Osprey
Ospreys are large birds shaped similarly to hawks.
You can spot them all over the world circling
steadily in the sky over shallow rivers, ponds,
estuaries and even coral reefs. Ninety nine percent
of their diet is fish; they are superb hunters. Osprey
have gripping pads on their feet that allow them to
pluck fish from the water, and their curved claws
carry their prey for long distances. Ospreys have
been known to dive headfirst into the water to ease
wind resistance while pursuing their underwater
prey. When ospreys aren’t hunting the shores, they
rest in their stick-and-sod nests built on telephone
poles and channel markers; unlike other birds,
human habitats are sometimes helpful to the
ospreys’ living arrangements. Ospreys have slender
bodies with long legs and wings. They fly with
a kink in their wings, which makes an M-shape.
They are brown on the top half of their bodies and
their wings are mostly white with dark patches of
feathers. Their heads are white with a distinctive
brown stripe through their eyes. They are often
confused with the bald eagle, but ospreys can be
distinguished by their white undersides. Eagles
and ospreys live in similar habitats and frequently
battle for food. Eagles have been often seen forcing
ospreys to drop fish they have caught, to steal them
in flight.
Photo by Jean Schuster
Blue Crab
The blue crab can be found from Massachusetts
to Texas. Blue crabs are omnivores, eating both
plants and animals. Males and females can be
distinguished by the shape of their abdomens
and the color of their front claws. Males have
blue claws and females are red tipped. Blue
crabs have the ability to sacrifice limbs to avoid
capture and then are able to regenerate the
missing limbs. Natural predators include eels,
striped bass, trout and humans.
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Photo by Lynda Venditti