they’re built leaner with thinner, more aerodynamically sleek wings, ospreys normally circle high over their potential catch like a helicopter, making slow sweeps and loops. When the moment seems right, the bird redirects and goes into a powerful dive, plunging far deeper than an eagle can manage. With the catch in its talons, the osprey quickly lifts off, giving a quick shake to shed water so its wings work better. It then adjusts the fish into a more aerodynamically ‘headfirst’ position, grabbing it firmly with both feet – and this is where the osprey has the advantage. Most birds of prey have three forward toes and one hind toe. That hind “thumb” helps keep it balanced while perching, but when it’s grasping a slippery fish, more help would be appreciated. With ospreys and owls, the outer

toe is reversible, enabling the bird to seize its prey with two toes pointing forwards and two pointing backwards - a swivel toe. Ospreys therefore have two powerful talons to grasp each side of the fish, making for a vise-grip on the thrashing meal. Add to that toe scales that angle back like many little

barbs, and you’ve got a pretty able grip. Eagles can’t do this, and I’ve heard that for every ten tries, the eagle only gets one fish. For the osprey with its diving ability and swivel vise-grips, the rate is much higher, on the ratio of 8 or 9 fish per 10 tries. So the eagles have learned this, and

so they watch and wait. One day I had the glorious privilege of witnessing an osprey dive and catch a rather large fish, do its water-shake-thing, rearrange the fish and then begin to fly off towards a quiet snag for lunch. Out of seemingly nowhere, a bald eagle dove on the osprey. It came from above, screeching loudly with talons outstretched. In panic, the osprey released the fish and turned upside-down to ward off the attacker, only to find that the eagle had passed it by in midair, and, with the agility of a speed skater passing on a curve, plucked that falling fish right out of the air. It was a ‘National Geographic Moment,” I’m telling you. How do you learn to spot an

osprey? With a swept-back “V” wing profile, it’s pretty easy. Look for the salt-and-pepper color, dark above and light below – tail with alternating

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dark and white bands. Females have a mottled band across their chests, and they’re larger then males, with up to six-foot wingspans. Oh, and they give off an eagle-like plaintive whistle that, once learned, will swivel your head around to look every time - guaranteed. So, keep your eyes open when you’re tacking around points or running down main channels where there are tidal currents, and you might just have a “National Geographic Moment” of your own.

Among other adventures, Larry Eifert

paints large murals for the National Park Service, locally including Mt Rainier and Olympic. The Eifert’s 1939 Monk Sr. sloop, “Sea Witch”, is well-known in the Northwest, having been a subject of Jo Bailey’s Gunkholing books and articles for decades. Eifert paints and writes about the same boat, wildlife friends and sailing in the waters off his port of Port Townsend. He blogs and shares his work at www.larryeifert.com.

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