Osprey Fish Eagle — Scottish Loch Fish Catch
48,517.55 ¥
An osprey rising from Loch of the Lowes in Scotland with a brown trout — the fish held headfirst in both taloned feet, the water cascade from the osprey’s plumage visible as a shower of droplets, the loch surface below still showing the entry disturbance.
Description
Osprey fish-catch photography requires a position anticipating the direction of the dive — the osprey circles above the water before committing to a strike in a direction determined by wind and the fish’s surface position. At Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire, an established osprey nest with habituated birds allows photography from permitted shore positions. This image was made from a tripod position on the loch shore, the osprey captured in the moment of exit from the water surface — the fish secured headfirst in both feet (the osprey’s reversible outer toe allows it to grip with two toes forward and two back, like a parrot), the water streaming from the bird’s waterproof plumage in the characteristic cascade of the exit. The trout — a brown trout of approximately 500g — is being oriented headfirst into the flight direction in the standard aerodynamic carry position. The loch surface entry disturbance is still active 0.3 seconds after the strike.
