By Alkali Springs Correspondent
After the fine rains and snow of last week, the beautiful Bear Paws are really beautiful these days. They are green as Ireland and seem to stretch into the distance endlessly in their great beauty.
Last weekend Bear Paw Lake was just filled with all manner of push and rowboats. What a beautiful sight to see so many people really enjoying that beautiful lake.
Not only that, but creeks are running well. Not too muddy and riley these days. Stream fishing has been good on most all area creeks.
What we noticed that was really good as well these days is bird watching. Now mind you, we had heard there has been an occasional osprey or fish hawk spotted through the years on Bear Paw Lake, but we had never seen one. In fact an osprey nesting pole has been erected on both Bear Paw Lake and Beaver Creek reservoir to attract these birds. They are easily seen in the Flathead Lake area of Montana where they build huge messy nests on the tops of telephone poles.
It was on the top of a telephone pole near the lake that we saw one last Saturday chomping down on a trout he had just recently plucked out of the lake. Maybe this one and his mate (there were two of them) will decide they like the lake and set up housekeeping at the platform build for them. Whatever they do, it was just great to see them.
Our bird book has some interesting tidbits to share about these birds.
"The osprey's feet with their rough, spiny projections; long and well curved claws, are perfect fish traps; add powerful wings and tail with plenty of muscular energy to operate them, and we have a combination which rarely misses its finny prey."
"Its keenness of vision is of a very high order and it is able to see a neutral colored fish from a height of many feet. Though most plunges begin within a hundred feet or so of the surface, dives of three hundred or more feet are not uncommon. Kingfishers seize their prey with their bill, but the osprey, like other raptorial birds, uses its feet only. The captive is always carried head forward. Some authorities suggest that this position makes wind resistance less, but it seems more reasonable to me to suppose that placing the talons one in front and one behind is done the better to control the spasmodic jerks of the expiring fish."
So, gentle reader, maybe these osprey are just passing by or maybe they are looking the real estate over in order to move in.
They could do worse than beautiful Bear Paw Lake!
