Ospreys

When I decide to try bird photography I quickly learned that ospreys are good subjects for beginners; they're big, tolerate human presence, fly around a lot, and are common along the East Coast. My first opportunity to shoot them was during a recent trip to Florida. I went to Gasparilla Island to relax on the beach for a while, hoping for some shots of ospreys. While there were loads of seagulls, the only ospreys I could find at the beach were camped out far away on the pillars of a ruined pier. I gave up and left, only to see several flying low over the exit road. I pulled over and started shooting. Boy are they chatty. This is probably the best shot I go of the three birds flying around, sometimes right over my head too close to shoot with my telephoto.


Osprey in Flight

One of them settled in a tree for a few minutes, just holding on to a fish. I slowly approached to try to get close enough to get a decent shot. Eventually I got this one of the bird looking right at me.

Osprey Standing On a Fish

It flew away, circled and landed again in a different spot.

Osprey Landing

It didn't sit long. It circled around a lot, sometimes looking at me as it passed close overhead.

Osprey in Flight With Fish

Another day while in Florida, I visited Honeymoon Island near Tampa. I'd read there were lots of ospreys there. It doesn't get any easier photographing birds. They were everywhere.

Osprey

The close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the protected waters of the sound make for lots of food for these birds.

Ospreys with Dinner

Since that trip I've seen ospreys at Mason Neck and Conowingo and Burke Lake. While it's poorly-exposed and at the limit of my lens' capability, I like this one of a bald eagle confronting an osprey at Burke Lake.

Bald Eagle Confronts Osprey

And one more in flight shot, this time from Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Osprey in Flight

So what have I learned about ospreys:

• They're big enough to be easy targets.
• They tolerate close approach by people.
• Here in Northern Virginia they can be found in the Spring and Summer near the Potomac River on just about any dead tree or pole near or in water.
• Their light-colored bodies and minimal dark feathers make it easy to expose properly.

In short, they're great birds for easy photographic work.