A Springboard Dive!

The process of flight for this juvenile osprey from Hog Island looks something like a springboard dive!

Did you know that when young osprey first fledge they are often heavier than their parents? Imagine being fed freshly caught fish every morning, afternoon and evening without having to exercise. The osprey chicks gain a layer of fatty reserve that they draw on when they are first learning how to forage for themselves.

You can tell this osprey is a juvenile by the whitish feather tips which will eventually give way to solid adult plumage.

Photo Courtesy of Janine Parziale