There were two Bald Eagles perched about 500 feet (150 meters) from this branch so I was rather surprised to see a Osprey land.
I only noticed him because he had been calling as he circled around.
He didn’t stay long, made a steep drop…
then flew up the Ashley River.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 28, 2024
Another Osprey was perched with his half eaten fish.
And yes, it was windy.
He was hanging on to the fish pretty tightly, balanced on his other leg leaning into the wind.
Bio Lab Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida
December 31, 2023
Sections of Bio Lab Road are just at the edge of the lagoon. This Osprey was at the perfect spot on a fallen tree snag for me to be at his eye level with water behind him.
In the shadow beneath him was the remnants of a fish he was eating.
Check out that leg and the talons!
Attempted theft of their catch is a common occurrence for raptors, which may be why he was watching the sky.
Bio Lab Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida
December 31, 2023
I finally spotted the Osprey that had been calling, plaintively, for several minutes. By the time I raised my camera he had ducked down. The nest alone made an artsy silhouette on this grey day.
The Osprey is probably a juvenile, calling for a parent and hoping to get fed from the sound. An hour or so later he flew some laps around the area, and paused in this tree.
Then the sun came out and I saw the nest from a different angle, well placed in swamp.
August 26, 2022
Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, SC
Kiawah River, SC
June 1, 2022
It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, from a few posts ago. Turns out, working through my images from that day I had some other shots.
Here’s a wider view.
There were several Osprey flying around.
This one was watching the water but I never saw him dive.
Orlando Wetlands, Florida
April 12, 2022
It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, reminding me of a carved finial. The Osprey nest that looks like a straw hat was secondary. It was early and not much light, but there is an Osprey in the nest, the white on its head visible close to the tree trunk.
Orlando Wetlands, Florida
April 12, 2022
This Osprey was ahead of as we boated the canal at Okefenokee Swamp.
We would spot him, get just about close enough for an interesting image and off he’d go.
We repeated this series several times over an hour and never saw him fish.
April 29, 2021
The pond below this Osprey was way to shallow for him to hunt, but he seemed fascinated by something.
I moved along and got a better view, especially when he sat up.
As I rounded the corner of the pond I could hear an Osprey calling, and finally spotted him perched with a view of the pond and river beyond.
Then I saw what he was calling about: Bald Eagle on a fast approach. All the other birds I had seen as I approached were gone.
The Eagle landed a few trees over from the Osprey.
The Osprey wasn’t interested in any competition and buzzed the Eagle.
I thought the Eagle would stand his ground — but I guess he wasn’t interested in a rumble right then.
I didn’t see the Eagle again; the Osprey made a few menacing laps around the pond with his claws out, ready for something!
