Juvenile Osprey early flight training
I've been watching a nest with three juveniles. I saw one make what I'm pretty sure was its first tentative flight on July 5, lifting straight above the nest for a few feet. Then the next two days, I didn't even see tentative wing exercises. Then yesterday, with a nice SW breeze, two of them were exercising, feeling the wind in their outstretched wings, and then made liftoffs, straight above the nest for several feet. One made it up to what looked like 6-7 feet. Then right back down to safety.
Judging by the slight difference in breast feathers, this is the male, the same one that made the supposed "first flight" three days previously. Note the female observing in the lower left. She had flown 10 minutes before.
The weather is very cloudy and rainy for the next two days so I may not go out again until Saturday. By then they may have done their first cross-country and qualified for their pilot's licenses. Hope I don't miss too much!!
Canon 7D2, 300mm f/2.8 IS + 1.4X III, handheld. M exposure, ISO 800, 1/2500, f/6.3. Very little needed in LR; into PS for darkening the highlights on the left wind (layering a different conversion) and a masked Curve to lighten the shadow area on the side. Cloned out one OOF twig coming into the bottom of the frame on the right, and cropped to 70% of full frame.
Reply With Quote
