Crazily busy but don’t want to break the ‘every Friday’ record so here are some Osprey portraits that make me glad I’m not a fish. Disclosure: these are the only images I’ve posted that do not meet the wild criteria for lirralirra; they were taken at a sanctuary.
Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus)
Osprey are majestic birds that can be seen worldwide including around the Australian coastline, on offshore islands and in some wetlands. They are about 60cm, 1.25kg and have a massive and beautiful wingspan of over 1.5 metres.
Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus)
Osprey eat live fish which they often take from the surface but can also dive. They have oily wings to prevent them from becoming saturated when the dive which means they do not have to dry their outstretched wings like cormorants and darters have to.
Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus)
I think Osprey are a striking species, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus)
The image above shows the Osprey’s fingered wings, underwing markings and details of the chest band. Its strong legs are clearly capable of lifting fish from the water and tearing them apart.
Osprey often use the same nest for many years, one day I’d love the opportunity to sit on the banks of a river and watch them hunt.
Happy birding, Kim
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