This is a sampling of images taken while monitoring an osprey nest in the Union Bay Natural Area in the middle of Seattle, Washington, behind Husky Stadium. Included are some of the neighbors and onlookers. The monitoring is in its fourth month, beginning in early May. Two chicks were hatched, but neither survived past the fledgling stage. Clicking on any image will produced a full-sized viewer.
The osprey nest at sunrise, with the female standing sentry.
The male osprey seems to do a dance at sunrise.
The male osprey lands atop the female in the nest.
A group of birders peer at nearby Carp Pond.
The male osprey tip toes along the perch on the platform.
In the shadow of Husky Stadium.
A beaver makes a splash at the mouth of Ravenna Creek.
The male osprey has a mid-air encounter with a crow.
A bald eagle eyes the male osprey who is defending the nest.
The female osprey dives for fish.
The male osprey with a fresh catch.
The male osprey transports a fresh catch to the nest.
A great blue heron fishes in the mouth of Ravenna Creek.
The female osprey takes part of a fish to a nearby snag.
The male delivers breakfast to the nest.
A young rabbit pops up its head near the nest.
The female osprey is greeted by its chick in the nest.
The osprey chick gives its wings a try.
A birder gets an up-close view of the chick.
Lunch is served.
The kid's maiden voyage (just a hop)!
The young osprey is grounded, and ultimately doomed.
Based in Seattle, Wash., Glenn Nelson is the founder of The Trail Posse, which regularly covers race, diversity and inclusion in the outdoors. He also is a founding member and on the steering committee of the Next 100 Coalition, a national alliance of civil rights, environmental and community groups advocating for more inclusive management of public lands. Nelson has won several national awards for his writing, photography and Web publishing, including three first-place honors from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2019 for his column on race for Crosscut and Outstanding Beat Reporting (Race, Inclusion and Environmental Justice) from the Society of Environmental Journalists. A graduate of Seattle University and Columbia University, he was born in Japan and started his career at The Seattle Times. He later founded HoopGurlz (now at ESPN), which covered girl’s basketball and college prospects nationally, and helped found Scout.com, a network of sports websites. Nelson is the primary author of a teen book about the NBA, has been published in numerous magazines and book collections, had his photographic work appear at the Smithsonian, and has been profiled by NPR. He also serves on the boards of Audubon Washington, Spectrum Dance Theater, as well as the Washington Governor's advisory committee on outdoor recreation, the advisory committee for the Japanese American Remembrance Trail, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage task force.
