Osprey

Gallery: AvianPosted September 2, 2011190 views14 comments

When I got my boat there were several species of birds and several shots of these species that I had in my mind to go after. Shots I always wanted to get but knew I never would get without a boat. The first of these was a snail kite lifting a snail. I achieved that goal this past spring. Another image I had in my minds eye was a shot of an osprey diving, but not just any dive shot. Well, I went after that image this morning and I may have achieved this goal as well. I will leave that up to you as you critique it.

However, I also had many other opportunities with feeding ospreys this morning, so I think I will post a series and leave my favorite shot until the last. I hope you don't mind osprey shots.

This bird had just spotted a fish it wanted and was in the process of "flipping over" to start its dive. Some people may not like that you cannot see an eye very clearly. However, this bird is completely on its side and looking back and down, and you can see just enough eye for it to work very well for me. To me this shot is about the bird's position and contortion.

Please view the larger image for max detail. Thanks.

Canon IDM4
500mm f/4 + 1.4x TC
ISO 1000
1/2500s
f/5.6
Manual exp.
Hand held from my boat
62% of FF
not baited

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on September 2, 2011 at 5:05 PM

Ron: For a moment, I was confused on a headless bird! Wonderfully conceived and executed. The entire osprey is sharp and you caught a grand pose. I really like the hint of its eye in this image. Exposure and comp are top notch as usual.

As good as this is, I think this would work better in an image sequence which shows the entire dive (not sure if you can post that here, though).

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 2, 2011 at 5:07 PM

Govind, nope, can't post more than one image at a time. The rest of the dive is coming in the next few posts. I hope you can wait.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on September 2, 2011 at 7:08 PM

Very nice! The head position tells much of the story here for me, making it obvious that the Osprey is not just cruising by.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on September 2, 2011 at 7:22 PM

I agree that it's all about the unusual pose here Ron, very nice.
Technical side looks great, looking forward to the sequel

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Darren McKenna on September 2, 2011 at 7:35 PM

Ron you got a beauty here, I like the wing position and although this composition would be better with a better head angle. Having said that I do like the fact that the Osprey is looking at it's next meal. Wonderful image.

Registered on October 28, 2008, 31 Posts, 214 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 2, 2011 at 7:55 PM

Just a bit of clarification on this image. This bird is not flying straight over my head and thus in level flight. It is out in front of me and is in what I call knife edge flight; wings straight up and down perpendicular to the water. Just wanted to make sure people understood the position of the bird. Cheers.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on September 2, 2011 at 8:08 PM

Ron,
This position is one that works for me. Looks like a juvi with the orange eye. Love the contorted look of the body pre - dive mode. Nice sky color, great exposure and lighting. Really good sharpness and feather detail. The composition is perfect as you have the bird flying towards the right side but looking back over the shoulder as if to go toward the left side so the slightly off center towards the left really works. Love osprey images so I'm looking forward to the series. If it's anything like the kite series we are all in for a treat. We don't have the snail kites here and I think it is now my favorite bird.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 2, 2011 at 8:59 PM

I would love to see the sequence as well, but I will wait. Expert catch of a deliberate moment.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 3, 2011 at 12:35 AM

Awesome display and story-telling Ron! Love the com, detail, light and action.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on September 3, 2011 at 2:46 AM

Excellent Ron, nice depth of colour with cracking detail.

TFS
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM

Makes me neck hurt.. owwwww
Excellent pose - definitely unique. Your usual fine detail and perfect techs.
Great to be able to conceive a shot and then actually make it come true. Achieving these goals is rewarding - but be sure to always have others in mind to strive for . How about a shot like this with a fish - that should be challenging enough.

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on September 3, 2011 at 7:26 PM

Wow. I rarely know what else to say about your images. I like the birds intent look.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on September 4, 2011 at 12:09 PM

Ron,
I really like the "knife edge flight" pose you caught here. Different and excellent shot.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on September 5, 2011 at 9:25 AM

Ron, I'm a little late on viewing these (wrong order), but I enjoy this one as much as the dive photo! I love this pose and your details are You amaze me with your talent for these flight shots. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments