There’s an Osprey nest not too far from here that gets used every year, much to my delight. I was lucky last season to get this shot of what I interpreted as competition for the use of the nest. D500, Nikon 2-500 lens, 1/2500th, f/7.1, 500mm, ISO 250, hand held, AI Clear
Great title, Dave. Good news is that those talons aren’t in fighting mode, at least not yet. And your assessment may be correct. That’s an interesting nest setup. I’ve seen a number of platforms constructed in south Florida.
Hi Dave: Great action on the 2 Ospreys. The poses tell a very nice story.
The image as presented is underexposed and has a blue cast. (I know I keep mentioning color casts… Guess it was all those years in a color darkroom doing portrait printing). Anyway, here’s a version that removes the blue cast and brings back the whites in the ospreys.
Keith
Man, that’s what was needed, alright. Really popped it. Thanks!
Great interaction in this one, Dave. Keith mentioned and adjusted the color cast. To my eye, the composition would work better with a bit more canvas on the left and just a sliver more on top
Really nice action captured Dave. Nice eye contact with the incoming bird. I like Keith’s repost and agree with Dennis’ composition suggestion.
Great moment…makes me wonder what happened in the frames that followed! Agree with all recommendations thus far, and the now whiter feathers and the canvas stretch. My only wish is that the head of the nested Osprey’s head wasn’t merged with his wing in order to see his facial expression better. Great capture…you gotta take what you get with this situation and you got quite a gesture!
Jim
I shot a bag full of their fighting two mornings in a row. I looked up what came after the shot above and I don’t have any more from that moment but it probably looked something like this that was taken at the same nest the next morning. I counted as many as six fighters at one point and blood was getting drawn. Not real sure if it was nest ownership competition or just boys will be boys competing for a girlfriend. Documentary shot only here but take a look:
Excellent action shot, much improved by the color cast correction. This is a moment in time so you get what you get and there’s always another shot.
