osprey

Alewives are fish that belong to the Herring family. They migrate from the ocean to fresh water to spawn at this time of the year. In a small, quaint town called Nobleboro in Maine (1 hour north of Portland on the coast) they converge by the millions to climb a fish ladder (only about 20 feet wide at one point) to spawn in Damariscotta Lake. The Osprey, Eagles and Seagulls have a feast with non-stop fishing.This particular Osprey will have 2 feasts. I stood ready for 2 days, with my 500m lens wailting for the moment when an osprey would dive. I took a break from the vigil and walked to another location to stretch my legs. Then it happened. This Oprey dove right in front of me and my 500mm lens, camera and tripod were elsewhere. Fortunately, I was carrying my backup camera (Canon 20D) with my 100-400mm lens and got this shot.


Description - Osprey

Occurring on every continent except Antarctica, the osprey is the one of the most widespread birds of prey. The plumage of the osprey is generally brown above and white below, with a whitish head and a dark stripe through each eye (2) (4). The wings are long and pointed and the legs are stout and heavily scaled (4). Also known as the fish hawk, the osprey exhibits several adaptations to hunting and eating fish, including dense, oily plumage, large feet, scaly soles, and a reversible outer toe that helps with carrying fish through the air (2) (4). The juvenile is fairly similar to the adult but the head is more darkly-streaked and the upperparts appear scaled with cream and pale rufous (4). There are four subspecies of the osprey, each occupying a different part of its overall range and differing slightly in size and appearance: Pandion haliaetus haliaetus, P. h. carolinensis, P. h. cristatus and P. h. ridgwayi (4) (5).

video

http://www.arkive.org/osprey/pandion-haliaetus/video-00.html