Best Osprey with Fish in One Talon

by Jeff at JSJ Photography

Title

Best Osprey with Fish in One Talon

Artist

Jeff at JSJ Photography

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

An early season Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) has a successful fishing expedition at Long Bridge Park overlooking Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC/Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia on 18 March 2016.

Migration:

American and Canadian breeders winter in South America, although some stay in the southernmost U.S. states such as Florida and California. Some ospreys from Florida migrate to South America.

The spring migration of ospreys to the DC area usually occurs in mid-March, so this one on 18 March 2017 was an early spring migration.

SECOND PLACE in the Wild Bird Feet Contest on Fine art America on 6 May 2017

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

The osprey or more specifically the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.

The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Three subspecies are usually recognized; one of the former subspecies, cristatus, has recently been given full species status and is referred to as the eastern osprey.

Migration:

American and Canadian breeders winter in South America, although some stay in the southernmost U.S. states such as Florida and California. Some ospreys from Florida migrate to South America.

The spring migration of ospreys to the DC area usually occurs in mid-March, so this one on 16 March 2017 was early spring migration.

Uploaded

March 26th, 2017

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