Tag: pandion haliaetus
An Osprey In The City
I don’t get a chance with Ospreys very often and one in the city is even more unusual. (3 photos)
Yesterday’s Surprise Osprey
A surprise because it was fishing a small meandering stream instead of one of several nearby large bodies of water.
A Warbling Vireo And A Surprise Osprey Carrying A Trout
Birds were slow in the mountains yesterday but there were a couple of bright spots and one of them was totally unexpected.
A Young And Inexperienced Osprey Loses A Fish
I’m sure this juvenile Osprey worked hard for the fish but what looked to me like a rookie mistake cost it a meal.
A Huge Win For A Persistent Osprey Pair
Not only do the good guys win occasionally but this time there were more of the good guys than I originally thought there were.
An Osprey Behavioral Mystery – Any Thoughts?
An Osprey Pirouette
This female Osprey seemed stiff and less confident of her agility immediately after being relieved from many hours of nesting duty.
Osprey Changing Of The Guard
I don’t have as many Osprey opportunities as folks do back east so when I get a chance to observe and photograph their behaviors I take it.
Osprey Behavior – Something I Hadn’t Noticed Before
This past May while photographing a pair of nesting Osprey at Flaming Gorge I observed a behavior that was new to me. It’s a little thing but when added up these little things all help to fill in the big picture – a better understanding of the species.
Osprey In Flight With Trout
Just over six weeks ago I spent some time photographing a mated pair of Ospreys at Flaming Gorge in northeast Utah. At the time they were incubating eggs and they alternated time on the nest. When one of the birds was incubating the other one spent most of its time hunting, eating and preening.
Male Osprey Landing At Nest
This is the nesting pair of Ospreys I photographed at Flaming Gorge, Utah two weeks ago today. The male was coming in for a landing to relieve the female on the eggs. The dark background was a deeply shaded mountain to contrast the bird that had a little more light on it.
Ospreys In Shooting Conditions That Drove Me A Little Nuts(er)
Every bird photographer has horror stories about potentially great opportunities with birds that were ruined to some degree or another by miserable shooting conditions. Well I met my match on my recent trip to Flaming Gorge.
Flaming Gorge Osprey – An Experiment That Worked
We returned home Thursday after spending three wonderful days camping at Flaming Gorge in NE Utah. This is very close to the view we had on most mornings from our campsites (two of them), though this image was taken the morning before the Osprey photo, below. As you’ll see, the lighting conditions were dramatically different…
Flaming Gorge Osprey
The Osprey is a species that I’ve only had a handful of opportunities with but last spring I found a cooperative nesting pair at Flaming Gorge. In my mind this is a true miracle species because it has arisen Phoenix-like from the ashes of its own demise. During the 1950s-1970s their populations crashed dramatically, largely due to the effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides in the environment which caused severe eggshell-thinning and poor hatching success. But when those chemicals were banned the Osprey made a miraculous comeback and today their numbers are approaching historical highs. Part of the reason for that success has been the widespread use of artificial nesting sites. In some areas of North America, 90-95% of all nesting pairs choose these artificial sites over natural ones. The nest of this mated pair was on a pole installed for that purpose close to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, cloned out a piece of nest platform, not baited, set up or called in This is most likely the male of the pair (less conspicuous breast band) bringing a small fish in to the incubating female on the nest platform. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I believe this to be the female coming into the nest. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, canvas added, natural light, not baited, set up or called in When the male would bring its mate a fish…
-
An Osprey In The City
I don’t get a chance with Ospreys very often and one in the city is even more unusual. (3 photos)
Yesterday’s Surprise Osprey
A surprise because it was fishing a small meandering stream instead of one of several nearby large bodies of water.
A Warbling Vireo And A Surprise Osprey Carrying A Trout
Birds were slow in the mountains yesterday but there were a couple of bright spots and one of them was totally unexpected.
A Young And Inexperienced Osprey Loses A Fish
I’m sure this juvenile Osprey worked hard for the fish but what looked to me like a rookie mistake cost it a meal.
A Huge Win For A Persistent Osprey Pair
Not only do the good guys win occasionally but this time there were more of the good guys than I originally thought there were.
An Osprey Behavioral Mystery – Any Thoughts?
An Osprey Pirouette
This female Osprey seemed stiff and less confident of her agility immediately after being relieved from many hours of nesting duty.
Osprey Changing Of The Guard
I don’t have as many Osprey opportunities as folks do back east so when I get a chance to observe and photograph their behaviors I take it.
Osprey Behavior – Something I Hadn’t Noticed Before
This past May while photographing a pair of nesting Osprey at Flaming Gorge I observed a behavior that was new to me. It’s a little thing but when added up these little things all help to fill in the big picture – a better understanding of the species.
Osprey In Flight With Trout
Just over six weeks ago I spent some time photographing a mated pair of Ospreys at Flaming Gorge in northeast Utah. At the time they were incubating eggs and they alternated time on the nest. When one of the birds was incubating the other one spent most of its time hunting, eating and preening.
Male Osprey Landing At Nest
This is the nesting pair of Ospreys I photographed at Flaming Gorge, Utah two weeks ago today. The male was coming in for a landing to relieve the female on the eggs. The dark background was a deeply shaded mountain to contrast the bird that had a little more light on it.
Ospreys In Shooting Conditions That Drove Me A Little Nuts(er)
Every bird photographer has horror stories about potentially great opportunities with birds that were ruined to some degree or another by miserable shooting conditions. Well I met my match on my recent trip to Flaming Gorge.
Flaming Gorge Osprey – An Experiment That Worked
We returned home Thursday after spending three wonderful days camping at Flaming Gorge in NE Utah. This is very close to the view we had on most mornings from our campsites (two of them), though this image was taken the morning before the Osprey photo, below. As you’ll see, the lighting conditions were dramatically different…
Flaming Gorge Osprey
The Osprey is a species that I’ve only had a handful of opportunities with but last spring I found a cooperative nesting pair at Flaming Gorge. In my mind this is a true miracle species because it has arisen Phoenix-like from the ashes of its own demise. During the 1950s-1970s their populations crashed dramatically, largely due to the effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides in the environment which caused severe eggshell-thinning and poor hatching success. But when those chemicals were banned the Osprey made a miraculous comeback and today their numbers are approaching historical highs. Part of the reason for that success has been the widespread use of artificial nesting sites. In some areas of North America, 90-95% of all nesting pairs choose these artificial sites over natural ones. The nest of this mated pair was on a pole installed for that purpose close to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, cloned out a piece of nest platform, not baited, set up or called in This is most likely the male of the pair (less conspicuous breast band) bringing a small fish in to the incubating female on the nest platform. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I believe this to be the female coming into the nest. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, canvas added, natural light, not baited, set up or called in When the male would bring its mate a fish…