Osprey in Thorndale

by Brandon King
(Thorndale, Ontario, Canada)

This afternoon I was walking my dogs through our typical route which takes us past a large pond here in Wye Creek, Thorndale.

The pond is home to many amphibians, fish, and mammals I have witnessed including frogs, bullfrogs, toads, turtles, muskrats, weasels, beaver, gold fish, and other small minnow like fish.

Every day the pond is visited by two solitary herons which are usually successful in grabbing up frogs or fish.

Today I was treated to a rare surprise! I noticed two hawk like birds circling the pond. Upon a closer view I noticed this pair of birds exhibited Osprey like features and wingspan but I was unaware that Ontario is home to any fishing birds.

Sure enough one of them took to a dive straight into the water and took back to the air with a fish!!

Not a minute later the second bird performed the same feat! Both birds left to the same direction and within a few minutes were back scouting the pond again.

They obviously are nesting close by!

I was excited to witness such an event! Very sure of what I witnessed I opened the internet when I got home and Googled fishing birds in Southern Ontario and what do you know, Ospreys are a resident Ontario bird!

It’s so refreshing to see such a magnificent bird calling Thorndale it’s home!

Thank you so much for sending us this information about your Osprey sighting, yes they are living and breeding in our area. I live in St Thomas and there is an Osprey nest near our home.

Our daughter and her family live in Thorndale so I'll have to ask her to watch for the Ospreys in Thorndale!

I hope you don't mind, but I added a picture of an Osprey with a fish.