Just in. Image titled: We Have Lift Off. Osprey by Neal Maine.

Fairweather House and Gallery

7 years ago

Just in. Image titled: We Have Lift Off by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images. Location: Sunset Beach, Oregon. Date: April 2017. Proceeds in support of NCLC.
Please visit NCLCtrust.org to read more about North Coast Land Conservancy.

See more info about Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images and other exhibits at http://www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com /…artists /…Neal Maine …/blog.

Q: Where is Sunset Beach, you ask?

A: Sunset Beach is a state park in Clatsop County, Oregon. The park comprises 120 acres along the Pacific Ocean on the Clatsop Plains and is located between Gearhart and Warrenton, Oregon.

For more info please go to:
Sunset Beach State Recreation Site – Oregon State Parks and …
oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=182
Sunset Beach State Recreation Site comes with a very famous past. The park marks the west trailhead of the historic Fort-to-Sea Trail

The osprey is a very unique raptor, standing out not only for its beauty but also for its choice of prey.
Seven fun facts about ospreys:

1. The osprey is the only hawk species in North America that eats almost exclusively live fish.

2. The raptor can dive as deep as three feet into the water for fish, but prefers to hunt in shallower areas.

3. This species is also known as the river hawk, fish hawk or sea hawk. But don’t confuse it with the Seahawk, the mascot of the Seattle-based football team. First, there is no such thing as a “seahawk” (one word). Second, the team actually uses an augur hawk as its mascot, a species native to Africa. The osprey may be known as a sea hawk, but it has no connection to football.

4. The osprey is the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon, and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

5. All of the ospreys around the world are part of a single species, with the exception of the eastern osprey which is native to Australia.

6. The osprey species is at least 11 million years old and is so well adapted to fishing that it has evolved unique characteristics that set it apart from other raptor species. These include nostrils that can be closed during dives, and an outer toe that can be angled backwards to better grasp fish. The species is so unique, it is listed in its own genus (Pandion) and family (Pandionidae).

7. Ospreys can live to be 15-20 years old. The oldest known osprey was just over 25 years old. During that long lifetime, the migratory birds can rack up over 160,000 miles of travel. In fact, in 2008 an osprey being tracked by researchers flew an amazing 2,700 miles in just 13 days, traveling from Massachusetts to French Guiana, South America!

For more info about ospreys go to:
Osprey, Life History, All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/lifehistory

THE OSPREY IS BEING CONSIDERED TO BECOME THE STATE BIRD OF OREGON.

To learn more go to: Oregon Senate chooses osprey over western … – Statesman Journal
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/…/oregon…osprey…state-bird…/100124452/ Apr 7, 2017

“The Seaside Osprey nest cam is up and running, in exceptional HD quality! HUGE thanks to Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District for hosting the camera, and installing fiber optic cable so the cam can be so clear!”

Thank you Necanicum Watershed Council!

Seaside Osprey Nest located in Broadway Park in Seaside, Oregon

https://youtu.be/POrdO5y0XxY