Noticing the recent uptick in bird species in the neighborhood, I've been trying to capture more of them. I was at the park today and noticed this hawk scanning the pond for fish. It flew close enough for me to get this shot. Still getting used to this lens (Sigma 150-600mm) but I love it so far.
600mm
1/800
F6.3
ISO400
EOS 77D
Great shot Bruce! That looks like an osprey more than a hawk, but I could very well be wrong....if it is an osprey you should be able to get some good shots of it either catching fish or carrying fish back to its nest.
Thanks, Joey! You're right, it is an osprey. So much to learn. I did manage to get it carrying a fish. It was all of a sudden and I wasn't quite prepared so they're not the greatest shots.
If it’s anything like the ones I see it will have a pattern, figure that out and you’ll know when and where to set up for one really good shots. I got this one (along with many others) a couple of weeks ago.
AWESOME SHOOTING
Thank you!
Glad to hear that you're interested in the birds that live around you!
This is the beginning of the long Osprey nesting season, so you should have many good image-making and behavior-observing opportunities over the next few months.
The first thing to do would be to locate the nest! That nest will be the hub of all of their activity until their eggs hatch and the young are able to fly, a process which takes over two months.
Thanks, Tom! One of my first thoughts was to find the nest, but I'm not quite sure how to go about that. I assume it will be close to the water. Two months should give me plenty of time.
Do they normally take their catch back to the nest to eat before their eggs hatch?
Before hatching, no, not usually.
But ospreys make nests in obvious places, with no attempt to conceal or hide them. They are huge structures made of hundreds of sticks (and often pieces of string or baling twine) that are on structures like trees or atop telephone poles or manmade nest structures anywhere from 25 feet above the ground to 60 feet above the ground.
Neither parent seems to wander too far from the nest, as the nests are always within easy reach of water. They eat fish exclusively, hence are almost never far from water.
If you just watch one of the Ospreys for a while, it will undoubtedly lead you to the nest.
Huge nest! Should be able to find one easily. I'll go out looking this weekend.