Osprey Fishing For River Herring
An Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) circles high above the water searching for fish. When it spots a fish, it hovers and then dives head first through the air but plunges into the water feet first getting completely submerged. In this photo, the Osprey is coming up out of the water while I wait to see if it got a herring.
After catching a fish, an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) heads back to its nest.
The Fish Hawk Flying Inbound with a Fish (Frame 40)
When I see a distant bird flying toward me while it is still a speck in the sky, I track it in hope that the bird will fly straight in giving me an opportunity for some great shots. Too often, it veers left, or right, or turns around or lands in the salt marsh too far out for a good shot. Occasionally though, a bird will come straight in. It’s a bonus when the bird is an Osprey, a double bonus when it's flying slow and low and a triple bonus when it has a fish. It becomes a jackpot when it's all the above plus a full frontal shot at treetop level and the bird flies directly overhead. I hit the jackpot just after noon when this Osprey caught this good-sized fish far out in the salt marsh. When I picked it out in the sky and started tracking it, the Osprey had just caught the fish and was gaining altitude with the fish dangling from one claw backwards (head back, tail forward). Ospreys always position a fish inflight head forward, tail back for aerodynamic efficiency. I started shooting as the Osprey repositioned the fish, grabbed it with its two claws, flew overhead and gave me 50 amazing shots.
An Osprey works hard to catch fish which comprise its entire diet. It must search for a fish, find one and then dive into the water to get it. Then upon coming up out of the water while holding onto the fish and struggling to gain altitude, it risks being confronted by another bird just waiting above to grab the fish. In this photo, the fish bandit happens to be another Osprey (seagulls are also notorious fish bandits). The Osprey on the left is coming up out of the water after diving for a fish which it missed. The Osprey on the right wants to grab the fish but hasn't seen that the other Osprey doesn't have a fish.
Osprey
An Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) comes up out of the water after catching a fish. Photographed in the spring of 2017.
This Osprey has spotted a fish in the water below and has started its dive to catch the fish.
Eye on a Fish (Click 2 of the Dive)
Yesterday I posted this Osprey in a hovering position looking for fish. There was also a link to click 1 of the Osprey's dive. This photo is click 2 of the dive. The Osprey is almost to the tree tops.
Eye on a Fish (Click 3 of the Dive)
This photo is click 3 of the dive (see previous 2 photos). The Osprey is just below the tree tops.
Eye on a Fish (Click 4 of the Dive)
This photo is click 4 of the dive (see previous 3 photos). The Osprey is about 6 feet above the water. Note the Osprey's talon. It is wide open.
It was high tide and River Herring were running up the main channel of a salt marsh. This Osprey is hovering over the water and about to execute a dive into the water for a fish.
An Osprey dives into the water to catch a fish. See my previous 4 photos of the Osprey's dive which resulted in this splash. Ospreys hover (first photo) until it sees a fish. It then dives (photos 2-4) and plunges feet-first into the water (this photo) grabbing the fish with its talons. I was disappointed not to have some part of the Osprey visible but my timing was off. Tomorrow I'll post a photo showing the Osprey coming up out of the water.
This Osprey was completing under water after diving in for a fish (see previous photo). It is working hard to surface and become airborne. A few folks have asked if the Osprey caught a fish. Tomorrow's photo will have the answer.
This Osprey was completing under water diving for a fish. It is out of the water and airborne without a fish.
The Ospreys were out this morning diving for fish. Upon catching a fish, one, two and sometimes three seagulls would collectively chase an Osprey all over the salt marsh trying to grab the fish. Once the Osprey gained some altitude, it would fly straight into the deep woods to shake the seagull(s).
It was dinner time for the Ospreys and they were out diving for fish. I didn't see this one dive. It came out of nowhere but I heard the splash to my right and this is what I got as it came up out of the water without a fish.
An Osprey coming up out of the water after diving for fish. It did not catch the fish.
After Diving for a Fish 2 (Vertical)
An Osprey coming up out of the water after diving for fish. It did not catch the fish.
Osprey Flying with a River Herring
The Ospreys (Pandion haliagetus) were out in force today diving for River Herring or Alewifes. The herring move into estuaries (a partially enclosed body of brackish water with one or more streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the ocean) and swim upstream to breed in fresh water and then swim back out to the ocean. The Ospreys are waiting for the herring as they move into and out of the estuary.
Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) dive feet-first into the water to catch a fish. In this photo, the Oprey is coming up out of the water with a fish.
As soon as this osprey (Pandion haliaetus) caught the fish, the Herring Gull (Larus hyperboreus) did everything it could to steal the fish from the osprey. They dipped, dived, twisted and turned and disappeared into the woods and the osprey still had the fish.
A Herring Gull (Larus hyperboreus) chases an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) that just caught a River Herring.