Pic of the Day

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus:  Sanibel Island Causeway; Fort Myers, Florida

    While I was photographing Sanderlings on the Sanibel Island Causeway Osprey were soaring over the water looking for their next meal.  This bird flew close enough for a shot, but I had to hand hold the camera as it was attached to my sandpan camera mount.  Fortunately the shutter speed was fast enough to get a sharp image.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/2500 second @ f/8

Pic of the Day

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus:  Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/4000 second @ f/8

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus; Sanibel Island Causeway, Florida

     The causeway that connects Sanibel Island to the mainland is one of my favorite places to shoot.  It was there that I found this Osprey perched atop a wooden sign eating its catch of the day.   I used my van as a blind and mounted the camera and lens on a window mount to get the shot. 

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1600 sec. @ f9, from van using a window mount for camera and lens.

Pick of the Day

     Osprey – Sanibel Island Causeway, Florida:  I had stopped along the causeway that leads to Sanibel Island to photograph shorebirds when I spotted this osprey had some distance away.  I turned my camera toward the bird and began tracking it in my viewfinder.  As the bird flew by it dipped into the water and snatched up a tassel of seaweed.  The photograph was taken in late winter when osprey begin their nesting activity.  This bird was gathering the seaweed to line its nest.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  

     This is one of the first images I shot in digital format.  Though I was pleased with the image, the camera did not shoot enough frames per second for bird photography.  It was not until cameras were capable of shooting at least five frames per second that I fully adopted digital imaging for my bird photography.

Nikon D70, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/2000 second @ f10,  shot hand held on beanbag while panning with the bird. 

Pic of the Day

  Osprey – Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  My first visit to the Viera wetlands was in January of this year.  I found it to be a wonderful place to shoot.  My return this March found the wetlands green and lush, but fewer birds.  Most of the ducks had moved north, and most of the Limpkins and herons seen in January had dispersed to breeding grounds. 

Even though there were fewer birds than my January visit, the last evening at the wetlands on this trip was quite productive.  Green Heron, Glossy and White Ibis, a few herons and Limpkins were quite active.   While driving around the impoundments I saw numerous osprey fishing.  I saw this osprey flying into the marsh about 500 feet from where I was standing.  It began hovering above the water looking for prey.  I quickly jumped into my van and drove toward it.  It continued to hover, then fly to a new spot and hover again as it searched for fish.  Within a few seconds I was at a good shooting distance.  I then jumped out of the van and began shooting while handholding a 300mm vibration reduction lens.  Of three shots taken, this one was tack-sharp, and captured the Osprey as it looked down into the water for a fish.  I shoot the image while standing on the running board of the van and panning with the Osprey as it flew over.  The VR lens and a fast shutter speed gave me the advantage to capture this image.

Nikon D7000, Nikor 300mm 2.8 VR lens, Digital Capture, 1/1,600 sec. @ f8

Pic of the Day

   Osprey – Sanibel Island, Florida: By the late 50’s and early 60’s the Osprey or Fish Eagle was a threatened species in grave danger of extinction. DDT, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane is a pesticide synthesized in 1874 that was used extensively during the mid 20th century. The use of the potent pesticide had a detrimental effect on birds of prey and other animal life. The pesticide worked its way through the food chain to the top avian predators such as eagles, falcons and ospreys. The pesticides ingestion resulted in the thinning of the birds eggs causing the eggs to crush under the weight of the incubating adult.
     It was Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring that cataloged the environmental impact of DDT in the United States and its threat to humans and wildlife. The book created a gigantic outcry that let to a ban of DDT in 1972. As a result birds of prey began to recover. Now, the Osprey along with many other birds of prey that were affected have made a remarkable recovery.
     This Osprey was photographed on Sanibel Island at a natural nest in an old snag as it was adding nest material. Osprey use the same nest year after year adding new material to the nest each year. Nest can become extremely large, resulting with the weight of nest eventually toppling the tree, which did happen to this nest a few years after this image was taken.
Nikon F4, Nikkor 500mm f4 with 1.4 teleconverter, Kodakchrome 64