I inched my way forward yesterday when I spotted this bird in a tree at the edge of Lake Cook in Alexandria, Virginia. Gradually I came to see that it was an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) lunching on a fish. When I moved a few steps closer, however, it detected my presence and its reaction was quicker than mine—I couldn’t quite keep the osprey within the frame of my camera.
I have included an image of the osprey just before it took off to give you an idea of what I was seeing as I was doing my best to be stealthy. The eyesight and reactions of raptors is so good that it is really tough to get even this close. I suspect that in this case the osprey was slightly distracted because it was eating.
The osprey did not fly completely out of sight but perched in the highest branches of a tree on the other side of the small lake. There the osprey was able to continue its lunch without further interruptions.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I sure don’t know how you get these fantastic shots. It must be the game bird in your soul.
Patience and persistence are generally the reasons why I manage to get some of these shots. A lot of time with my camera also makes me really familiar with its capabilities and limitations.
Great shots, Mike! I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to sneak up on birds, must stop doing that as it’s NEVER worked 😀
Someone famously said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By that definition, I think most wildlife photographers are insane. 🙂
Well done, Mike! Persistence pays!
Thanks, Sue.