Ospreys - Locking Talons during fight and falling into "Death Spiral" (2 Viewers)

[Mark B Bartosik]

Bald Eagles are well known for locking talons during the courtship (but can also do that during fight) and falling into what is called “Death Spiral” (btw accidental deaths during courtship were recorded). Evidently this event is not often photographed as only a small number of photos and even less videos are posted on the internet. I am aware of only one posted photo showing Ospreys with locked talons during fight so hopefully number of Osprey lovers here will enjoy my photos. I am trying to (finally) work on a lot of Osprey photos (I am behind a few years) and was working among other things on illustrations showing their aggressive encounters. If you want to take a look, here are a few examples of locking talons during fights; death spirals, etc:

Locking Talons during the strike moment:

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839012

Death Spirals (with locked talons):

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839014

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142842562

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839031

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839032

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839034


Also moments of defensive mid-air postures with outstretched talons:

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142784852

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839021

Animated movements:

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142784845

http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/142839141


Again, hopefully, I will add many more Osprey photos in near future:

All the best,



Mark
http://www.pbase.com/mbb/life_on_the_osprey_time

 

[idaho john]

and...

Mark - thanks for posting this. There is a pair near my home and I am enjoying their interactions with each other. Your photos add another dimension to my learning curve about birds of prey - something to look for!

john

 

[Mark B Bartosik]

Mark - thanks for posting this. There is a pair near my home and I am enjoying their interactions with each other. Your photos add another dimension to my learning curve about birds of prey - something to look for!

john

Thanks, John, for your kind words

I can only dream to have Ospreys so close. Often I have to travel thousands of miles to be with them. BTW all these photos presented today were taken from the canoe when paddling around inside their territories. One can be amazed how close you can get to them and still be ignored; even small boat will make some distraction but then you have to sit in the canoe all the time so there is not much of you ‘sticking out’ above the water surface.

All the best,

Mark

 

[delia todd]

Gosh! What an amazing series of pictures.

Thanks for showing them to us Mark.

D

 

[Dmacaskill]

Wow! stunning photos Mark

 

[Tiger_mz]

Truly wonderful pictures.

 

[Chosun Juan]

Mark, Thanks for the photos .... I'd swear I can see an expression of uh-oh! in some of them.

It's a remarkable thing to witness. Over this way I've seen Nankeen Kestrel's (one of our smallest raptors) lock talons in a 'death spiral' from over 500ft up, and hold it all the way until they smashed into the ground! (luckily long grass ~4ft high) - after a few moments where I was sure they had met a tragic end, they first one, then the other, regained their composure and took to the skies again, seemingly no worse for wear. Phew!

Must be something to see BOP's as large as Osprey's go at it.....


Chosun :gh:

 

[idaho john]

I can only dream to have Ospreys so close. Often I have to travel thousands of miles to be with them.

Mark: I am not unaware of how nice it is to be at the edge of a migratory passage. It is amazing (to me) how many folks around me are completely oblivious to the natural world. And that unfortunately included me up till just this year. I did some raptor watching with my father for several years and then growing up took precedence and am just now returning.

And despite this little pristine corner that I live in, the power utility has opened a natural gas plant nearby, test wells for fracking goes on around us and there is a nuclear power plant being proposed for placement in an area that features golden eagles, red tail hawks, harriers and a variety of other avian wildlife in an area that is relatively unspoiled.

I don't know what to think. Our area is economically depressed and needs the work but it seems that we could find alternatives to destroying habitat.:h?:

john

 

[Mark B Bartosik]

Thanks, Delia, Dmacaskill, Tiger, Juan and John (seems that my email notification failed).

Juan - this is a great story. BTW I missed your beautiful country already; this is a raptor paradise. I had only chance to be there once (spent two weeks in Top End) chasing Eastern Osprey but I must return and see other parts one day as well.

John - one of the sad stories that can and will happened everywhere. As long as human population keeps growing there is really not good solution to offer; people will keep destroying what left from natural habitat. If they do not destroy your neighborhood they will destroy habitat somewhere else …

All the best,

Mark