More Osprey

We took the dogs for a romp with some friends to Coot Lake and the backside of the Boulder Reservoir and were treated to an Osprey hunting.  We might have seen more than one, or possibly the same bird fly back around a few times, checking out its favorite coves, searching for dinner.  We never actually saw it catch anything but were witness to some impressive flying displays.  The Osprey would slowly circle overhead and when it spied something below would stop in a mid-air hover for a few seconds, with wings flapping overhead, almost looking like a kite, before it continued on, or, a few times, gracefully dove down toward the water.  If it had been able to grasp onto a meal, its perfectly evolved eyes would have spotted it and adjusted its vision to judge the distance and depth, using uniquely designed talons with bumpy spicules arranged all over it to cling onto the slippery fish, while its specially coated feathers would have kept the moisture from soaking in so the bird could carry its (relatively) heavy prey out of the water.  However, this probably young bird only skimmed the surface of the lake and rose up and away empty-taloned.  It or its friend or family member came back over numerous times but never did we see one with dinner.