The Ospreys Return
"Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him." - Henry David Thoreau, Walking
There was a pair of ospreys that wintered along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River this past winter season. They have returned, hopefully to stay here for this winter. It is possible they have been here for several weeks, but the first time I have encountered them this season was on my walk Friday, November 23. To say I was delighted to see them again is greatly understating my reaction.
As I was taking these photos, someone walked past me, saw the bird and my excitement and asked, "Is that some kind of hawk?" I kept taking photos without looking to see who had asked and replied with great enthusiasm, "No! It's an osprey!" He said, "Ohhh! An osprey!" (Ospreys are in the same taxonomic Order as hawks, but they are in different Families.) I never did see who asked the question.
In that post I wrote, : "On this walk I had a remarkably close encounter with one of [the osprey]. At one point, this very large bird with a wingspan of about five feet was flying straight at me and came so close I wasn't sure what was about to happen.
"An eye to eye encounter with an osprey is by far the most intense, unforgettable experience I've had on my walks to date. It is hard to fully comprehend an osprey's size when it is at a distance. When it is a few yards away, it's size is absolutely astonishing. Its agility in flight is especially remarkable for a bird this size."
As the quote from Loren Eiseley indicates, that "catch[ing] the reflection from an eye other than human" had a profound impact on me and the way I see things.
As I was taking these photos, someone walked past me, saw the bird and my excitement and asked, "Is that some kind of hawk?" I kept taking photos without looking to see who had asked and replied with great enthusiasm, "No! It's an osprey!" He said, "Ohhh! An osprey!" (Ospreys are in the same taxonomic Order as hawks, but they are in different Families.) I never did see who asked the question.
"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." - Loren EiseleyIn the third to last photo in this series, one of the pair flew closer and was clearly watching what I was doing. I can't help but wonder if it was remembering the incredibly close encounter we had last year during my walk on Wednesday, October 5.
In that post I wrote, : "On this walk I had a remarkably close encounter with one of [the osprey]. At one point, this very large bird with a wingspan of about five feet was flying straight at me and came so close I wasn't sure what was about to happen.
"An eye to eye encounter with an osprey is by far the most intense, unforgettable experience I've had on my walks to date. It is hard to fully comprehend an osprey's size when it is at a distance. When it is a few yards away, it's size is absolutely astonishing. Its agility in flight is especially remarkable for a bird this size."
As the quote from Loren Eiseley indicates, that "catch[ing] the reflection from an eye other than human" had a profound impact on me and the way I see things.
No comments:
Post a Comment