Early osprey

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Early osprey

March 18, 2015 by Mike Powell

I was surprised this past Monday to see that Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) have already returned to our area. I don’t often see ospreys at my local marshland park and was somewhat shocked to look up into the sky and see one soaring high above me. Actually I thought it was a hawk at first and then concluded that it must be a bald eagle, because of the white head. It was only when I looked more closely at the photos that I realized that it was an osprey.

In the past I have taken some closer shots of ospreys and on those occasions I was struck by the amazing yellow eyes and the incredible talons. This time, however, I was struck by the surprisingly wide wingspread of the osprey. The sunlight was coming from the right direction to illuminate and highlight the bird’s wing feathers.

There are a number of locations in our area where ospreys generally nest and I guess that it is not too early to check them out. Somehow I thought the ospreys wouldn’t be back here for another month or so, but I confess that this is not one of the birds that I have kept track of very closely in the past.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on March 18, 2015 at 8:05 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I don’t know much about their movements either but it does seem early. I read another blog from Kentucky and they’ve just started showing up there.
on March 18, 2015 at 9:14 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Fantastic! I’ve actually never seen an osprey in the wild.
on March 18, 2015 at 12:03 pm | Reply Ed

Excellent shots, the feather pattern gave it away too.. 🙂
on March 18, 2015 at 5:15 pm | Reply Birder's Journey

Great shots of this bird in flight, Mike! We see a lot of Ospreys here in south Florida and they are still active here now.
on March 18, 2015 at 5:22 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

That second image is stunning Mike, we can really see all the feathers and that majestic stand!
on March 20, 2015 at 5:02 pm | Reply Sue

A bunch of migrants may have moved north during the brief warm spell over the week-end. Even the Sandhill Cranes are here in MN already, as well as many raptors, and small songbirds. I think this might be an early spring migration for some species.
on March 22, 2015 at 10:07 am | Reply nliakos

We used to see ospreys regularly over Clopper Lake (SCSP), but I haven’t seen any in years. My sister sees a lot at her place in Royal Oak MD (Eastern Shore) and even has a nesting platform in Tarr Creek behind her house. The pair that use it have yet to raise a brood successfully, but they come back every year to have another go at it. Wishing them success this year!