Story Behind the Photo: Ospreys

I’ve been visiting Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, FL, for years. It’s my favorite spot for sunsets in the Tampa Bay Area, and that’s where my family goes when we are ready for a beach day. On all of these many visits, I was aware of “Osprey Trail” but never ventured down it until a few weeks ago. My, what I have been missing! Named for the 26 active Osprey nests along the trail, I’ve never had the opportunity to see so many Ospreys in such close proximity. I didn’t realize how nice it would be to see them in their natural habitat rather than nesting on telephone poles along area roadways. In their nests, perched on tree limbs, flying overhead – they were everywhere, and they were loud. I don’t know that I’d ever heard an Osprey call before that afternoon. Usually drowned out by the sound of crashing waves, or too far away to hear, the Osprey’s call is a unique chirp that surprised me. The whole afternoon surprised me actually, and I have found yet another reason to love Honeymoon Island!