Finally, after a myriad of funky weather events in June and July, Monday, July 21st was the perfect day for a woodsy walk and I hoped to fill my photo card with a few Osprey offspring pics before they fledged. The moon and stars were aligned in my favor with a gentle breeze, no rain and a blue sky with zero wildfire smoke.
My plan was to revisit the Osprey platform nest near Lake Erie Metropark’s Marina and photograph the pair’s offspring. I didn’t have to guess whether the chicks had arrived because a local photographer in the Huron-Clinton Metropark Photography Group I follow on Facebook had already captured several images of the parents and their three chicks, so I decided I’d best get there before the trio fledged.
As I passed the Brownstown Township satellite fire station near the park’s entrance, I stole a glance to see if any Osprey parents and/or offspring were in that nest that they build every year in the fire station’s siren. Since the nest was unoccupied, I just rolled on.
Just a mile or so down the road was the turn for the Metropark Marina. The Osprey platform is on the corner of Lee and Milleville Roads, but I always park at the Marina. As I drove past, the nest was empty, so I mumbled “wait, are you telling me I just drove 15 miles to see an empty nest?! Surely they couldn’t have fledged already!”
Admittedly, it’s not like they left a sign “letting the kids try out their wings with flying lessons – back in a bit!”
So, I asked myself “should I stay or should I go?”
Patience is a virtue.
Well, I was content to wait – how long could they be gone anyway? I mean, did the entire family have to go at one time? Well, evidently so, as I waited 10-15 minutes with no sign of any Osprey. As I walked back to the car, however, a lone Osprey was winging its way back to the nest, circling overhead, but flew away again.
Birds of a feather flock together …
… (whether huddled together in a nest or carved into wood).
Having failed at Osprey sightings twice, my next ace in the hole was a few miles away, the Pointe Mouillee DNR Headquarters.
This place is out in the sticks and I arrived after turning left, then enduring a two-mile ride down a bumpy road. I parked, then glanced over at the Osprey platform. Whew! There WAS activity in the nest, so I retrieved the camera and set out on my mission.
But first I chatted it up with a few landscapers who were busy mulching and planting around this beautiful wood carving of birds, so I complimented them on their work thus far. I learned that a wood carver took an existing tree at the DNR Headquarters and carved it as you see below. I’ve included close-ups of the detail.
You can see the base of the tree trunk in this photo.
Here’s a look from afar. This wooden frame will display a sign for all the members of the Ducks Unlimited Group who have passed away.
I was told the carved tree and plaque will formally be revealed at the 77th annual Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival held September 13th and 14th.
I searched for info on the wood carver or the finished work, but could find no info currently on the DNR Headquarters site or anywhere else – perhaps we’ll find out after the big reveal at the Waterfowl Festival.
The awesome Osprey family.
As I neared the nesting platform, an Osprey flew overhead and plopped into the nest. I chastised myself for being so chatty as I might have gotten a shot of the Osprey diving for a fish and/or carrying it in its talons.
Well, here we go again with a missed shot … “the one that got away!”
But the landscapers were so friendly and I enjoyed speaking to them and learning about the carving. At least I got to watch the family chowing down, most likely on a fish. In a lot of my shots, their heads were bent down or there were too many bodies at one place. It wasn’t always a feeding frenzy however, but I got a few shots of the offspring being fed.
Ruffled feathers – two kinds!
For weeks on end, it was windy here in the Mitten State. It seemed every trip to a shoreline park meant planting my feet wide apart, to get a firm stance in an effort to keep the camera steady. But shortly after I arrived here, the wind picked up – grrr! The breeze tickled the feathers of these raptors, but my feathers were similarly ruffled as I called up to the nest “why can’t everyone separate for a few minutes so I can get a nice group shot?”
But that question posed was met with a stony glare.
… or they simply looked the other way.
Nope, they did me no favors, continuing to hunch down with their brunch.
Perhaps these few steely gazes …
… would have translated to “do you like your meal interrupted Linda?”
There was a bit of vocalizing as well …
… yep, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! 🙂
I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a lot of staring and glaring going on with these Osprey types.
I saw a few Dragonflies, but they were way too quick for me to photograph. A Killdeer was running around the parking lot at breakneck speed and a Seagull and an Osprey were shooting daggers at one other from their respective poles. You’ve met these critters in my recent Wordless Wednesday posts.
Admittedly, there is not much to see at this venue. I wandered over to the water’s edge to look at the American Lotus plants. In 2024, at every venue visited in July and August, I brought back lots of photos of these beautiful blooms. It was a good thing I took these photos since the Lotus beds at Lake Erie Metropark are problematic this year and have not produced at all according to a park ranger.
I’ll have more photos of the DNR Headquarter’s blooms in this week’s Wordless Wednesday.
I left and headed back to Lake Erie Metropark in search of Barn Swallows chattering on the old dead tree, but they were MIA. I’ll write about that walk separately.
P.S. – Later that day, one photographer at the Huron-Clinton Metropark Photography site proudly posted a “family photo” of the parents and three offspring he had captured at Lee Road near the Lake Erie Metropark Marina earlier that day.
So they WERE winging their way around the Park for flying and/or hunting lessons.
Sigh … you win some, you lose some.
I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: “Wings and Feathers”.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Hooray, you got ’em, Linda! Patience IS a virtue! Love the Osprey and their glares! Hopefully they’ll nest nearby next season. I also love the tree trunk carvings and their place to commemorate the passing of the board members.
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I was persistent Terri! I was happy to get pictures of these Osprey before they fledged, even though I know they will likely stay around the nest until they migrate. The Osprey always seem to be in a perpetual bad mood with their glares and stares! I thought this tree carving was beautiful too. I would like to see how this looks with the finished landscaping and plaque to commemorate their board members that have passed.
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Excellent shots Linda!
Patience is not a virtue in wildlife photography…….It’s a prerequisite!
Sometimes it takes months, years to get the shot you’ve been searching for. There are some I still haven’t gotten and probably won’t.
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Thank you Wayne! I am glad I persisted that day and kept looking for Osprey nests. It seems hard to believe you have not seen and/or taken every shot you dreamed of from what I’ve seen in your blog. 🙂
I’m still looking for that elusive owl and a bluebird … I have not given up hope yet. P.S. – Aren’t these guys a happy-looking bunch?
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I do not have any Cougar shots or…….Sasquatch!
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Wayne, I forgot about ol’ Sasquatch! We have cougar sightings here in Northern Michigan. I hope YOU find a cougar some day and not the other way around!
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Oh I’m pretty sure they’ve spotted me on my travels but I’m way too big to attack.
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They probably are plotting it out though – that photographer is not going to photograph us when we look bad. 🙂
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great,…..all I need are diva Cougars!
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Ha ha! Get a big whistle to scare them off! 🙂
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You got some good shots, even if they didn’t cooperate.
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Thank you Anne! From my perspective, looking up at them in the nest, it seemed like a jumble of brown, feathered bodies and glaring eyes, so I just had to concentrate on their faces, grumpy and disgruntled as they were. 🙂
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You managed to get some great Osprey photos Linda. The carving is interesting. Hope you have a good time at the Waterfowl Festival.
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Thank you Brian! I wished they would have separated a bit more as they were so big, they filled up the nest. At least I was able to get a lot of pictures of their disgruntled and grumpy looks as they glared at me. 🙂 I like the carving too – very unique and detailed. I am glad the landscapers pointed out the actual tree to me. They had all the bushes to be planted, wheelbarrows and shovels, etc. around the area, so I didn’t want to get too close and disturb them, so they told me to go ahead. I don’t remember the tree but I’ve only been there twice before. I have actually never been to the Waterfowl Festival. They have a lot of activities there and a big crowd.
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You should go and get some photos
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I have to read up on it Brian because I know they have bird dogs retrieving ducks … I don’t know if they shoot the ducks for sport and the dogs retrieve them, or they are duck decoys. That is what kept me from going in the past. Duck hunting season isn’t until mid-October though and the duck hunters are allowed to shoot in some of the shoreline parks which I don’t like. Their website gives events but it is not clear on that.
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Oh dear. I didn’t know about the guns 😢 Yes to be avoided at all costs. How barbaric but then again it is the USA
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I should have mentioned that the first time or in the post. But I’m not sure if they’ve changed their events … they have some nice things like waterfowl art/prints and carved decoys, or events like what dog can jump the longest distance off a pier or who does the best duck calls.
But, I don’t like that idea of shooting ducks – that’s why I refuse to go to the Wildlife Refuge (last week’s post with the Killdeer and tree holding the sign) because in duck hunting season, they have a big sign as you enter Humbug Marsh to be careful of hunters on the shoreline. This is not a huge park, (405.16 acres/163.962435 hectares) and it is supposed to be a natural wildlife refuge, yet you have hunters shooting ducks. I don’t go there that much because the woods only has elevated walking decks in some places so it’s quite rustic and has snakes and now, due to our overabundance of ticks, I’ll likely stay away until we have a hard freeze or until next Spring. Today the news said we have our first case of West Nile Virus from mosquitoes … not a joyous Summer for enjoying nature, plus heat/humidity/storms and wildfire smoke.
Also as to today’s post this is the DNR Headquarters for Pointe Mouillee a big marshy area where lots of waterfowl are found and it’s not far from this venue. Hunting is allowed and in other shoreline parks, you can hear the gunshots all Fall ’til hunting season is over. That is not my cup of tea. Yes, why do people want to kill waterfowl when it is for sport mostly?
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I would go and make a lot of noise so the ducks and birds would stay away
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It is tempting to do that! I was at Lake Erie Metropark once and a guy was taking photos near me and he turned to me and said “you know, if the ducks are smart, they’ll all come over here while it’s duck hunting season and they’ll be safe.” They don’t allow waterfowl hunting at this Metropark, but there are 12 other Metroparks and some allow it. I follow a group of Metropark amateur photographers where I learn a lot about birds and butterflies they take photos of and they all are horrified to see this and have protested to no avail.
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It would be good if ducks were smart 🦆😁
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We ought to tip ’em off somehow since they don’t know how to read!
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perfect photo shoot . Wonderful tree trunk. Excellent trees art. Beautiful Bird nast.
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Thank you Raj – I am glad you liked the photos and yes, the carving of the tree was quite a work of art and very impressive work. The Osprey are pretty impressive to see as well.
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I love your humor about how “it’s not like they left a sign “letting the kids try out their wings with flying lessons – back in a bit!” and other quips here – and then how they “WERE” winging their way around the park! – The photos you did get are clear and give so many fun Isprey details.
I like the wooden sculpture and the yellow paint gives it a Native American vibe (to me at least)
Also, I have heard the Lotus plants can be very problematic in many areas – and I like them less and less when I see them because I know what a nuisance they can be
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Thank you Yvette! I’m glad you liked the Osprey photos and my quips as well. 🙂 The Osprey are beautiful birds in flight and even when they pose on the side of their platform nest in profile, but they have a perpetually mad look about them. I really was impressed by the wooden tree carvings of the beautiful birds. I am glad the landscapers pointed out it was a tree as I thought it was more like a wooden carving, like a totem pole, as I initially was not right on top of the tree since they had all their landscaping materials and equipment around the area. I agree – it does have a Native American vibe with that yellow paint. I hope they treat the carving with something to preserve it in our bad Winters. I wish I could have learned info on the carver and type of tree, etc. to share here. I don’t know what happened with the Lotuses this year. I’ll wait until next week when we have a cool spell and get over to see if any of the beds produced – there was nothing when I was there four weeks ago today.
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what – did you say cooler weather is actually coming – oh wow
and you are thinking just like a good blogger does – when you wrote this: “I wish I could have learned info on the carver and type of tree, etc. to share here.”
That is what makes your posts so good.
and our local library had an artist paint a book mural on the side – and we were walking by her last day of doing it and she was all chatty. Later, I was like “why did I not get a mini interview for the blog??”
sigh –
but that did remind me as to why I like blogging so much – most of the bloggers I follow share such original content that leads to learning about nature or artists or social stuff.
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Thank you Yvette – I always think about what people would ask me when I write a nature post and a fellow blogger said it’s difficult to tell the adults from the chicks, which it is, so I looked up how big the chicks are when they fledge and they’re 75% of their adult weight so I told her that when I replied. I wish I’d put that tidbit in as they are really big babies! I had a fellow blogger tell me recently “I wouldn’t usually follow a blog like yours, but I like the pictures and the nature stories.” We are like reporters sometimes when you think about it.
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we really are and the best part is we have autonomy as we choose what to report on and when!
and an example is that I loved your earth day post recently.
I enjoyed it so much more now rather than in spring when we are inundated with earth talk.
Also, I went to a yoga studio in FL on earth day (was visiting family) and they gave out seeds as we left class.
I took some and then my little nieces planted some in the aloe plants I was taking home – and one of the little plants is still growing – it is some little leafy thing – and I smile every time I see it. It reminds me of them and of earth day at that studio – etc
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I remember the very first Earth Day and our grocery store gave away little pine tree seedlings. They were in a Ziploc bag with some type of material wrapped around the bottom to keep the roots moist and a card that told how to take care of them. We had ours inside the house for the longest time because it grew very slowly. I don’t remember what happened to it, but likely it was still not hardy enough to withstand the Winter. A walker at Council Point Park got one of those small, decorated Christmas fir trees in a container and kept it at his house for two years and one day he and a friend planted it in the Park and put a single bulb on it, like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It will be interesting to see how it grows from year to year. I took pics of it last year. A neighbor down the street planted one of those Christmas trees in his yard many decades ago and it is huge now.
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wow – how cool that your neighbor’s little Christmas tree went on to become huge. Most of the ones we have gotten have been for warm climates – and never really made it
oh and thanks for teaching me even more stuff! I did not know earth day was started in 1970 (looked it up after your comment) and found this:
Earth Day has been celebrated since April 22, 1970, making it over 55 years as of 2025.
how cool that you remember the first one
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It is amazing how quickly trees grow Yvette. In the mid-90s, my former neighbor moved into the house at the time the maple seeds (“helicopters”) were flying around; here that is around Memorial Day. One of the seeds took root in the grass, was about an inch tall, if that. I was outside doing yard work when the two of them saw it, spaded out some of the grass around it, then put a fence around the hole and seedling. I went into the house and said to my mom “Really? That seedling will not grow into anything.” Well I had to eat my hat because it survived the Winter and grew bigger ever year until it was a huge Red Maple tree. She cut it down two years ago as it was starting to lift her sidewalk. I’d have never thought it would grow that big and that quickly. Yes, I remember the first Earth Day and I think that they would have made a bigger deal out of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day had it not fallen into the early pandemic days.
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I like that saying “eat my hat” – hahaha
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🙂
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Wonderful shots! Your patience paid off, Linda. 🙂 I love how the Osprey look annoyed all the time. And mouthing off, too. 😆 That is a beautiful wood carving. Such detail!
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Thank you Debbie! I sure was glad I tried the third option after the first two did not pan out. I saw this nesting platform last year and got some photos of them, but last year, the youngsters were more active and were flying and landing on those poles and back and forth to the nest. They were preoccupied with eating this time. 🙂 Yes, the adult gave a loud shriek and it startled me! Osprey look perpetually disgruntled!
I thought it was a beautiful wood carving too. I don’t remember the big tree that was there before as I’ve only been there twice, once in the Winter. I am glad the landscapers told me the info about it and I could step up and see it as they were working right in that garden planting bushes around it. Yes, the details are amazing and enhanced by the color which makes the details even more vivid.
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Those pictures of the osprey family are fantastic.
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Thank you Clare! I was happy to find this family after two other tries! I hope to get back there before they migrate in mid-September.
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Such wonderful captures!
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Thank you very much Lisa! I see you are a fellow bird lover!
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The osprey pics are great. Looks like a normal family dinner! Sad about the lotus. They are so beautiful.
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Thank you Kate! They were chowing down for sure, so I had to wait for them to come up for air to sneak in some shots of them glaring at me. 🙂 I wrote to Lake Erie Metropark to ask what happened to the lotus since the ranger said they had problems this year and might not produce like usual and I saw there were zero beds when I was there four weeks ago today, but never heard back. I hope to get back there now that we will be turning a corner next week with cooler weather – yay!
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Do you think they ripped them all out because of a disease? That would be shame. They were beautiful.
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I can’t imagine they ripped them out because they were beautiful and they have two large beds, the biggest beds of lotuses in Michigan. I’ve not been there since July 21st, but today in the Facebook group called Huron-Clinton Metropark Photographers, (which is all amateur photographers that post pictures from the 13 Michigan Metroparks), I saw a photo taken by one of them at Lake Erie Metropark and there were some lotuses … not as many as usual though, but they have lotuses in other areas, just growing by themselves, not in beds, so maybe he shot the pics there. The photo was a heron and an egret and lotuses in the picture. I am going to go and check it out. I can’t believe they wouldn’t write about it if they died as I follow them by e-mail and on Facebook and I get the local paper.
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It was a high-effort day for you, and it’s too bad that you didn’t get the shots you wanted. But the ones you did get are quite nice!
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Thank you JP! In retrospect, it worked out for the better as I would not have gone to this venue and not seen the beautiful carved tree!
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The bird wood carving is beautiful! I’m glad you got some good shots of the osprey fledglings – I know how hard it can be to catch up with birds. 😉 I like the one with the steely gaze – at least you got that one all by itself, away from the bunch. It’s a nice one, too! It can be a challenge getting shots from below, too. Sometimes I wish they’d make a stand for photographers so they could photograph what’s going on in the nest from a better angle. But you did a great job!
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Thank you Barbara! I was lucky that several times the youngsters looked up from their food to give me a steely stare so I could get a few clear shots of them. But these osprey seem to have a perpetual mad look – one of these young osprey was the one that flew over to the pole after the initial feast. Yes, I agree that shooting up from ground level is tricky and the better side to get shots was hindered by the sun, so it wasn’t an option. That’s a great idea about a stand to view these osprey platforms better. They are always up so high. I have some other osprey pics from Lake Erie Metropark from Memorial Day weekend and only one osprey was in the nest – I couldn’t tell if there were offspring, eggs or just the adult.
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What wonderful carvings!!
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I thought so too Pam – what a great tribute to birds and nature by carving a tree filled with them!
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It’s lovely.🥰
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The most uncooperative things I’ve ever tried to photograph are dogs and birds. At least with dogs you can try cheese. Osprey are much more stubborn!
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Yes, birds – you gotta love when they sit there patiently and just as you click the shutter button, off they go. Essentially, I had to wait until they were done feasting to get these Osprey to even look up and at least glare at me! At least they didn’t fly to the farthest tree like the other stubborn Osprey pair at Lake Erie Metropark!
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Your pictures are wonderful, Linda. I especially love the one of the osprey giving you a rather fierce stare.
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Thank you Janis! I had to be patient and wait until they were done with their feast and then begin to come up for air and glare at me. The Osprey seem to be in a perpetual bad mood and they are so high up on the platform it’s not like I could harm them, but I think they see me as an annoyance.
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Spectacular shots of the osprey family, Linda! Even if you didn’t get the one you wanted, the ones you got were such good ones. Osprey (and other birds of prey) always look sort of disgusted, don’t they. They tend to glare.
Glad the third place you tried was a charm!
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Thank you Laurie! I guess in the long run, I was lucky the first two nests did not work out, as I got to see the Osprey family up close (disgruntled as they seemed to be) AND the beautiful tree carving, which was a treat as well. I think Osprey are always glaring and it’s their eyes which are just piercing!
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Miss Linda……………………………………these close up pictures of the Osprey family is wonderful………………………I enjoyed them and the pictures of the wood carving is awesome too ……………………..I feel privileged to have seen them before they even go on display in September for the public to view.
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I’m glad you liked the Osprey pictures and the tree wood carving Ann Marie. It will be even more beautiful when the landscaping and sign are finished. I’m glad I had an option number three to find an Osprey nest there at DNR Headquarters. I have never been to the Waterfowl Festival, have you?
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These are wonderful photos of the Osprey, Linda. It sounds to me like you had a great time on this outing and no smoke finally! Yay! Hard to believe that it is almost September. The cotton wood trees are dropping their leaves this week. The leaves look like 3” brown heart shaped post it notes littering my front yard. It was bizarre. My creative mind was playing tricks on me or I’m hallucinating from the extreme heat. 😄
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That you TD! I think in the end, it worked out for the better that I struck out the first two times as to the Osprey families. This was the better opportunity and I got to learn about the tree carving as well. Yes, four weeks ago today and we had one clear day and the next day it rained or was smoky, so a one-day outing to two venues and I wanted to make the best of it. I always noticed the Cottonwood trees start dropping their leaves by Labor Day, especially if it’s been a hot Summer and the leaves are all over the trails. I will be mentioning Cottonwoods in my next post – we have a lot of them here in SE Michigan. We had a nice day today, clear, almost coolish, no smoke … a one-day event, as tomorrow is rainy, maybe a thunderstorm and Wednesday we’re back “in the soup” again with humidity. I will be glad to see the Summer leave but the Fall is supposed to be warm like last year.
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Great photos, Linda, even if they didn’t cooperate. The carving is interesting. I like how it’s made out of a tree stump.
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Thank you Ruth! Once the Ospreys finished their food, they at least looked up at me, even if it was to glare and look disgruntled. 🙂 I like the carving too. I was glad the landscapers explained everything to me as they had their landscaping supplies and equipment around, so I couldn’t get close to the carving initially. It had been a large tree there and the wood carver came in and carved the birds – that’s amazing!
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What beautiful captures of mama and the Osprey chicks, Linda! No, birds do not want to make it easy for us, lol. Kudos on your efforts at the different nest locations, any where we go, you just never know how it’ll turn out. Fabulous wood carving!
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Thank you Donna! I know you love Osprey so I’m glad you like this post. I was at the Lee Road nest several times in May and on June 1st looking for the Osprey family. Once they evaded me and flew to a faraway tree and watched me. The other photos, I’ve not posted about, but it was just the parents. I’m glad I had an ace in the hole here as I was determined to see those Osprey chicks! I like the carving too – what a great idea! I don’t recall the tree which the landscapers said was huge, as I’ve only been here twice before, once in Winter.
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I’d say you did get a lot of great osprey photos! Glad your persistence paid off in the end.
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Thank you Eilene! I think I fared better in the long run as I would not have known about the tree carvings either. After the Osprey chicks and mom feasted, they focused more on me, thus those angry glares and stares!
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Linda, are those the parents or the chicks – they look big for chicks? I can’t tell them apart?
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Hi Joni – the Osprey chicks usually fledge when they are about seven to eight weeks old and by that time they are almost full grown. I looked to see how big they are at this time and they are 75% of the size they will be as adults. This is the third time I saw Osprey offspring and they are all this big. The nest is really huge and they were all crowded to the front of it where the food was dropped. I know it’s difficult to tell the parent from the youngsters, except for the fact that she’s feeding them. One of the offspring was on the pole last week … he/she does not look that big there.
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Thanks Linda….they looked big for chicks!
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You’re welcome Joni – they are big offspring. These platform nests are huge too. All you see is the female’s head when she is sitting on eggs as the nests are deep.
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Awesome shots Linda, they always seem to be glaring don’t they 🙂
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Thank you Sandra! Yes, they seem to be in a perpetually bad mood, glaring with those intense yellow eyes!
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Very nice Linda well worth waiting
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Thank you Andy – I was very glad after all that effort, I was able to get these shots.
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After searching and searching, it was well worth it Linda. They are such a beautiful bird as are your pictures! That tree carving was perfect for there.
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Thank you Diane! Glad you liked the pictures. I was happy to have some action at the third nest. I need to check the other nests now before they fledge in a few weeks. Other photographers are at Lee Road at Lake Erie Metropark and posting in the Metroparks Photographers site and the Lee Road nest is still active. Yes, it was well worth it in the end and I was glad I went the extra step. The Osprey are interesting birds, very smart and in tune with their surroundings – they liked turning those amber eyes on me in a glare. This place is only a few miles away, but kind of in the boonies. I went once in Winter looking for a Snowy Owl that was spotted around there and with no one fishing and since it was on a Sunday, it made me a little uncomfortable being there – the Phragmites reeds are 10 feet tall or more, so literally out in the middle of nowhere once you turn off the highway.
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