Fish Dinner, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

One of the largest birds of prey in North America, the Osprey is a fish-eating specialist; live fish accounting for about 99% of its diet. Barbed pads on the soles of its feet help it grip slippery fish. When an Osprey takes a large fish to its nest, it carries the fish headfirst to make it as aerodynamic as possible. . It is one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on all continents except Antarctica. For some stunning shots of osprey in action, check out thislink Osprey eggs do not hatch all at once, but instead the first chick hatches out up to five days before the last one. The older chick dominates its younger siblings, and can monopolize the food brought by the parents. If food is abundant, little aggression is seen amongst the chicks, but if food is limited, the younger chicks often starve. This is a great Link for bird identification.

The osprey is eating a garibaldi, a marine fish designates as the official state marine fish (the California golden trout is the state freshwater fish). The garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) is found in shallow waters off the Southern California coast and Mexico. When disturbed garibaldi emit a thumping sound which can be heard by divers. The garibaldi is the largest of the damselfish family (Pomacentridae); adults typically reaching 14 inches. Males build the nests, the female enters several of them and then makes her decision. The garibaldi is one of the few fish to use the same nesting site every year. I was hoping that the osprey might be the state bird, but it’s the quail; a more visible choice. Osprey are primarily seen on bridge light posts, waiting to catch a passing fish.

avene, JCG, josepmarin, danos, ktanska, ktanska, cunejo200, s_lush, jlbrthnn, xuaxo, bakes888, jwmunro, Henryk_Bilor, jmcl, Angshu, denisn72, gervaso has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

avene (12671) 2009-06-09 9:26

hi Pat,
unusual photo, but very, very powerful. the way you have framed it from the upward looking point of view and the way you have included the cloud formation that looks a little like a claw - all that works really well to create an image that seems to be filled with deadly purpose and swift motion, I like that a lot. even the look in the bird's eyes seem very intense and very focused. great shot, my compliments.

best,
Kristine

p.s. there seems to be some artifact in the sky, easy to clean though.

rodgerg (55767) 2009-06-09 10:07

Hello Pat,

A very original and very efficience POV. I like too the balalnce of the composition with the bird well located in the image. The details of this bird arise very well to the nice blue of the BG.
Best regards,
Roger

JCG (35129) 2009-06-09 11:14

Hello Pat,

An original point of view here. This sky melts about it makes me think of the sky which one sees of an orbit station in space... The bird seems to appreciate this fish to see its eye !!! The light is appreciable and offers a good relief. Glance inéressant just like the note, thank you Pat.

With all my friendships and with soon,

Jean-Charles

josepmarin (55209) 2009-06-09 11:32

Hi Pat,
Impressive low-angle shot in this capture. I like the strong effect of the osprey during his fish dinner, while he is outlined on a beautiful sky decorated with a few fantastic clouds.
A great informative note, as usual.
HLJ
Josep

danos (74518) 2009-06-09 11:34

Hello Pat,
great the view of the fish-eating specialist that is outlined perfect against the blue sky.I like the details as the clarity of the scene.Well done.

Regards,danos

ktanska (21637) 2009-06-10 0:04

Hi Pat,
Impressive angle showing the osprey against the sky. Quite a tricky exposure with strong contrasts. The sky reminds of pictures taken from a spacecraft with tiny looking clouds far below. You've left some darker spots on the top left.

cunejo200 (7281) 2009-06-10 3:41

Good morning Pat,
The pov chosen would appear like exposure may be a problem but not with your skillful tech settings. It's a very wholesome image. The blue sky with the well defined clouds really enhances the photo. Pity the tail of the osprey was not fully captured. My best regards...
Danilo

s_lush (15638) 2009-06-10 7:01

Hello Pat,
Very interesting and informative shot and the note! It is made very professionally, with perfect composition and great background. Excellent job!
Best regards,
Sergiy

jlbrthnn (79787) 2009-06-10 7:23

Hello Pat,
This image is at the same time very artistic, and also a formidable document about nature. I like the so spectacular composition with this superb sky. Light and colors are astonishing. Congratulations, and also for the note.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

xuaxo (6830) 2009-06-10 12:47

Olá Pat,
Very impressive wildlife photo!
Nice to see also that big amount of sky.
(I agree with Kristine's P.S.)
SAA,
Francisco

bona (10224) 2009-06-10 15:50

Dear Pat,

this photo is amazing. One of the greatest photos I have seen of wild birds. The blue sky increve the maginific of the photo.
Well done.
Andre

gunbud (34052) 2009-06-10 20:01

Hi Pat,
Saw a nature show on TV how hard the male osprey has to work as the female pick out a nest sight and he has to provide material for the nest and food for the family. Being in almost constant flight he is near death when the chicks fledge.
My wife predicts that I will come back as a male osprey.
That said this is a wonderful nature shot of the proud provider and his lovely filet.
Great dramatic sky backdrop to bring out this poor suffering bird.
Regards, Tom

Wahclellaspirit (3845) 2009-06-10 22:13

Hello Pat,
I have never seen an image of an OLsprey from this vantage point. It appears very odd, especially its eyes as it looks down at its prey. Strong colors and bright light makes this an excellent image, especially the red of the fish, even though many editors prefer not to show the reality of life when it comes to the survival of a species through its food supply.
Have A Great Week,
Going to the coast for a few days until Friday...Cannon Beach to Coos Bay and Charleston.
See you when we return...
Steve

Dyerco (10185) 2009-06-10 23:29

Good catch Pat.
The Osprey has red on his beak which indicates that he is eating. This was a difficult time of day to shoot and you have made the best of the exposure given the harsh light.
Phil

bakes888 (18499) 2009-06-12 23:09

Hi Pat. Excellent catch. Good sharpness and composition. I love the way you have made the most of that wonderful sky. Great note also. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

jwmunro (286) 2009-06-13 14:34

Hello Pat -

Well done! These birds are really hard to capture. I have tried and have failed miserably. My overall reaction to the scene is that something is just a bit a miss and I can not put my finger on it. I suspect that you had to open a lot of shadows to make the image work and I guess that is what I am reacting to. The harsh light is the problem. Anyway, it is an image that most of don't see on a regular basis and a well done is offered for capturing it.

Thank you for sharing.

John

pablominto (53744) 2009-06-13 22:50

Hello Pat,

An interesting wildlife presentation, accompanied by a good note!
The bird seems to be totally focused on the prey, making the image a good documentary of an aspect of its way of life...
I also notice the interesting veil of clouds in the back, framing the bird nicely!

Greetings,
Pablo -

Henryk_Bilor (20799) 2009-06-18 19:09

Hi Pat
Wow, I like this bird. He/she look at the food carefully what makes the face very serious :). Great colours and background sky.
Regards

zmey (7335) 2009-06-19 6:24

a rare encounter nowadays for sure. I like the clouds matching the white feathers of the bird: it ties the scene together well. i think, i miss the bird's tail though :)

warm regards,
kristaps

really!?? you managed to set up and USE a tripod on this one?... the bird must have been patient.

jmcl (14535) 2009-06-21 12:02

Hi Pat!

I love this. I really love the way you composed it .. with that infinite and stunning sky in so much of the frame .. really adds a whole set of thoughts to the image .. and I think few people would have done it that way .. wonderful!

hope this note finds you and yours well and if not better things are at least stable for you guys.

take care,

John

Angshu (51432) 2009-06-25 1:00

Hello Pat
From the thumbnail I had no idea!!!! Great shot from the low POV with the strange clouds in the blue sky creating a great BG for the osprey! As always your notes provides so much info & reading pleasure!
Best Regards
Angshu
PS : I'm staying on...Have made a lot of friends here & it's fun interacting. Also its one of the rare sites where you can get a constructive critique...there are only a handful. Though of course the no. of constructive critiques here would be less than a percentage!

denisn72 (8300) 2009-07-04 8:40

Hello Pat!
A great capture isn't it? The Osprey is very detailed and contrasted. Stunning and vibrant colours. The clouds are amazing and the vivid blue sky makes a incredible foreground. Original point of view too! Well done!
Best regards
Denis!

ribeiroantonio (22618) 2009-07-31 16:38

I like the way you looked up for this photo. The Ospray is a magnificent bird. For the photo, I understand the light was quite harsh but your pp worked very well and the presentation is excellent.
Antonio

gervaso (8043) 2009-09-21 11:21

Hello, Pat!

You've got a wonderful gallery, with many interesting pictures like this, which called my attention for its great POV and excellent colors! He looks really imponent there! Wonderful composition!

JovyThomas (88) 2009-09-28 13:55

Just one word- Stunning!!!

pajaran (36906) 2009-10-28 11:28

Zdravo iz Cuprije.
Covekova zelja je uvek bila da leti.
Dobar tekst.
Mocan lovac pokazan ovom fotografijom dobrih boja i odlicnog trenutka.
Sve najbolje, uspeh u radu i lep dan, Paja.