Penthouse Suite
We are fortunate enough to have a few Osprey's in the area and the trick for me, out on a casual photoshoot, was to get close enough for a shot, but not so close as to disturb it. I was kicking myself that I hadn't brought an extender for my lens. This one was returning to his/her penthouse suite to finish a meal.
I gather Ospreys have some interesting adaptations, including a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp a fish with two toes in front and two behind for a more secure grip. In addition to long hooked talons, they also have spicules on their feet that feel like coarse sandpaper - to help grasp slippery fish - and their nostrils close when they plunge under water in pursuit of prey.
They leave again sometime in the fall and amazingly, can log 160,000 migration miles over their 15-20 year lifespan.
Penthouse Suite
We are fortunate enough to have a few Osprey's in the area and the trick for me, out on a casual photoshoot, was to get close enough for a shot, but not so close as to disturb it. I was kicking myself that I hadn't brought an extender for my lens. This one was returning to his/her penthouse suite to finish a meal.
I gather Ospreys have some interesting adaptations, including a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp a fish with two toes in front and two behind for a more secure grip. In addition to long hooked talons, they also have spicules on their feet that feel like coarse sandpaper - to help grasp slippery fish - and their nostrils close when they plunge under water in pursuit of prey.
They leave again sometime in the fall and amazingly, can log 160,000 migration miles over their 15-20 year lifespan.