Fishing for sticks

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Fishing for sticks

March 31, 2014 by Mike Powell

Hoping to capture a shot of an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) snagging a fish earlier this month, I started firing my camera each time the osprey dove toward the surface of the water with talons extended, but, unlike the bird, I came up empty-handed. The osprey, it turns out, was not fishing for food—it was gathering building materials for its nest. It was impressive nonetheless to watch an osprey fly up into the sky with a pretty large branch in its grasp.

Click on the photos if you want to see a higher resolution view of the images. (I am always amazed by the osprey’s yellow eyes.)

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Belle Haven Marina, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on March 31, 2014 at 7:05 am | Reply sammysalterego

Beautiful!
- on March 31, 2014 at 7:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Ospreys are definitely cool birds and I was fortunate to be in a position to get some good shots on a bright, sunny day earlier in March.
on March 31, 2014 at 8:26 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Great series!
on March 31, 2014 at 10:01 am | Reply joeschelling

Isn’t it great when conditions are so good that the pictures work out so well? Great shots, Mike.
on March 31, 2014 at 11:19 am | Reply dianaed2013

Still a great photo
on March 31, 2014 at 12:04 pm | Reply judysbirds

Awesome photos, Mike. Just love those ospreys!
on March 31, 2014 at 1:16 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

Those outstretched talons are special. You’re going to have a lot of fun with that osprey.
- on April 2, 2014 at 7:29 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lyle. I’m hoping to get some more shots of the ospreys in action this coming weekend (if the weather would just cooperate–it seems like it has been raining most of my recent free days).
on April 1, 2014 at 6:20 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I wondered where they found all those sticks. I couldn’t imagine them flying into the woods for them.
- on April 1, 2014 at 6:57 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  One of the folks who was taking photos alongside me said that she has seen the ospreys grab dead branches from the top of trees too, though it seems to me that would require a lot of strength and careful selection.
on April 1, 2014 at 7:08 am | Reply Ed

Excellent shots! Looks like he was going for the stick to make a nest..:-)
p.s. I have not been posting, windows 8 is keeping me from posting pics on my blog, but I’m still here in a limited capacity..:-)
- on April 1, 2014 at 7:12 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Hang in there, Ed. Windows 8 has a series of issues. Indeed the ospreys have a very visible nest and I watched this one carry the stick to the nest. Apparently they have been using the same site for years and return to it in the spring.
on April 3, 2014 at 12:02 pm | Reply Rachael

These are fabulous captures. Really a little bit different with the huge branch.
on April 4, 2014 at 3:48 pm | Reply Marco Pesaresi

Stunning shots Michael, I’ll look forward to seeing more of these Ospreys.
- on April 4, 2014 at 4:18 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Marco. I may try to get some more shots tomorrow if the weather is nice.
on April 12, 2014 at 10:04 pm | Reply krikitarts

The intent look on its face in your first image is unforgettable, Mike. Beautiful work!