Modern Vespa

Note the bird perched high up on the light pole.

Tiz not a pigeon, nor a crow or raven, but an Osprey, a large-ish fishing hawk that can attain a wingspan of six feet.

This particular Osprey is one of a mated pair that returns to the same nest in Rapid City year after year, raises one or two chicks, then migrates south as far as Mexico or Central America.

The blue thing in the foreground is my Vespa.

This is what 'my' Osprey would have looked like if it's image was taken by a competent photographer with a professional-grade phone, or perhaps even an actual camera.

The Vespa would have looked about the same however.

Enjoyed your photo and comments. Osprey are fairly common round here. Their nests are quite large and often seen on snags or pilings along rivers.

Agree! Can't remember where exactly, but when visiting out there went to a sanctuary featuring bigass trees (that's not the species, lol), and along the boardwalk was a topped off tree with an osprey nest maybe 40 feet up. The young 'un were old enough to be testing their wings...pretty awesome sight!

Of course there was a nest about 5 miles from home, but I couldn't be arsed to check it out. 🙄

The Rapid City lake/park that their nest is in is crowded with all manner of water birds, ducks, Canadian geese, even a few Great Blue Herons. etc, but the Ospreys only go after the lake's fish and leave everything else alone, even the red tree squirrels that are running all over the park.

Their lakeside nest box is huge, and rests atop what must be a twenty-five to thirty foot pole that was erected just for them some years ago.