Oversized Load
Oversized Load - Male Osprey bringing in some eucalyptus bark to the female in the nest. I have never observed this behavior before and it was interesting to see the Osprey scraping some loose bark off the tree and bringing it back to the nest. I wonder if it just serves the purpose of nesting material, or if the Osprey is intentionally bringing in this particular bark for the oils which may have some anti-parasitic properties. In any case, it was a treat to watch this comical sight of the Osprey lugging a bundle of bark. He even dropped a piece of the bark in the river and in his determination, actually came back after dropping off the rest, dived down to grab the little piece and returned it to the nest. I got many interesting images on this particular afternoon and will share the rest of the sequence in the coming weeks.
Species: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Canon EOS R7 + RF 100-500mm IS
Settings: 1/2000s, ISO: 500, f/7.1 @800mm EFL, Handheld, Electronic Shutter
Oversized Load
Oversized Load - Male Osprey bringing in some eucalyptus bark to the female in the nest. I have never observed this behavior before and it was interesting to see the Osprey scraping some loose bark off the tree and bringing it back to the nest. I wonder if it just serves the purpose of nesting material, or if the Osprey is intentionally bringing in this particular bark for the oils which may have some anti-parasitic properties. In any case, it was a treat to watch this comical sight of the Osprey lugging a bundle of bark. He even dropped a piece of the bark in the river and in his determination, actually came back after dropping off the rest, dived down to grab the little piece and returned it to the nest. I got many interesting images on this particular afternoon and will share the rest of the sequence in the coming weeks.
Species: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Canon EOS R7 + RF 100-500mm IS
Settings: 1/2000s, ISO: 500, f/7.1 @800mm EFL, Handheld, Electronic Shutter