With Apologies to Sir Mix-A-Lot

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

I like big birds, and I cannot lie. You other birders can’t deny. When a bird walks in with some itty bitty legs and a big beak on its face…

Seriously though, there are few things that can get me awake and at the James River by 6:30 in the morning. I hope the herons felt as privileged as they should have. (Though honestly, I don’t think they noticed.) The air was cold enough to make the river seem warm. Walking down the pipeline I made a game of finding the four-foot-tall gray birds in the gray fog.

As I was watching the heronry, I noticed three birds (there’s a Bob Marley song in there) with five-foot-long wingspans circling the island. The first thing I thought was that someone had found breakfast. Fortunately (for the herons at least), Pandion haliaetus eats a diet that consists almost exclusively of fish.

For those of you who skip the Taxonomy category on “Jeopardy,” Pandion haliaetus is better known as the Osprey. They join the ranks of oversized avians that frequent the Pipeline Rapids. Their large talons, sharp beaks, and super keen eyesight make them experts at finding and grabbing the shad and herring that have started up the river to spawn. The Osprey (Ospreys? Osprii?) that I saw swooping and diving were hunting for a different prey…sticks. (Again, who doesn’t love a good stick?) And where there are sticks, there’s bound to be a nest nearby. Drop a note in the comments if you have any suggestions on where to go hunting for this Osprey Loveshack, and I’ll do my best to bring you an exclusive look! We can also report our findings to Project OspreyWatch! (Thanks, Pat Calvert (follow him!) the James River Association’s Upper River Keeper, for the tip!)

As you can see, the river was raging this week. Although I did not need the sign to tell me not to, if the pipeline looks like this…don’t walk on it! Also, don’t run with pointed sticks, never dress up like a deer and go play in the woods during hunting season, and never, ever, talk to me at 6:30 in the morning when I’m on the James if you don’t see a cup of coffee in my hand.