11/20/2004: Osprey

Photo used by Permission. Copyright 2003 Stephen O. Muskie / www.outtakes.com

xoB sent this along and I've had a row of more appropriate Friday images. This is interesting for two reasons: one, because it's a great shot of beautiful birds; and two, because that Stephen O. Muskie is in fact son of the late pol Ed Muskie from Maine.

Soon as the sun, great ruler of the year,
Bends to our northern clime his bright career,
And from the caves of ocean calls from sleep
The finny shoals and myriads of the deep;
When freezing tempests back to Greenland ride,
And day and night the equal hours divide,
True to the season, o'er our sea-boat shore,
The sailing osprey high is seen to soar,
With broad unmoving wing, and circling slow,
Marks each loose straggler in the deep below;
Sweeps down like lightning! plunges with a roar!
And bears his struggling victim to the shore.
The long housed fisherman beholds with joy,
The well known signals of his rough employ;
And as he bears his nets and oars along,
Thus hails the welcome season with a song:

by Alexander Wilson (1766-1813)


A beautiful work!

I was surprised Osprey don't mate in the air like Eagles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce I was surprised Osprey don't mate in the air like Eagles.

Oh, did I say in air? I meant on air, channel 3.

for a second, I wasn't sure if they were fucking or fighting

"Peter, not with Stewey in the room."
"It's OK, Lois. He'll just think I'm hurting you."
--Family Guy

These guys have bigger legs than my dog!
And grandmother- what huge and deadly feet you have.
And how red your eyes are. Oh thats not an eye!
Maybe a case of the reverse red eye?
Maybe he's already "hurt" Lois...........

They also have double jointed wings so they can get out of the water with that fish that weighs half what they do and is trying to go to the bottom.