I figured I would be seeing these cool raptors any day now as they return from their winter homes along the Gulf Coast and South America. Sunday proved to be the day when I spotted the first of the season, six in fact at various spots in northern Colorado.
This particular guy was hanging out at St Vrain State Park, Colorado and put on a nice little show for me. After a quick patrol of one of the ponds, he returned and gave me a fantastic landing sequence, including this capture of him as he settled in on his perch.
Osprey are actually a type of hawk. They are spring and summer residents of the Centennial State and other spots in the United States. Some Osprey will take on extraordinarily long migrations. One GPS-tracked bird flew 2,700 miles from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to French Guiana, South America in 2008.
