ?
If it is however a localized adaptation, has anyone noticed the Osprey
making different local adaptations where they live ?

 

[CBB]

If it's not just on a local scale, then perhaps it's the next stage in an evolutionary process. Lets hope so. It would increase their survival rates. Fingers crossed. Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on this.

Chris

 

[lockbreeze926]

The Florida e-mail group is reporting a Osprey taking a Chimney Swift.

There's a lot of discussion about whether the prey ID is correct (I couldn't tell from the photo), but at the same time a number of people are reporting Osprey taking other birds - one reporter nine times.

 

[Capercaillie71]

It would increase their survival rates.

Do their survival rates need to increase? The osprey is one of the most successful birds of prey in that it is one of the few bird species naturally found on all continents except Antarctica. In areas where their survival or productivity is low (as in the UK, historically) surely this has been due to persecution rather than lack of prey.

 

[Steve Waite]

I've seen an Osprey go for a Shelduck. It was a fun experience to watch. Ever since, the Shelduck on the river go mental when an Osprey appears overhead!!! (which is rarely as I live in south Devon!)

 

[Chris Monk]

Rutland Water Ospreys web site

Try the Rutland Water Osprey site for more about Ospreys in general and the release scheme in particular:

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/AWOP/About Ospreys.htm

 

[Evanji Axu]

I'm pretty sure that the osprey eats fish almost all of the time. In fact, one of my biology books said that little birds nest near the Osprey because its size scares away nest raiders.

 

[OwlTalon]

I have noticed Forster's terns mobbing ospreys frequently, why would they mob a fish eater? Today I saw an osprey swooping toward the water, when some terns screeched and attacked it. The double-crested cormorant that "coincidentally" happened to be in th spot the osprey was headed for dove, and the osprey started to fly off. I can't be sure, but it definitely looked as if it was trying to catch the cormorant.

 

[Osprey_watcher]

I would think that the terns are mobbing the osprey to try and make it drop it's catch, rather than because it is a threat. Just a guess.

 

[Ian Bell]

I would imagine the Terns mob any large bird,that comes near the nest,especially raptors.