Osprey
The osprey is 2–5 lb in weight and 20–26 in in length with a 4 to 6 foot wingspan. The upperparts are a deep, glossy brown, while the breast is white and sometimes streaked with brown, and the underparts are pure white. The head is white with a dark mask across the eyes, reaching to the sides of the neck. The irises of the eyes are golden to brown, and the transparent nictitating membrane is pale blue. The bill is black, with a blue cere and the feet are white with black talons. A short tail and long, narrow wings with four long, finger-like feathers, and a shorter fifth, give it a very distinctive appearance. The sexes appear fairly similar, but the adult male can be distinguished from the female by its slimmer body and narrower wings. The breast band of the male is also weaker than that of the female, or is non-existent, and the underwing coverts of the male are more uniformly pale. It is straightforward to determine the sex in a breeding pair, but harder with individual birds. The juvenile osprey may be identified by buff fringes to the plumage of the upperparts, a buff tone to the underparts, and streaked feathers on the head. During spring, barring on the underwings and flight feathers is a better indicator of a young bird, due to wear on the upperparts.
All of the photographs on this page were taken in June and July 2020 out behind my house in South Pasadena, Florida during the CoVid-19 stay at home period.
I still use my old (2009) Nikon D300 with a Nikkor 70-300 lens. These are taken early in the morning from my 10 foot kayak.
2. Male osprey sitting on a branch.
3. Cropped photo of the above to show off his feathering.
4. Younger male osprey eating a fish.
5. Male osprey intently viewing water.
6. Osprey bringing home breakfast.
7. Osprey bringing home breakfast.
8. Female osprey drying off.
She had just gone after a fish and missed.
9. Two male osprey enjoying the early morning.
Jim is on the left and John on the right.
10. John.
11. John decided to leave.
12. Jim also left.
13. Another shot of John.
An Osprey taking a bath (maybe he missed a fish?).
1. Into the drink!
2. Struggling
3. Floating
4. Getting his wings up and out of the water.
5. Paddling along using his wings.
6. Still paddling.
7. Those powerful wings get him up!
8. And off he goes.
9. Shaking the water off.
10. And another shake.
11. Return to a perch mostly dry.
12. On the lookout.
13. Who are you looking at?
14. Good morning 8-6-2020
15. Good morning 8-11-2020
16. Good afternoon 8-14-2020
17. Good afternoon 8-14-2020
18. Good morning. 8-15-2020
19. Good morning 8-15-2020
20. Good morning 8-18-2020
21. Getting ready to fly 8-18-2020
22. Good morning 8-18-2020
23. Two, male is the smaller on the left. 8-26-2020
24. Letting the cool air in.
25. About to take off.
26. Who are you?
27. Wet from hurricane Sally.
28. Settling in for breakfast.
29. Blue striped grunt for breakfast.
30. Breakfast
31. Tip toe in the oyster bar.
32. I thought there was something there, but nothing!
33. Look at those talons!
34. Portrait
35. Now there is “artsy”.
36. “I am hiding, you cannot see me.”
37. Waiting.
38. Posing
39. It looks like fall colors – before dawn.
40. Rain rain go away.
41. Rain rain, come again another day.
42. Just hangin’
43. Start
44. Wings up high.
45. Wings catching air, getting airborn.
46. And off, a little starboard.
47. On the way.
48. Straightened out.
49. End of power stroke.
50. Why does the osprey sit on the oyster bar? They do not eat there.
51. This osprey stayed at the oyster bar too long…the tide came in.
52. Hey Frank, your mom called, you need to go home! Get out of that water!
51. Up in the tree hanging out.
