The fish was still alive! And the osprey was doing that thing the birds of prey often do with their wings to shield/hide what it has in its talons.
I got the impression the osprey was waiting for it to give up the ghost before having it's lunch!
This photo was taken on August 5, 2005 in Sanibel, Florida, US.
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Comments and faves
idlelight (95 months ago | reply)
Amazing shot, good for you! My ospreyshots are always so far off, great close-up!
mimbrava (95 months ago | reply)
Wonderful capture, both.
CaptPiper (95 months ago | reply)
Wow! What a Nat.Geo. Shot!
... has left the building [deleted] (95 months ago | reply)
Bon appetit, Mr. Osprey!
Amazing how close you got to the diner, Ken!
HelenJr (95 months ago | reply)
How do you do it?
Auntie K (95 months ago | reply)
He spotted his breakfast! Terrific camera work and timing. Great photo!
*CA* (95 months ago | reply)
Oh, excellent capture of a beautiful bird AND behavior.
Today is a good day (95 months ago | reply)
:-) to everyone!
Helen - how?? Well - 300mm lens and cropped (so I wasn't that close) - oh and I airbrushed out a branch that annoyed me on the left hand side.
And....I stood in the sawgrass for 20 minutes being bitten to death!!! :-)
lawatt (95 months ago | reply)
incredibly good catch! (both the fish and the image)
eclectic echoes (95 months ago | reply)
Great catch. As you can tell from my stream I love these birds.
gracedreamer (95 months ago | reply)
something smells fishy, a great shot. Do you see many ospeys in your area?
mary04 (95 months ago | reply)
Very good shot !!
Today is a good day (95 months ago | reply)
There seem to be many Ospreys here on Sanibel.
On West Gulf beach there are a few trees that they use as perches and 50% of the time there is one there - not always with a fish though! :-)
algo (95 months ago | reply)
Enormously Impressive. Patience rewarded. This is so well captured - hand held 300mm?
(LuckyLuckyLucky: don't tell anyone - I was experimenting with in-camera flash - oh the shame of it .....)
lawatt (95 months ago | reply)
re: furry friday -- a tradition started at fotolog, way back when, of posting pictures of pets or other creatures on friday, to celebrate "furry friday" -- hence you'll still see an upsurge of photos of cats and dogs and etc. on most fridays...
have a great weekend! I've got races tonight, tomorrow AND sunday... should be a bit crazy
Garnite (95 months ago | reply)
This is just great. The wing thing they do is to hide the prey from bigger birds, and is called "mantling". Wonderful shot, perfect clarity.
Today is a good day (95 months ago | reply)
Jim - thanks for explaining about mantling...I've seen other birds of prey do this but first time with an Osprey.
Wolfy (95 months ago | reply)
Great catch of nature at work.
el viejo and Buntekuh added this photo to their favorites.
Buntekuh (95 months ago | reply)
Wow! Fantastic capture!
ch173_p3pp3r added this photo to her favorites. (95 months ago)
ch173_p3pp3r (95 months ago | reply)
Interestingness brought me to you today. :-) You're a terrific photographer from what I've seen so far...
and comments from familiars. (hey ya'll!)
Positive message you're emitting
Cheers
hockadilly (95 months ago | reply)
Ospreys are really rare here in Scotland, I've never seen one . Thanks for sharing this brilliant shot.
martytdx added this photo to his favorites. (95 months ago)
Sparkyfaisca (94 months ago | reply)
today is a great photo
SouthernBelladonna and tarotastic added this photo to their favorites.
tarotastic (94 months ago | reply)
What an amazing capture. I really like how it is hiding the fish with its wings! Never seen that before!
ImageInnovation Photography (93 months ago | reply)
Majestic.
Jaap Keller, K-Rust, suzette vida, and graymankin added this photo to their favorites.
webted (60 months ago | reply)
Great catch...!
webted (60 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Bird with prey, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
leptailurus added this photo to their favorites. (26 months ago)
Maine Grandma (4 weeks ago | reply)
Gorgeous, gorgeous photo!