Most Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are busily building nests high in the trees, but at least one chose a location that is almost at eye level. The nesting site is on top of a duck blind not far from the shore. The blind is essentially a small wooden shack that sticks out of the water on stilts or pilings.
The nice thing about seeing a subject at eye level is that it gives a very natural perspective that helps you, I believe, to engage more directly with that subject, literally seeing eye-to-eye. That is why it is usually recommended that you bend down to photograph children and pets.
In theory, it is easier to get a shot like this that to shoot upwards into a mass of foliage. In reality, though, I had to find a big enough break in the vegetation and shoot over a chain link fence topped with barbed wire, while moving stealthily so as not to disturb the skittish sitting osprey. I ended up stopping by the spot multiple times during the day before I finally got a shot that I liked. (For what it’s worth, I am not sure what the object in the foreground is—at first I thought it was a partially eaten fish, but now I don’t think that is the case. Any ideas?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shot. The object looks like the remains of a smaller bird. Do Ospreys eat other birds? Maybe this one stole the nest.
I don’t think so, Dan, but I will have to do some checking to see. (I’ll also look at some of my other shots to see if I have a better looks at that object.)
The object seems to have feathers!
What a marvellous portrait. I agree with the commenter above about the appearance of feathers on the object.
Nice Mike! Love photographing Ospreys. Looks like a bird wing. Never saw an Osprey get a bird. But I have seen Eagles go after Red Winged Blackbirds at the Blackwater NWR. They fly into a flock of them, grab one and fly off to land on a snag. They they slowly pick of the feathers one by one and they twirl in the air and hit the ground.
I have heard reports of eagles grabbing coots during the winter in our area, but never have seen ospreys do anything like that. This is still a mystery. 🙂
Benjamin recognized the “Opry” in the nest. He thinks the other is a baby bird in the nest and I said I’m not sure. He said : “Ask Mr. Mike, he will know.” Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
I am pretty sure that it is too early for a baby bird, but I am not certain what it is. It’s cool that he easily recognized the bird.