Osprey in mid-May

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Osprey in mid-May

May 30, 2020 by Mike Powell

This is the time of the year when warblers are moving through the area in which I live and bird photographers have been congregating at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a local hotspot for warblers and other birds that, unlike many other parks, has been open during this shutdown. Not wanting to risk contact with so many people, I have been avoiding this refuge for the most part, even though it is my favorite place to take photos.

Last week, though, I made a trip to the wildlife refuge on a weekday morning when the weather was less than optimal. As I had hoped, the weather kept most of the other photographers away and I was able to visit some of my favorite spots. I checked out several osprey nests, hoping to see some baby ospreys. The ospreys were no longer sitting on any of the nests, but I could not tell if there were baby ospreys in them or not.

Peering through the branches near one nest, I spotted this perched Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) with a fish in its talons. The osprey was at the stage of consumption when quite often it will take the remaining portion to its mate. I never did see its mate, but was happy to capture this shot before the osprey flew away.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 14 Comments

14 Responses

on May 30, 2020 at 4:59 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice Mike! Always fun to photograph an Osprey!
on May 30, 2020 at 5:23 pm | Reply Helen Cherry

Wonderful shot Mike
on May 31, 2020 at 7:46 am | Reply Dan Antion

That’s a great photo. The osprey looks pretty serious.
- on May 31, 2020 at 8:34 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan. Food is a serious thing for most of the wild critters that I photograph. They often tend to let down their guards a little when focusing on their food, which sometimes allows me to get a little closer to them to get a photo.
on May 31, 2020 at 10:07 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Fabulous photo.
- on May 31, 2020 at 12:11 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Laura.
on May 31, 2020 at 12:44 pm | Reply Bonnie Marshall

Marvelous capture, Mike.
on June 1, 2020 at 1:46 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

He said, “Yum. Me no share this time.” Glad you saw him before he saw you!
- on June 1, 2020 at 2:58 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I actually like sushi with raw fish, but it has been at least a few years. The size of an osprey’s talons are such that I would not fight it for a fish.
on June 1, 2020 at 9:45 pm | Reply mvschulze

This is a test attachment
on June 1, 2020 at 9:51 pm | Reply mvschulze

This is NOT a test… Just noting a nice picture. We are closely watching our neighborhood nest, where the mom is sitting constantanly (it seems0 on the eggs, while dad hangs out on a nearby post, just sitting. These Osprey are amazing, year after year, the saome routine, almost by clockwork. M 🙂
- on June 2, 2020 at 8:13 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Ospreys seem to have a routine and stick to it. I have heard stories of the same ospreys returning to a nest year after year and that definitely seems to be the case with “your” ospreys.
on June 5, 2020 at 5:45 pm | Reply krikitarts

That is one gorgeous portrait shot of a gorgeous bird. We have several ospreys that near our MN lakeshore and we’ll occasionally see them soaring overhead, but it’s very rare that they perch anywhere even telephotographically acccessible. Nicely done, Mike!
- on June 6, 2020 at 7:53 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I am fortunate to live in an area where there is a relative abundance of eagles and ospreys. There are multiple nesting pairs of ospreys at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where I often go for photos, so I get to see and hear them quite regularly.