A Little Birdie Nest

While in Cedar Key I enjoyed daily bike rides across the island both alone and with some of my fellow campers.  I discovered a long boardwalk through the marsh near the old city cemetery which ends at a playground and fitness trail.  One day I was walking across and noticed some people standing and staring up into the tall pines.  I looked up to see the attraction and there it was - a nesting osprey.  Not as neatly composed as the eagle nests I've seen at Reelfoot Lake, but every bit as large.  We all stood and chatted for a while as the lady of the nest shouted warnings to us to say back from her home.  Guess she didn't know we couldn't fly up and get a closer look

Doesn't he look threatening? 

Later I rode my bike past the school (yes, there is one school on the island which houses K-12 and it's not very large) and heard that warning cry, but I was too far from the boardwalk.  I stopped and looked up to see that another pair of osprey have set up housekeeping in a nest atop a utility pole behind the athletic field.  In this case one of the pair was on the nest and the mate was on a pole closer to the road shouting out warnings to trespassers.  I just had to laugh.  If my Will knew he'd get to see osprey on the nests everyday he'd be rushing to school! 

Look closely atop the poles

 

See the nest?  And the lookout on the nearby pole?

Looks messy doesn't it?