This pair of Osprey has a very quaint home high above the Intracoastal Waterway in White City, Florida. They make their home using driftwood found floating on the waterway.  With a wingspan of five to six feet, ospreys are able to fly big pieces of wood to the top of this giant cypress tree and weave them into place.  The nest will even withstand the high winds that blow in from the Gulf.  They will reuse the nest adding new material every year until it can reach as much as seven feet across.

These birds were keeping an eye on their nest which makes me think it might have about three or four eggs they are keeping a close watch on. Both parents will incubate the eggs 38-43 days. The young do not fledge until they are 44-59 days old. The Osprey is very territorial.  They can easily protect their nest with long strong talons and sharp beak.

From their high perch, they can not only watch their young but also spot dinner in the water. The osprey is the only bird of prey that can completely submerge themselves underwater and still be able to fly away with their dinner.  Most other birds of prey can only pluck the fish from the surface as they are flying over the water. The osprey has gripping pads on their curved talons and is able to turn their catch so that the fish is parallel to the birds’ body to make it aerodynamic in flight back to their high nest to feed the young.  Other names for these birds are the fish eagle, fish hawk, river hawk, and seahawk.