Thursday, March 31, 2011

Don't even think about it

On a visit to Bonita Springs last week with our daughters, I grabbed the camera and went for a stroll while the others soaked up the sun on the beach. I found many interesting subjects and will share some in future posts. On our way into the park, however, I had noticed an osprey nest high up on a pole. I found it again and stopped by to watch for a little while.

I noticed that an adult was busy tearing morsels off a fish and feeding it to a youngster down in the nest. I focused my lens on the activity and got a few shots. Then it seemed that the osprey noticed my presence and decided it had better thwart any attempt by me to climb the pole and steal its meal. Several times it spread its huge wings and gave me the proverbial hairy eyeball ! I was quickly convinced that it would be foolhardy on my part to even give it a thought !

(70-200mm  f6.3  1/800 sec  ISO200)


25 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

Hey,at least you got an amazing shot,and the bird has not been harmed.I love those massive wings.

Lisa said...

Rick amazing shot. What a beauty. !!

Our snow if melting slow , the sun shone today here in Alberta with a hight of about 6. Things are looking up.
Cant wait to see more.
Bless you and have a wonderful time with your family

Marty said...

cet oiseau est superbe et ta photo vraiment
réussie ! wonderful wonderful !!!! parfois
ces grands oiseaux volent sur la tête des
photographes et s'agrippent à leur cheveux !
c'est terrible !!! attention Rick, sois
prudent !!! bisous du vendredi matin ! K:)

Dawn said...

WOW! Every time I think I've seen the most magnificent capture...you throw me another one! Love it. Although I would have snapped once and been long gone. Did I mention before how scared I am of birds?!:)
WONDERFUL capture!

Dagmar said...

Holy smokes Rick what a true beautiful shot..gladd you didn't go for the fish.
;-) bye Dag

darlin said...

Rick, this is such a stunning shot! The clarity, color and wing span on this bird are amazing. I'm with Dawn, just when I think that you've shared the most magnificent photo you pull sometime more stunning out.

I really, really, really want a 70-200mm lens now after seeing this! ;-) Please don't buy any more lenses for about 2 years, that's when I should be able to afford to keep up with pros like you! LOL Happy shooting and thanks for sharing your amazing talent with us here.

Bitch said...

Rick,
wow! What a bird.
One has to enlarge this photo.
Nature in its best appearance..

Leovi said...

Magnificent and majestic demonstrating its power, very good shot.

magda said...

You are a souper photographer !!!
Very nice photo !!!
Greetings

Saz said...

Wow! That's a stunning shot! I absolutely love it. (:

Elizabeth Grimes said...

What an amazing sight, and perfect shot. Well done!

Scott Law said...

"Here's looking at you mister!" Definitely communicating with you here, I really like it. Can't wait to see some more.

S. Etole said...

Great shot ... and you were wise.

Tammy said...

What a great shot!

Karin / Southern Meadows said...

What a cool experience! I watched an osprey catch a brim in a lake in the NC mountains. It was amazing and strange to see it so far inland. Great photo!

Rick said...

Thank you, Ruth; I read that their wingspan can exceed 2m !

Thanks, Lisa ! Glad to hear that spring might be making an appearance, although I learned from living near Calgary that you can never take spring's arrival for granted !

LOL - merci Marty and I will be sure to watch out for one swooping down on me ;-) Have a great weekend too and 'may the bird of paradise fly up your nose' with many bisous ;-)

Ha ha Dawn - you would likely have been mesmerized too and kept on shooting ;-) Thank you - they were amazing creatures !

Rick said...

LOL Dag ! Thank you. I realized I was up against a pretty determined bird - thought it better to back off ;-)

Thank you, Darlene ! I had watched him for a while before he started doing these wing stretches and I had my camera ready. The 70-200mm really is an awesome lens and I often use the 2x extender (which gives me 140-400mm but half the light). No plans (or money) for any new lenses anytime soon :( Have a great weekend !

Spectacular isn't it Monika. Thanks for visiting and I hope your weekend is already off to a good start !

Thank you very much, Leovi !

Rick said...

Thanks, Magda ! I appreciate your visits and nice comments. A great weekend to you !

Thanks so much, Saz !

Thank you, Elizabeth - an incredible creation out there !

Yes, the communication was loud and clear - I 'got' the message ! Thanks, Scott !

Rick said...

Thank you, Susan ... it was an easy decision ;-)

Thanks Tammy !

I could have watched much longer, Karin - it was VERY cool. I've seen them near lakes back home (Ontario) which is quite far from the nearest sea/ocean; I guess they're fine as long as there are fish.

pumpkydine said...

WEll your blog title captured my interest and then I saw your photos and just had to follow. Thanks for sharing your beautiful work with others. If one is willing to look and listen, they will truly understand that all "Nature Sings". Great Blog!
Pumpkydine

Rick said...

Thanks for your kind comments, Randy ! I agree that we need to slow down, stop, really 'see' and listen - people would have a lot less stress, be less self-absorbed, and become filled with a sense of wonder about the creation and how it 'came to be' !

Soraia said...

Amazing!

Rick said...

Agradece, Soraia !

Marisa said...

Great excitement this picture.
But you where were you?

Rick said...

Thanks, Minu. I was standing below the nest just across the road - not too close ! ;-)