Ospreys
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Another Osprey ... it's been raining and miserable here all week so I was lucky to have a tiny bit of blue in the background here.
We had one final session this evening with the Ospreys and were lucky enough to get one final dive :-)
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
The osprey or more specifically the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.
As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Three subspecies are usually recognized; one of the former subspecies, cristatus, has recently been given full species status and is referred to as the eastern osprey.
While I highly doubt it's the case, it looks to me like the fish in this shot asked the osprey to take him somewhere -- and is going along for a fun ride while copying the expression of the bird carrying him!
Osprey with a successful catch photographed from the observation deck on Lake Hancock off of Alligator Alley Trail in Circle B Bar Reserve located in Polk County Lakeland Florida U.S.A.
The ospreys’ extensive breeding range extends to all the continents except South America (where it occurs widely in winter) and the Antarctic. The North American population declined greatly after 1947 because of the eggshell-thinning effects of DDT residues but began to recover after the pesticide was banned in 1972. Exterminated from the British Isles by 1910, the osprey reappeared there as a successfully breeding species in the 1950s and is now firmly reestablished in Scotland. Britannica
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A male Osprey flew off his nest to challenge a Bald Eagle that was flying to close for his comfort. He was very unhappy and was screeching very loud. The Eagle flew right by and ignored the Osprey.
this one did not go as planned but the next strike was successful. They hit the water somewhere between 30 - 50 mph.
Osprey 8759
He was ignoring his mate's incessant begging for food for her and the kids. He had brought a fish to them perhaps an hour before this, according to a source.
Osprey with catch gets chased by Sea Gull.
The Osprey was continually harassed by this Seagull for quite some time as the Osprey rode the updrafts in order to get higher. I managed to get a couple of hundred shots of this encounter and after a while, the Osprey landed on a rock ledge where it finally devoured its meal in peace.
Fischadler / Western Osprey / Águila pescadora / Balbuzard pêcheur /
Pandion haliaetus
Bird of prey flic.kr/s/aHsmVXK5tC
Photographed th Osprey at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park located in Homosassa Spring in Citrus County Florida U.S.A.
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This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.
for me the first time I could capture one
für mich das allererste Mal, dass ich einen fotografieren konnte
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Osprey at Circle B
From Audubon
A very distinctive fish-hawk, formerly classified with other hawks but now placed in a separate family of its own. Along coastlines, lakes, and rivers almost worldwide, the Osprey is often seen flying over the water, hovering, and then plunging feet-first to catch fish in its talons. After a successful strike, the bird rises heavily from the water and flies away, carrying the fish head-forward with its feet.