It’s possible to see hundreds of different birds at Theler Wetlands throughout the year so you never know what to expect. I go there precisely because you can see so many different birds. Still, there are days when one, particular bird takes center stage. On a recent trip, three (possibly four) Ospreys captured our attention.
We had just started our walk when Leslie spotted this Osprey across the river.
It was too far away to get a very good shot, but I was surprised when another Osprey suddenly appeared from the opposite direction
and flew so close that the biggest challenge was trying not to cut off a body part when taking a picture.
It barely glanced at us before circling over the river.
It was obvious on its second pass that it had spotted a fish,
It dropped from the sky so quickly it was impossible to keep it in frame and hit the water so hard that my Canon had a hard time figuring out what to focus on.
I would have been more disappointed if I had missed a shot of it catching a salmon, but, as it turned out, it missed its target.
We must have spent nearly a half hour observing the Osprey on this visit, but on our visit a week later we didn’t see a single Osprey.
Way cool Loren. Amazing that birds can catch fish. Their great vision must help.
Also cool: that you live in a place that affords so many birding spots
Just wonderful – have you read “H is for Hawk” by Helen McDonald? I love watching raptors mainly because I was so moved by Hopkins’s “The Windhover” … My heart, in hiding
Stirred for a bird – the achieve of, the mastery of the
Thing!”
I’ve read the Hopkin’s poem, I love Hopkins, but I haven’t read “H is for Hawk,” Chandi.
So much to read, so little time.