This column continues the discussion of osprey biology from my last column. I wrote about the dependence of osprey on live fish for food. Ospreys are not picky about the fish they prey upon in either salt- or freshwater environments. As long as the fish are in shallow water or within 3 feet of the surface of deeper water, they are at risk from an attack from above by a feathered menace.

Eight years ago on a Maine fly-fishing bulletin board, a young fly-fishing guide posted a comment that has stuck in my mind. He claimed that aquatic-insect hatches were so sporadic that he wondered why the events seemed important to people.