The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-31
THE OSPREY AND ITS NEST.
Interesting Ways of the Large Fish.
Hawks.
From Forest and Stream.


The genius displayed by fsh-hawks in
nest-building time is often wonderful
leading persons 10 suspect that the me-
chanical calculations of the bird are equal
to those of the average human being. The
hawks frequent forests and groves firing
ing the waters of Narragansett bay to OBJ
tain material for building new nests and
repairing old ones. Rotten limbs of trees
high over ones head are heard swapping
and cracking This swapping Of sticks is
caused by fish-hawks. Mechanically they
examine and break off the limbs by sheer
force, something that is unique in the
character of birds. A hawk flying about
wheels short on its wings, having select
ed a decayed stick that is suitable on
some oak tree. Something after the fash
ion of ten I-pegging the hawk charges past
and just above the bough. Just as he is
passing the limb, with great dexterity he
hooks his claws upon it, and without stop
ping in his flight and with wings fiappfng
furlously enough, bang goes the report OF
the breaking OF the rotten limb, and tri-
umphantly the feathered wonder carries
TO the nest the suck, sometimes four
inches in diameter and AZ feet long AL
thcugh as rule the birds break of the
limbs at the first attempt they have been
~een &c try the opera ton on the same stick
two and three times before being success
full In case the stick is not broken off
the first time, they do not lost their hold
out increasingly flap their broad wings in
the air, eXhausting every measure toward
accomplishing their purpose.
Ordinarily their bodies are not so heavy
as 10 cause one to suspect that they could
break or such stout pieces of boughs but
the momentum carried in their flight as
they nook on to the limb without stop
ping almost invariably causes their eff
forts TO he crowned with success. The
loud swapping noise of the breaking Of
tree branches by the hawks would lead a
person not accustomed 10 their habits 10
suppose that an elephant was running
amuck through the forest.
OF about four feet in width and of very
compact structure, the nests can with
stand the fury of severe storms The
FABRIC is so woven and bound crisscross
fashion that cases have been known of the
nests remaining intact even after the wind
relied the tree or pole and threw the nest
violently to the ground. A severe storm
blew down tish-hawk's nest at Warren
year ago, leaving the nest bottom up 1t
was discovered several days later, with
three young dead birds inside. Being i'm
prlsoned, they had died of hunger The
inner edges OF the nests are woven with
light sticks, cornstalks, pieces of cloth and
dried seaweed
The fish-hawk lives to a good age On
one Of the eastern Rhode Island headlands
a Mr. Anthony tells of an incident that
happened 20 years ago near his home. A
male fish hawk was brought 20 the ground
by a gun in the hands of a boy. Mr. An
thony cared for the wounded bird in his
barn, picking out grains of shot and stop
ping the flow of blood. All the time the
haWk fought him with its uninjured wing.
In a months time the wound had complet-
ly healed and the bird had become quite
tame. 1t would not eat anything but fish,
however. The wounded wing was stiff
when the bird was given it's freedom, and
the popularity of this stiff wing is noted
every season by Mr.. Anthony in a bird
that located near his home. He is con-
fident that 1t is the bird that was wounded
near his home 20 years ago
The watchfulness of the fiSh-haWks over
their nests before the young leave the
she'll is a great boon 10 other smaller
birds. singular trait in the characcer
of the osprey is its federation of sparrows,
crow-blackbrds and grackles TO build
theirs nests in among the outer sticks of
which its own nest is constructed Like
vassals to a chief, these smaller birds lay
eggs and hatch them in perfect security,
and in mutual harmony with the larger
teathered creatures. Often there are from
twenty to thirty nests of small birds in the
rounded outer sides of the fish-hawk' S
nest From long acquaintance with the
hsh-haWk the sparrows and crow-bla ck-
birds have no fear of them, and they have
learned that as the fish-hawk during in
cubation constantly is on guard, their
nests are doubly secure from feathered in
truders and from the inroads of the com
mon crow, the bird that they most fear
when their nests contain eggs
W hen the young ffsh-hawks come forth
from the shell the constant guard of the
nest by male and female is gradually re-
Taxed. The female leaves the nest at in
tervals in quest of food, soon flying back
with fish caught in harbor or bay. A
noticeable feature about the mother hawk
is her mode of feeding the young. Return
ing with a shad or porgie when the young
are only a few days old, the mother bird
tears the fish in pieces with her claws and
bill, giving a strip 10 each young bird.
When the birds become a week old or
about that age, and thereafter during the
season, whole fish is given to each young
fish-hawk by its mother. 1t is interesting
to watch the young hawks when they are
fed. They will cry for food when hungry,
but, unlike the progeny of all other feath-
cred tribes and land animals. they will not
fight for food. The mother bird selects the
young one to which she will give a fish.
The rest of them remain sitting beside
their more fortunate companion in the
nest, but beyond uttering plaintive cries
make no effort to get part of the fish for
themselves, simply waiting in patience
until their turn comes, which circum-
stance may prolong for quite length of
time. The young birds catch no fish the
first year of their lives Their food is pro-
cured by the parents. AS soon as the
young brood become a few weeks old the
mother throws off quite piece of the top
of the nest to the ground. This enables
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