During our recent visit to Indiana, my friend Ronnie and I were driving past Patoka Lake. We noticed that a pair of Ospreys were very active.

A closer look at the Ospreys revealed that they were carrying sticks in their talons.

The birds were adding on to a nest that had been constructed on a platform provided for just this purpose. We were able to watch their approach to the next for some time.

As the birds made their approach to the nest they would drop the stick. There was no apparent effort to place the stick in any particular position. Perhaps they did this after several sticks had been accumulated.

Another approach is shown in the next three photographs.

The stick that this bird is carrying is quite small. Ronnie told me that many of the platforms were constructed by power companies when their transmission lines had interfered with the birds’ nesting.