I've got new neighbors in the woods behind my house. A pair of ospreys - also called fish hawks, sea hawks or fish eagles - have taken up residence in the tallest, deadest tree on the edge of the marsh.

Since their arrival, I've been fascinated to learn more about these amazing raptors. They are very large, 24" long and 70" wide wingspan, brown above and white below, with a white head sporting a brown stripe through the eye. They fly with a kink in their wings, and have a unique hunting feature, the ability to reverse the outer toe ... "better to carry fish with, my dear."

Ospreys make their homes usually on the edge of water or marsh, usually in dead trees but they like telephone poles or any other high structure on which to make a nest of twigs.  They will enlarge the nest and make it better each year.

I've watched them from my boat dock at low tide, as they rise up high, circling an area before turning, almost halting in mid-air, then diving feet first to grab a fish. Then they amazingly turn the fish so it's facing forward as they carry the poor victim back to the tree for a feast.

"My" ospreys are better at catching fish than they are at carrying sticks. They try again and again to bring sticks to the tree to build a nest, but they drop them in the marsh over and over. This could delay their mating for another year.

Oh well, who wants to do home improvement when you could be fishing instead?

Watch this amazing video and you'll appreciate the osprey's skills!  Watch him shake the water off after catching the fish, just like man's best friend does.