Ospreys are fish hawks that are quite common along waterways of western North America. They have superb vision and are excellent at catching fish — much better than bald eagles, who often try to steal their catch from them.
Like eagles, they build huge nests comprised of branches. Ospreys like to have an unobstructed view, so they’ve taken to building their nests atop high voltage electricity lines/poles. During a one-hour drive in eastern Idaho I must have spotted at least 20 nests similar to this one.
These nests are dangerous for ospreys, who sadly often die if they accidentally touch the power lines. Platform nests for them are increasingly common, as described here.
