Mid Sierra Musings: Ospreys At The Balsam Forebay 2018

Dale Matson

Click On Photographs To Enlarge

Osprey In Nest

I have two previous stories on this blog about the Balsam Forebay Ospreys that can be found here: http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2016/06/balsam-forebay-ospreys.html

And here: http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2017/06/ospreys.html

If you are interested, they will provide additional photos and information about the Ospreys and Balsam Forebay. Daily parking permits for the snow parks can be obtained in Shaver Lake for $5.00 per day. It is really too late in the season to buy the annual pass at $25.00.

I have been going up to the forebay for years and each year, it seems I have different equipment. This year I used a Sony A7R3 and the Sony Fe 100-400mm GM lens with a 1.4 TC (560mm) and cropped the photos posted here for about an 800mm equivalent. I was quite happy with the results. I set the camera to “Shutter Priority”, 1/1800^th of a second, Focus Area “Wide” auto ISO and F8 for the birds in flight. I slowed down the shutter speed for the birds on the nest for lower ISO and better quality. I did not lug a tripod in this year since both the camera and lens have image stabilization. The trail in from the parking area is about a mile round trip. It was also easier to follow the birds in flight with the camera not attached to a tripod.

The Ospreys were initially shy but over the span of two hours they gradually picked up the pace of their nest work, paying less attention to me, in preparation for egg laying. It is early in Spring yet for laying eggs at this altitude (about 6,500’). There is still snow along the trail and around the forebay. As I sat on the ground in the shade, I was glad to have a down sweater over my long-sleeved wool shirt.

They are more vocal than eagles and sometimes let you know they are approaching with their vocalizations before you see them. This day the Ospreys were refurbishing their nest with mud and sticks in the top of the same high and healthy evergreen.

Once again it was a treat to see this pair of Osprey going about their business of preparing for their next brood. They are wonderful flyers and I tried to include photos that showed different wing postures as they took off, landed and flew. Birds in flight are difficult to photograph especially on a day when the light was rather flat.

I was surprised at how low the water level was at Shaver Lake below (and connected to) the forebay. The Fresno Bee lists Shave at only about 55% capacity, while Millerton Lake below it is at 92% capacity. Stevenson Creek flows out of Shaver Lake and into the San Joaquin River which, in turn, eventually flows into Millerton Lake.

As I was leaving I noticed two fishermen along the shore on my side of the forebay. It was time well spent.