An osprey awaits an easy meal

It’s speculation on my part, but I suspect that the osprey perched high in a tree above the river was hoping for an assist from the two anglers down below.  The bird was no freeloader, just an opportunist looking for an easy meal.

Consider that this “fish hawk” had picked a spot directly above a deep pool popular with humans who believe it to be prime trout habitat.

Consider that, in accordance with state regulations, any angler skilled enough to catch a trout in this river is obliged to release it, and most probably do.

Consider further that, over time, an osprey might get hip to this  — that humans do not eat the trout they catch. The osprey would come to expect these foolish humans to send the trout back into the pool.

Consider that ospreys are known to have a high success rate at snaring and eating fish from both fresh and salt water — no matter what the regulations say. Observers have declared them to be the best fish catchers in the world.

It then seems likely that a trout recovering from being hooked and played to a net might be highly vulnerable to an osprey.

Which might explain the mighty bird’s presence above the pool.

The other day, the osprey watched us for about 15 minutes as we cast our flies hoping to attract a trout. None responded. The osprey, thoroughly unimpressed with our angling, took flight to find breakfast elsewhere.