JACKSON, Wyo. — Summer is the brief window of time when Osprey inhabit the Greater Yellowstone before migrating out of the region for the winter.
In September, they migrate to Central and South America to escape the cold.
Often mistaken for eagles, osprey lay two or three eggs in May or June. It takes four to five weeks for the chicks to hatch and in just seven to eight weeks they will begin to fly.
Local photographer Anna Knaeble captured this osprey family in Rafter J on Aug. 8.
According to the National Park Service, osprey and bald eagles hunt and nest near water. They are dependent on fish for food and can usually be found near lakes, river valleys and in river canyons. Ospreys carry fish in their talons so the fish is parallel to the bird’s body in an efficient streamlined position.
Like many other birds of prey, osprey populations declined due to pesticide use in the mid-1900s and rebounded in the latter part of the century, after the banning of pesticides such as DDT.
