Osprey

Description:

There is a family of ospreys who live in this no wake sign a few hundred yards from my neighborhood's dock. I believe this to be the female, for she is much smaller and tends the nest most of the time. The male is much larger and I have seen him hunting fish, snakes, small land animals and I've even seen him go after a smaller bird. You can hear multiple chicks in the nest, however I'd never venture too close for fear of this intimidating bird as well as the harm it may do to the family.

Habitat:

The birds have nested in the sign. They also frequent an old shrimping boat which is moored a little ways from the nest. There is also some protected marshes on the shore where they tend to hunt.

Notes:

The sign as well as the fishing boat can be seen on the map to the right.