Osprey In Flight Portrait 2019
Pandion haliaetus
The King Eider is a rarity around here but one appeared this winter and hung out with a bunch of Common Eiders. Many birdwatchers and bird photographers came for weeks to catch a glimpse, myself included. It took me two days of standing on the beach to get this shot. On the first day, this sole King Eider stayed too far out to get a decent shot. On the second day, it swam very close to shore and I captured this photo as it climbed up on a rock.
Often, a juvenile Snowy Egret fishing in shallow waters will jump up and down and run in random directions while flapping their wings. I like photographing these birds because they provide a lot of good action shots.
This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flew into the salt marsh scattering all of the birds except the Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) either to the far remote corners of the salt marsh or completely out. The Ospreys are not afraid of bald eagles. In this photo, it appears the Bald Eagle is chasing the Osprey but it is the opposite. The Osprey is above the Bald Eagle and is shadowing it to keep it away from the Osprey nests.
Success is catching a crab. See my prior 2 postings for the dive.
Snowy Egret Shadow and Reflection
A Snowy Egret comes in for a landing in a salt marsh. The position of the egret in relation to the sun casts both a shadow and reflection onto the water.
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
This Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) took off from it's nest while It's mate sits on the eggs. It came very close to the bird blind I was in while gaining altitude.
A Great Egret (Ardea albus) moves on to another fishing spot in a salt marsh.
Snowy Egret (Egretta thule)
The wingspan of a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is 52". I shot this photo in September as the Cormorant flew below me skimming the surface of the water.
A Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) takes off directly into the setting sun.
The Osprey has a wingspread of 54-72".
A Snowy Egret (Egretta thule) glides in for landing displaying a beautiful array of feathers.
Double-creasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
It's October and to my surprise, a lone Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) flew into the salt marsh today. Normally the Ibises are here in early spring in flocks. This bird must be migrating and stopped for food. It ate ravenously all afternoon.