Uninvited Shipmates

We had been gone only eight days on our most recent trip to Florida.  On our return, due to the heavy rains that fell when we were gone, we first went to check out the boat and the canoe at the dock.  Hubby saw something strange on top of his boat cabin.  The weather had been stormy but he was surprised that several large branches had been flung to the top of the cabin along with some marsh grasses.  He balanced on the port side and reaching to the center cleared them off.


The canoe at the end of the dock had been completely turned over and was sitting (still tied to the tree) in the marsh and filled with rain water.  We emptied it and secured it to the dock.

Later that evening we unpacked and fell asleep early after our long drive.  The next morning as I sat up in bed, I saw this scene in the photo below from the bedroom window.

We have never seen osprey on our boat or even our dock for that matter.  We were concerned that these osprey had arranged for a spring lease on the roof of the cabin for raising their young ones as one of the osprey swooped in and dropped a large branch on the cabin roof as I mentioned the scene to my husband.  There are laws about messing with Osprey nests.  I watch them both for a short time as hubby put on his clothes to head down and chase them away.  We were lucky.  It appears this was just a staging platform for them before flying to the crane on the other side of the river.

They had nested there two years ago, but were not seen last spring.  I watched amazed that he could balance and weave sticks with such carefulness and then he dropped one into the water and had to begin again.  I was impressed by their skill and patience.  As I watched, I noticed that sometimes he just flew up and down the river with a long stick in his claws, perhaps to show off his acrobatic skills for his mate.  

If you are having a really bad day, try to imagine building your house with just claws and a sharp beak in a precarious area exposed to all the elements of the coming spring and summer.  Try to imagine that your family's life will depend on this construction perched high over a river.  I am in awe.