A lot of birds like to go fishing

I was sitting on the bank of one of my favorite trout streams.

It was a beautiful day in late spring, the water was in great condition, and I was just waiting for some flies to hatch so I’d have a chance to get a couple of fish.

At some point, a kingfisher lit onto a branch right in front of me, about 15 feet above the creek. Kingfishers are interesting birds, if slightly annoying with their cocky attitudes. Cornell University’s All About Birds web site characterizes them very well: “With its top-heavy physique, energetic flight, and piercing rattle, the Belted Kingfisher seems to have an air of self-importance as it patrols up and down rivers and shorelines.”

Yes, they think they own the water, and I’m pretty sure they really believe they can chase you away with their noisy, showy ways.

This one, after a while, dropped into the creek like a stone, disappeared for a couple of seconds, emerged with a tiny fish in its beak, and flew away.

I had never seen anything like that before. It was impressive.

Kingfishers are just one of the many species of birds that prey on fish. That makes them villains to a lot of anglers, myself included at times. They must eat, too, I know, but I just often wish they’d do it some place I’m not.

Among the other birds that chow down on fish on our lakes, rivers, and streams – not counting the dozens that live mostly in saltwater areas – are eagles, ospreys, cormorants, loons, herons, egrets, and mergansers. If you pay attention while you are out fishing, you might see one or more of them going about its business.

Many years ago, one of the Utica reservoirs was being drawn down, and students from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry were out in a boat netting some of the many smallmouth bass that were reputed to be in there.

There weren’t as many bass as everyone thought, which disappointed the small crowd that was watching. There were enough, though. After a while, an osprey flew over the hill from New Hartford, dropped leisurely down, snagged a good-size bass just yards from the boat, and flew back up over the hill.

Whoa! That bird wasn’t worried about those kids. It must have wanted that bass badly.

Ospreys, also known as fish hawks - now considered politically incorrect, and osprey sounds better anyway - are built for the job they do. Their bodies are streamlined, which helps them dive completely underwater and get back out.

They have a third eyelid that helps them see underwater, they have curved talons to better hold their prey, and gritty pads on their feet that help with that, as well. They also know enough, most of the time anyway, to fly with their catch pointed headfirst.

Ospreys are not, however, big, strong, or fast enough to fend off bald eagles, which are known to harass them into giving up their catch. Thievery is rather an ignoble quality for our national emblem but remember that the only rule wild animals have is to get through the day. They will do whatever they need to fulfill that goal.

I’ve seen eagles making a living many times. The best show I’ve seen was on the Delaware River.

We were out of the boat and wading when an eagle flew out of a tree and positioned itself about 50 feet above middle of the river about 50 yards upstream from me. Then it plummeted straight down into the water and out of sight. Eagles can weigh more than 15 pounds, and that one caused quite an explosion.

A moment later it popped up, flapping its wings and looking embarrassed, if an eagle can look embarrassed, then flew off empty-taloned.

Mergansers are another common fish-eating bird. They seem always to have a couple of dozen ducklings, and the young ones are ridiculously competitive. If one of them catches a fish, all the rest will frantically and loudly chase him or her around until they can grab the meal or the original owner swallows it.

Herons and loons are other fish eaters you’ve might have seen at work. Their abilities are remarkable, herons for their incredible stealth and patience, and loons for their lightning-like capture of their targets.

One such bird I have no admiration for is the cormorant. They have done a lot of damage to fish stocks on inland waters – including Oneida Lake and Lake Ontario – but half of the negative feelings toward them might be generated by their looks.

They are not handsome birds, at least I don’t think so, and if you’ve ever seen a group of them awkwardly holding out their wings and drying them while sitting on some rocks, you might be reminded of your last especially disturbing bad dream.

Fish, of course, occasionally turn the tables on birds. Ducks sometimes lose some of their babies to northern pike, muskies, bass and big trout. I’ve never seen this happen in person, but I have it online. I once saw a largemouth bass fly out of the water to try to grab a grackle – notorious hunters of small fish – and miss. The grackle flew off, and the bass bounced around for a few seconds on the shoreline stones before making it back into the water.

It’s a bird-eat-fish world out there, and sometimes a fish-eat-bird world. Life is not easy for wild critters and day. Not at all.

NOTEBOOK

I don’t own a boat.

Sometimes I think I’m very lucky for that reason.

For one thing, I don’t have to launch the boat and then trailer it afterward. I like that because sometimes boat launches can be crowded, and not everyone is on their best behavior.

Here are some tips from the discoverboating.com web site. Following them might save you some heartache:

Always complete all prep work first in the staging area—out of the way of ramp where other boaters are launching.

Launch quickly and efficiently; have others in your crew assist you to make the process easier, if possible.

As soon as the boat is off the trailer, pull back up the ramp and park in a designated spot.

When retrieving your boat, use a courtesy dock or tie up away from the launch area until your trailer is in place.

Load the boat onto the trailer, secure the winch at the bow and the safety chain; then proceed to the staging area to finish unloading and securing your trailer

Write to John Pitarresi at 60 Pearl Street, New Hartford, N.Y. 13413 or jcpitarresi41@gmail.com or call him at 315-724-5266.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: These birds are natural fishermen