Saturday, April 9, 2011

An osprey in a palm tree...

...continued from the Captiva Island posts.
...it just doesn't get any better than that!
(I still have lots of wildflower photos from Adams County, but since it's rainy, cooler and grey here again, and all the Captiva Island birds are still waiting to get out, I decided to jump back to beautiful, sunny Florida.)

The couples' favorite perch when not in the nest with the baby (one always stayed in the nest) was in this palm tree. It was located on the path to the pool.

...the two always maintained a constant chatter with each other.



...looking towards the nest.

...the view of the nest from under the palm tree.

If you read this earlier post, you know our porch looked out on an osprey nest where one little baby demanded a lot of attention. The mama and papa were almost always in communication with each other, and their constant calling back and forth was wonderful to hear. Often, one would sit in a palm tree about 300 yards away, surveying the land and making sure all was well.

19 comments:

Chad said...

What an awesome shot! What type of camera do you use! When I was recently in Florida, I tried and tried to get a good shot but had no luck!

Lois Evensen said...

Wow what fabulous shots! What great portraits! Your work is just incredibly good.

Montanagirl said...

What can I say? Absolutely "fabulous" shots, Kelly! Well done.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Kelly, this is a fabulous series of photos! Thkanks for sharing them. I can't get over those beautiful eyes....

Carol Mattingly said...

Those vivid yellow eyes are fantastic. Loving the blue skies today Kelly as the storms take over my day and yours here in the Ohio River Valley. Carol

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

Awesome photos! I saw my first osprey of the season here yesterday. Needless to say we don't have palm trees...

laurent Debordes said...

superbe

Adrienne Zwart said...

Wonderful! You are such a talented photographer. I'm wondering how close you were to the palm tree, or what zoom lens you were using.

Chris said...

WOW... The third one is very impressive with these eyes!!! But the whole set is simply fantastic!!! Well done Kelly!

Elizabeth said...

That is amazing! I especially like that you can see his tongue.

Out on the prairie said...

What a nice capture, the detail is remarkable.

Mike Whittemore said...

Wow, awesome shots!! There's nothing like seeing an osprey swooping down to catch a fish. A friend of mine in FL says they're very populated out there. Such interesting birds nonetheless!!

Elaine said...

Fantastic shots! You must have had so much fun watching these guys.

Kjell T. Evensen said...

Image #1. Can you say, "look me straight in the eyes." All of them are beautiful images.

Dawn Fine said...

Great shots! Love your wildflower photos below also!

gpc said...

What great pictures. I love ospreys! Watching them fish is just incredible.

Janice K said...

Great pictures! What amazing eyes!

Larry said...

Beautiful shots of the Osprey Kelly! My favorite, of course, would be the first photo of the bird looking right at you. I love seeing this pose of any raptor, but the Osprey, with those huge golden eyes, really makes for one awesome portrait.

Unknown said...

Another gorgeous set of photos.
They are so lovely!
And reading how they 'keep in touch' and how they care about the Babe, way cool :)