Greeted by an Osprey

Thursday, December 20, 2012

One of the osprey greeted me when I arrived at the River yesterday. It only circled once before flying off upstream, so I was only able to get a few photos of it. Numerous slider turtles* were out on the rocks basking in the warmth of the sun. Slider turtles seem to be social in nature, as they do tend to gather in groups when they are sunning themselves. And a couple of snowy egrets were finding plenty to eat at the top of a riffle:

* There are at least three species of slider turtles. I have read that all red-eared slider turtles have the red streak on their head. That is what defines the species. Quite a few of the slider turtles in Bexar County do not have the red streak, but otherwise appear to be red-eared sliders. One of the species is a yellow slider, but they apparently don't live this far west. When I get an opportunity to discuss this with a herpetologist, perhaps I'll be able to clarify exactly what the turtles without the red streak are.

An Osprey Through Fog and Drizzle

Yesterday I was about halfway between the Mission Rd Trailhead and the greenway trail bridge over the San Antonio River when I saw a large bird flying downstream along the river channel toward me. Even though it was still a good distance away, I realized fairly quickly it was one of the osprey that has apparently decided to winter over along the river. It flew just a little past me, circled around, flew back upstream and disappeared out of sight.

Several minutes later, the osprey reappeared flying back downstream toward me. From the feather markings, I am fairly certain it is the same one that had flown over earlier. This time, as it came closer, it slowed down a little and watched me intently as it passed. It then resumed its original speed and flew on out of sight downstream.

One thing to keep in mind while viewing these photos is that it was foggy and drizzling. As long as I was photographing things below camera level, it wasn't a problem keeping the front of the lens dry. As soon as I raised the camera to take these photos, the front of the lens was quickly covered with tiny water droplets. I learned a long time ago that, even if I thought there was going to be a technical problem I couldn't quickly fix before taking a photo and the subject was compelling, to take the photo anyway and hope for the best. I admit I am as astounded this series came out this sharp, as I am by my interaction, once again, with this magnificent bird: