"Will No One Rid Me of this Meddlesome Osprey?!?"

[Sylvaneous]

I had mentioned that there are not trout hanging around the banks of Spring in places that I have seen trout hanging out since I started fly fishing it. The past 2 days, I saw an osprey overhead wherever I fished. Then, leaving today, I was nymphing at Milesburg (didn't get anything, a recurring theme with me and this Euro thing), an osprey dove (dived?) into Spring and nabbed a trout. It flew right over me with the fish and did it's post-dive drying shake.
Pretty strong correlation.
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome osprey?

 

[troutbert]

There has been ospreys around the lower section of Spring Creek (Bellefonte to Milesburg) for decades. I think they must have a nesting site somewhere along there, but I've never seen the nest.

 

[FarmerDave]

I hear they taste similar to blue heron.

Joking of course. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but ospreys are so cool, I like to talk about them.

I was 24 when I first saw one when I lived in Connecticut. I rented an apartment on an old converted gris mill right where a trout stream flowed into tidal water. I was fishing just below the tide line during high tide. when an osprey dove down and grabbed a large trout. This stream was known for sea run browns. It tried to fly away with it, but it was apparently too large so the osprey eventually dropped it after struggling to reposition it into the wind for over 100 feet of flight.

Now that I live close to Pymatuning lake, I see them (and eagles) a lot. I think it is pretty cool that they (and bald eagles) have become so common. They are everywhere around the larger lakes. I'm off to a feed mill on the other side of Pymatuning lake in a few minutes, and osprey sighting are something I can count on. I know where several nests are, but they have left them by now.

Earlier this Spring I watched several people with children walk literally under the active man-made osprey nest at the Jamestown marina parking lot and not even notice. Funny that the adults never looked up. Sad that a teaching moment was missed.

 

[salmo]

I had mentioned that there are not trout hanging around the banks of Spring in places that I have seen trout hanging out since I started fly fishing it. The past 2 days, I saw an osprey overhead wherever I fished. Then, leaving today, I was nymphing at Milesburg (didn't get anything, a recurring theme with me and this Euro thing), an osprey dove (dived?) into Spring and nabbed a trout. It flew right over me with the fish and did it's post-dive drying shake.
Pretty strong correlation.
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome osprey?

Henry II? Well played.

 

[salmo]

I have a place at the New Jersey Shore. There are literally hundreds of nesting ospreys in the back bays. They were rare back in the early 90s. They are awesome fishermen though.

BTW if cooked properly they taste much like blue herons.

 

[tomgamber]

I would imagine the osprey has a similar view of you. Judging by some news stories lately, they would seem to be more protected.

Seriously though, I love watching eagles and ospreys when out fishing.

 

[Solitariolupo]

Them are some protected birds. They have more rights to be here then those invasive trout being thrown in there by buckets.

 

[ryansheehan]

I have a place at the New Jersey Shore. There are literally hundreds of nesting ospreys in the back bays. They were rare back in the early 90s. They are awesome fishermen though.

BTW if cooked properly they taste much like blue herons.

How do you cook them, asking for a friend..

 

[Sylvaneous]

How do you cook them, asking for a friend..

I believe my favorite preparation for osprey, heron and hawk are identical to my recipe for merganser.
Syl

 

[FarmerDave]

Osprey and dumplings. Mmmmm'mmmm.

Not done yet, but looking pretty good.

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

I had mentioned that there are not trout hanging around the banks of Spring in places that I have seen trout hanging out since I started fly fishing it. The past 2 days, I saw an osprey overhead wherever I fished. Then, leaving today, I was nymphing at Milesburg (didn't get anything, a recurring theme with me and this Euro thing), an osprey dove (dived?) into Spring and nabbed a trout. It flew right over me with the fish and did it's post-dive drying shake.
Pretty strong correlation.
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome osprey?

Around the banks? I would suspect Great Blue Heron. Never saw an osprey dive close to a bank. I always considered places where kingfishers, ospreys and eagles frequented as streams and rivers that contained fish. A good sign. The absence of them give me more concern. Share the water.