Osprey in Flight
“Big Fish” – Indian River Lagoon – Ron Bielefeld – Featured Photographer
I have seen dozens of osprey catching fish images, but this one is unique. The trout is huge compared to the osprey. You would think it was too heavy or that it could shake loose. Also, the osprey is not holding the fish very aerodynamically. It would act as a big sail that would really make the bird’s job a lot tougher. Read Ron’s account below to see if he made it back to the nest with his fresh catch. Then view some more amazing bird photography from Florida on Ron’s website www.whistlingwingsphotography.com
Enter Ron:
I have lived along the Indian River Lagoon in east Florida for almost 20 years and watched as the osprey population steadily grew over that period. Basically, living with these birds for that long a period of time I had grown to really appreciate their beauty and their fishing ability. They are master anglers. I had witnessed many times their ability to catch, life out of the water, and then fly large distances with huge fish. My goal was to showcase this ability by capturing it in an image. I spent almost a full week with this goal in mind. During this period I captured many ospreys carrying fish, and finally I was in the right position at the right time with great light to capture this male bringing a huge spotted sea trout back to its nest and waiting mate. It truly was an amazing sight to see this osprey fly with this fish and the relative ease at which it managed the task. I continue to photograph these wonderful birds realizing they are now fairly abundant, but at one time not so long ago they were very scarce. I truly hope we will always have an abundance of ospreys to watch fly and fish, but know we cannot ever take such things for granted. Conservation is key.
Camera settings:
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
ISO 320
1/2000s
f/ 6.3
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