I was delighted on Friday to see that Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) have returned to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Each autumn we bid farewell to the ospreys, which are also known as fish hawks or sea hawks, and each spring we greet their return.
Unlike eagles, which use large, well-constructed nests year after year, ospreys seem content to throw a bundle of sticks together and call it a nest. Many of these makeshift homes are blown down or fall apart during the winter, so a first priority for the returning ospreys is to construct nests.
During this visit I managed to capture several photos of ospreys overhead in flight with branch in their talons. As both photos show, ospreys often grab branches at one end, rather than in the middle where the weight would be better balanced. I am amazed by the ability of the ospreys to fly so well with those long trailing branches, though I suspect that the branches weigh a whole lot less that the fish that I hope to see them catch later in the season.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wow! I love Ospreys~they’re fascinating. What amazing captures, Mike!
Terrific captures, Mike.
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I love trying to take these kinds of shots and it is a real joy when I do manage to capture the action this well. Thanks.
That certainly is amazing! I wonder how awkward it is to land with such a long branch, and if they break them as they add them to the nest?
I watched this osprey as it deposited the stick at the nest site and it looked like the osprey tried to lay it in place intact. I don’t know if the ospreys “trim” the sticks or not.
👍🏼