Osprey with half fish!

[arash_hazeghi]

Got this with Al, Fabs and Axel. Wish the fish was whole but these guys don't like the head!!!



5DMKII 500f/4, f/4 1/2000sec ISO 400. tones downed the a bright branch in BG.

[Ann Fiske]

I do enjoy your photos Arash! Looks like you nailed this one. I like the tail down and slight angle of the bird, and of coarse the fish. Compositions great for me, some might say too tight.

Ann

[Thanaboon Jearkjirm]

Looks sharp, very fine details, good exposure and the very good wing up position. Love the soaring up with the fish look in this one. TFS.

[Harold Davis]

bird looks great and the half a fish is a nice addition. raised wings..perfect! BUT, the bird has gotten past you here. i think 3-4 frames before this one would have been better. :)

[Ricardo Rodriguez]

Hi Arash, very nice. FYI in an informal survey I did a few weeks ago based on the postings in BPN in April and the beginning of May, about half the images of ospreys with fish have a whole fish.

I'd suggest cropping a bit from the top.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Arash, very nice. FYI in an informal survey I did a few weeks ago based on the postings in BPN in April and the beginning of May, about half the images of ospreys with fish have a whole fish.

I'd suggest cropping a bit from the top.

That's cause people prefer to post images with whole fish.
In real world we saw that out of every 10 osprey with fish, one has whole fish :) Only males keep the head for display to females when the get a big one!!!

[Alfred Forns]

.. that might even be a low percentage :) That head comes right off and its difficult finding one with an entire fish !!!

I like it as presented and the room around the bird seems just right. I'm sure it will vary a bit with taste !! Position wise I do not have an objection at all with this one but a few frames before would have been optimal. Normally those frames have strange wing positions so you take what you have !!! Very fine image !!

... thinking of grabbing one of mine a rebuilding the head with fish of my choice ... say a shark's head :D:)

[Lance Peters]

Excellent Arash - I'd take this anyday :)
Works for me!! Couple of frames before?? Sure if the wing position was as good.
No head on the fish doesn't worry me - its how it is!!

Like AL's idea - of PS a head on - how about a Cute Bunny Rabbits??

[Don Lacy]

Wish the fish was whole but these guys don't like the head!!!

Actually they love the heads it is the first thing they eat as soon as they get to a perch:)
Wonderful image as presented.

[Dave Leroy]

Very good looking photo.

I really like the exposure on the whites.

Even the far wing has some detail, quite a bit of dof at f/4.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Don

That is what I used to think... they actually cut it off since they don't like it. Jim Neiger gets a ton of fish heads from ospreys dumping in his yard :)

[Ricardo Rodriguez]

Hi Arash, I haven't observed osprey behavior that much so I appreciate your real world "osprey with whole fish" percentage info (10%), which is way lower than my informal survey's result ( about 50%). Your explanation for this discrepancy leads me to conclude that many people consider a headless fish as an image killer in an otherwise acceptable osprey image (you're obviously not in that group of people; neither am I). I was not aware of that fact, so thanks for sharing it.

[Don Lacy]

Hi Don

That is what I used to think... they actually cut it off since they don't like it. Jim Neiger gets a ton of fish heads from ospreys dumping in his yard :)

Interesting I have watched them tear into and devour the head on more then one occasion. I guess different birds have different taste or maybe it has something to do with the species of fish.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks guys, I have 4 frames before this, 3 are deletes due to awkward pancake wing position! one is good I will post later

Regarding Osprey behavior, Al is right, I also thought they like the head so they eat it, but when you think about it it is not easy to swallow the head in flight, but easy to chop it off with beak and throw away!!! Jimmie Neiger gets them in his back yard. Maybe some behavioral expert can chime in

[Jim Neiger]

Interesting I have watched them tear into and devour the head on more then one occasion. I guess different birds have different taste or maybe it has something to do with the species of fish.

They eat the eyes and cheeks and then discard the rest. The heads I find in my yard have very little meat on them.

[Don Lacy]

They eat the eyes and cheeks and then discard the rest. The heads I find in my yard have very little meat on them.

I consider the eyes and checks to be part of the head:) As a fisherman those are the only edible parts of the head and the checks are the best part of a fish like a tenderloin steak.