Juvenile Osprey

[Paul Merritt]

We went to the Outer banks of North Carolina this year and I had the good fortune to come upon an Osprey nest with two chicks and the Mom. I spent more than 16 hours over 4 days watching the nest and taking many pictures. When the two young ones left the nest for the first time they perched in a tree directly above my position. Here is one of the images from when they first landed in the tree.

40D 400mm w/1.4 TC Av Mode ISO 400 1/125 sec f/8.0
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/Airedale1/OBXosprey3.jpg

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Good-looking specimen and soft light. I would sharpen the bird more and give it more room. The branch behind the bird's head is a bit distracting.

[Arthur Morris]

A handsome young bird and a good EXP but too many branches for me... Sharpening the pupil (by darkening it) and lightening the iris (both using Quick Masks) would make the image look brighter and less foreboding...