Watching and Waiting

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On Saturday afternoon I dragged Rich over to Winter Park for a romantic dinner and a nest-watching expedition.  (It’s the birdie version of dinner and a movie!)  The nest is on top of a platform close to Park Avenue, right across the street from a convenient parking garage.  You drive to the top of the garage and shoot away.  The distant green trees make for a wonderful background.

My friends told me that the bird went on eggs in the last week of March, right before we went to Blue Cypress.  So I was hoping that the bird might have babies by now.  Unfortunately, she’s still on eggs.  She turned them frequently while I was there.

It’s a boring job to sit on eggs all day.  Sometimes you have to resort to building up the nest just to entertain yourself…

And when you just can’t stand sitting there any longer, you have to get up and stretch your wings:

Mama sat patiently on the nest for at least the half hour that I was there.  Papa sat nearby on an electric line pole, silhouetted by the setting sun.

Mama called a little bit as I was getting ready to leave, and Papa flew away to get her a fish.  But when he came back, he kept it all for himself!

Want to learn more about nature photography at Winter Park Osprey Nest?

Check out my Winter Park Osprey Nest page with more information about the location, map, website, photography tips, etc. It is archived by date so you can see my images from previous visits. Maybe you'll be inspired for your own trip!

Planning a trip to Florida? Don't miss my Central Florida Bird Photography Locations reference guide!

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