A year or two after I started filming at the river, I was watching an osprey sitting in a tree when it suddenly dove down toward the river. I figured it had spotted a fish and was going after it. What happened next completely astounded me.
Just out of the lower edge of the first photo, a dead fall sits on the edge of the river. The osprey looked like it was going to fly right through the branches on it's way to the river.
As it passed through the tree's branches, it extended it feet forward, grabbing and snapping one off with the force of it's flight. If you compare this photo with the one above it, you can determine which branch it broke off.
It kept on going, taking the branch to it's nest somewhere.
On it's way, it passed a great blue heron that looks as amazed as I was.
Think for a moment about some of the things the bird had to consider by performing this feat. It had to recognize the tree branches were desirable nesting material. It had to decide which branch it wanted. It had to weigh whether the branch was far enough along in the process of decay that it would snap under pressure. It had to consider how much force to use to make it snap. It had to also consider whether it might be injured in the process. You might think it would hit the branch straight-legged causing it to snap, but from what I have seen (and this happened too suddenly for me to sure how it was done) they will grab the branch just after they pass it and use more of a pulling action. All the factors the osprey had to consider are at least as astonishing to me as the act of breaking the limb was.
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