Osprey

Nice aerial shot Luke- love the eye contact.

I like the wing angle in this shot Luke and the appearance of the Ospey coming towards the viewer. Do you get a lot of Osprey in the NE? I hardly see on out here. Anyway, nice work!

Hi Luke,

I like this and find it to be nicely composed. Don't fall into the trap that I allowed myself to slip into for quite some time and feel pressure to be "creative". Enjoy the opportunity to take these wonderful images of nature and then share them.

Peter

Kurt,

Yes we get a lot of Ospreys in my neck of the woods. Long Island is perfect for these bids as there is water all around between the ocean, bays, sound, rivers and ponds. In fact, Long Island was at the forefront of the ban on DDT and is the birthplace of the Environmental Defense Fund whose founders include Dennis Puleston (a fascinating man worth googling) and Charles Wurster a professor at my alma matter SUNY Stony Brook. Pulestone was an avid birder and the Osprey was his favorite so when their numbers began to dip he started researching why. An earlier study by other Long Island scientists had suggested it was DDT and while the first effort didn't get far, it inspired Rachel Carson to look further and she of course published the famous book "Silent Spring". The EDF got DDT banned in local Suffolk County and eventually the state and finally in the US.

As part of the effort to increase Osprey numbers and bring them back to the island, man-made platforms have been erected pretty much near every wetland on the island, and birds have begun nesting along telephone poles and cell towers because most of the platforms are full. It's rare to find a nest in a tree but there are a few areas where they can be found. I found this giant nest along the beach at a place called Robins Island which has no Osprey predators (raccoons and fox).

- Luke

I would love to get an image like this, they are not that common in the UK although numbers are increasing. A nice gliding pose and detail is excellent on the underparts of the wings. Shows up well against the blue sky, another thing that is not too common in the UK. Graham

Luke,
I like your composition with the diagonal line of the wings and the look of the osprey coming toward you. Really nice!

Nice head on shot. I like the details and pose.

This looks great to me, Luke. The bird contrasts so well with the background that it looks like he's coming right out at us!

I was going to post an Osprey shot but between you and Ron I think that I will not embarrass myself just yet.
Very nice comp and eye contact!!

Dan

cool angle, Luke. I like the head-on look and the comp.

Looks like he is looking right at you, good job in getting this in flight shot.