Home Again: Ospreys of Miller Bay
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Updated: May 1
The loud “thwack” on the deck above me was a jolt out of the tedium of repairs. We had just purchased a house overlooking Miller Bay, and the renovations were in full swing. When I went up to investigate, there was an 8 to 10-inch-long halibut still twitching on the deck.
After talking to a few neighbors (“yes, had one dropped on us”), I realized that the welcome present was (accidently) delivered by an Osprey. It was most likely either from a juvenile Osprey still learning how to fish, or possibly the forfeited result of an aerial dogfight between our resident Bald Eagles and Ospreys, a daily occurrence over Miller Bay and Indianola beach during late spring, early summer.\
I’ve been an active birder for several years. But this experience probably ‘kickstarted’ my recent obsession with tracking the Ospreys who make our community their home for five to six months every year. Our Ospreys are migratory, which means they spend the winter in Central and South America and then fly several thousand miles north in spring to mate and raise their young. (Some Ospreys in Mexico, Florida and other parts of the world do not migrate).
With the changing weather patterns, it’s hard to know when they’ll be back, but over the past 3 years, our summer residents have returned in mid-April, usually males first with females not far behind. Ospreys mate for life and usually return to their natal nest. The first order of business is rebuilding the nest, which the winter storms usually make a mess of. If you see Ospreys ferrying sticks and moss during the spring, it will usually be the male “remodeling” for the season.
Mating and incubation usually happen in May and June. The loud demanding squawks of juveniles can be heard from June to August, until they fledge. The females usually stay on the nest to incubate, feed the young, and guard against predators, mostly Bald Eagles and Crows. The male Ospreys are highly visible during this time from the “triple-duty” of hunting fish for the young, his mate and himself. The Bald Eagles in the large nest, visible near the intersection of Harris and Division streets in Indianola, can often be spotted harassing Osprey females and chasing the males ferrying fish back to the nests around Indianola.
While closely related to hawks and eagles, Osprey have distinctive features that make them unique. Large eyes that take up 50% of their skull, “reverse sexual dimorphism (where females are significantly larger and heavier than males), and their long (mostly featherless) legs and extraordinarily large, curved talons are a few distinctive traits. Ospreys have primarily dark brown upperparts and white underparts. Females have a slight brown “necklace” around their collar. Their white heads are marked by a broad dark brown stripe passing through the eye, creating a "masked" look. Adults possess yellow eyes, while juveniles have orange eyes and spotted plumage. Of course, their most salient characteristic is their near total dependence on live fish for their diet. Their vertical dives range up to 50 miles per hour and have been clocked at 70. It certainly gives new meaning to “Go Seahawks!”
The dramatic dives we see daily during the summer start with them circling between 30-100 feet over the water. Once a fish is spotted there may be a short hover, then a swoop down – headfirst, switching to feet first – legs outstretched aiming for the fish they are eyeing just below the surface. Success rates vary, but studies in the western US cite that Ospreys catch a fish in 1 out of every 4 dives!
My most memorable observations have been in August and September after the young have fledged and are learning to fly and fish. There are often hilarious attempts at diving for fish, erratic acrobatics, and fascinating moments of eye contact with other birds and humans as they figure out who is benign and who isn’t. I have spent hours each September for the past few years photographing juveniles, usually with a fish in claw, on a branch over Chief Sealth Rd. One time, I watched a 3-month-old Osprey eating a fish, perhaps only 25 yards away— keeping an eye on me, and occasionally dozing off with fish still in claw, as I clicked away. What was even more astonishing to me, was knowing that in just a few weeks’ time, this juvenile would be on a journey thousands of miles south for the winter.
That moment of sadness as the last Osprey leaves in late September/early October is always balanced with that wonderful moment in April when I first hear that insistent, high-pitched, “tea-kettle” call again. “We’re back!”
By K. Windsor
For more reading, Ospreys by Alan F. Poole, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019) is a great resource.
Looking to observe Osprey?
There are at least 7 nests in Indianola proper that Ken Windsor has been tracking. (There are probably many more visible from private property). Publicly visible nests include the one above Indianola Creek near the General store, on Harris Ave (between Division and Madrona), in the preserve off Seaview Ave, one visible from the corner of Western and Loughrey, and in the woods next to Gerald Cliff Drive. Ken’s hoping that they’ll all be active again in the coming weeks. (Note: Ken spotted his first returning Osprey on 4/13/26—a little “late” this year, as last year he saw one on 4/9.
