Early in the summer, I came across a family of osprey at Pohick Bay Regional Park. Pictured here are the male (center) and female (right). Their chick can be seen to the left of and behind the male.
Here is a better photo of the female osprey and her chick.
The male osprey had taken off and began circling me to make sure that I wasn't a threat to his family.
The male osprey is giving me a close up inspection.
The female osprey appears to be taunting me.
The female osprey swoops in for landing with lunch for its chick.
When I returned in mid-July, neither adult was in the osprey nest but I could hear the chick calling from inside the nest. Soon the female returned carrying half a fish for its chick. I never saw the male again.
Proud mother keeps look out while her chick feeds in the bottom of the nest.
When I returned in late August, there was no sign o the male or female adults. But perched in their nest was their chick, now grown into a juvenile osprey.
Unexpectedly, and unfortunately while is was in the middle of changing camera settings, the former chick dropped out of its nest feet first into the water!
The juvenile osprey comes up with a fish and a little garnish.
The juvenile osprey takes flight with its catch.
I feel like a proud uncle having watched this chick grow into a capable juvenile.
When I visited Pohick Bay Regional Park again on Labor Day, the osprey nest was empty. The ospreys have left on their migration to Mexico or South America for the winter. The same pair of adult ospreys, though, will most likely return to this nest next spring.