Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Description:

The Osprey's upperparts are a deep, glossy brown, while the breast is white and sometimes streaked with brown, and the underparts are pure white. The head is white with a dark mask across the eyes, reaching to the sides of the neck. The irises of the eyes are golden to brown, and the transparent nictitating membrane is pale blue. The bill is black, with a blue cere, and the feet are white with black talons. Ospreys have vision that is well adapted to detecting underwater objects from the air. Prey is first sighted when the Osprey is 10–40 m (33–130 ft) above the water, after which the bird hovers momentarily then plunges feet first into the water.

Habitat:

In a large snag on Hwy 87 by Sabine Woods, near Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge. Sabine Woods is owned by the Texas Ornithological Society is located 4 miles west of Sabine Pass on SH87 on the north side of the road at western boundary of Texas Point NWR. Texas Point NWR has bayous that weave through a seemingly endless expanse of cordgrass, reptilian eyes at the waters surface witness the ever-changing variety of waterfowl, and the call of the clapper rail reverberates through the marsh. For hundreds of years, many of the sights and sounds within this dynamic eco-system have gone untouched. Under the protective umbrella of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hope and expectation is that they will continue for hundreds more.