Juvenile/ adult?

 Just a quickie here…..some people are still asking how to discern an adult from a juvenile. Adult ospreys have solid dark brown feathers on their back and juveniles have a light, or Buffy, tip on every dark feather which gives them a speckled, or scalloped pattern on their back feathers. It serves as camouflage when they are in the nest….and even as they learn to fly and perch in a tree. As they age the light tip begins to wear away, fade away and it can become more difficult to discern, especially when they are wet. The juveniles also have a different eye color, starting out as a rusty red and slowly lightening to a rosy gold. Adult ospreys have yellow eyes. Here are some photos of a chick and an adult side by side so you can see the difference…