Bird of 6th Week, HT09

You may have noticed that Bird of the Week has been absent for a while. This is because when it grows cold, all sensible birds take a trip south to do the avian equivalent of sunning themselves on lilos whilst drinking fruity cocktails. But now, as the first rays of spring sunshine warm the earth and every day brings us closer to daffodil season, bird of the week is BACK. And he's bigger than ever. In fact, he's very big indeed, for our bird of 6th week is the OSPREY, and he has a wingspan of 4.5-6 feet (135-180cm, for those of you that prefer metric). Don't mess with him.


He can be found in all continents apart from Antarctica, but he needs to be near water so that he can eat fish. His black eye-patch gives him a piratical air, and sometimes he goes by the name of Sea Hawk. The female is somewhat larger than the male and has an attractive black necklace (figuratively speaking). Ospreys generally pair for life but if the union is unsuccessful, there will be what ornotholigists and anthropomorphosis-loving folk call "a divorce". It is uncertain whether divorced ospreys then "marry" again. But regardless of marital difficulties, osprey chicks have a very happy childhood, and their nests have been known to contain hula-hoops, ragdolls and toy boats.
N.B. This last bit is not even a lie.