Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Osprey

My sister lives 2 streets over and has a beautiful pond. I took a trip over to see what I could photograph. While I was hiking around the pond, an Osprey flew over, carrying a big fish. He didn’t take it from her pond, but the lake is just a short flight from here. She said they come and land in this tree to eat what they catch. He’s watching me as I move around behind him. Look closely at the size of the talons.

j 167cs j 158cs

I think he’s trying to tell me he knows I’m there.

j 174cs

The fish is almost as big as he is.j 175cs

It didn’t seem to mind my watching and taking pictures. But it knew where I was at all times. I had to hike a bit to get a frontal shot.j 181cs

He’d stop long enough to switch position with his foot and to make sure I wasn’t after his meal. Every now and then he’d suggest I leave.j 188cs

The Osprey is a very large bird with a wingspan of almost 6 ft. They eat mainly fish, and fly with it facing forward. Very aerodynamic.  I watched one on the river, drive a Bald Eagle away in an aerial battle. We found out a few weeks later that it had a nest in that area.

There is an Osprey nest that can be seen from my back deck in the springtime. I watch them build it by flying into the tops of trees and snatching branches in mid flight.

13 comments:

  1. Carol, these are such great pictures of the Osprey eating the fish!!! You are blessed to get to capture this! Keep posting these wonderful pictures, please. Most of us never get to see this for ourselves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A perfect set of pictures...great capture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very cool post! What a fish! I have read that sometimes they snag bigger fish than they can handle and end up drowning, because they won't drop their catch! Weird! Loved these up close shots!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's quite a meal. And spectacular pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fantastic shots, I have only ever seen one on its migration.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Carol, these are amazing captures. Love the look it's giving you. The hike for the frontal shots was worth it. The fish is huge. When I lived in the NW Ospreys announced the arrival of Spring. They typically rebuild and reuse a nest for many years. Excellent opportunity for you, and the Osprey.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really cooool pics Carol. I think I would pay money to get that close to an Osprey, lucky you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great captures of the Osprey.We have spotted a few here too.Amazing birds!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great captures of the Osprey.We have spotted a few here too.Amazing birds!

    Shantana

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful series of photos. What fun to "catch" him eating his "catch"!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate the time you take to make a comment......If you ask a question, I will try to answer it here.