blp shabash 430x45
Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

  • You are here:  
  • Home
  • Show Image

Osprey

Osprey (Image ID 43785)
Photographed byJim Schultz on Sun 6th Dec, 2020 and uploaded on Tue 8th Dec, 2020 .
Resolution1800x1031
Viewed332
ID43785
CommentImage specific:
I was in the process of photographing a large flock of resting Australian Pelicans at Island Point in perfect morning light, and I had set up my focusing sensors accordingly to the left of centre and up high as well, to avoid interfering background; I also had a small aperture set for a large depth of field and was locked into manual focus. Suddenly an angry call came from what I knew to be an Eastern Osprey, and I flicked the camera into auto focus and scanned the shoreline with my lens over the treetops to locate the raptor. In flew two ospreys, one in hot pursuit of the other, and I had no time to re-adjust my camera sensors. Even so, one of the sensors caught, and I managed 8 or 10 shots in quick succession, before it was all over. This was the better one of the lot, of which only 3 or 4 were plausible.
GENERAL:
Previously, the globally occurring Osprey had four subspecies recognised worldwide. However, recent studies have identified but two species of Osprey: the Western Osprey (P. halietus) with three subspecies found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and the Eastern Osprey (P. cristatus) occurring between Indonesia, Australia and New Caledonia. Eastern Ospreys are found right around the Australian coastline, but for the Tasmanian one. The species is quite common around the WA coastline, especially at rocky shorelines, islands and reefs, but it is uncommon in densely populated parts of Victoria, and there are only a few records from inland areas. A breeding pair of osprey will re-use the same nest year after year, and these nests may become huge in time. The Eastern Osprey primarily feeds on fish, which it most often snatches from the water, talons stretched forward; however it will take birds, lizards and carrion. Island Point Reserve, Harvey Estuary, WA; GPS. Status (2016): Least Concern
[Moderator's note: lower bird is male, with clean white underparts; upper bird is female, with brown "necklace".]
EquipmentNikon D850
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f4G ED VR
Technique: Camera rig support: Gitzo GT3543XLS Tripod, Dietmar Nill gimbal tripod head; standing under tree at shoreline
Exposure Mode: MANUAL 1/1600 sec at f10; ISO-320. Metering Mode: Center-Weighted; Focus Mode: AF-C Low & AF Area Mode: Dynamic, 9 points. VR: Off
Nikon ViewNX-i for viewing and selecting files; Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw/CC 2020 for resizing and cropping to 150%, selective sharpening and general post-processing inclusive of pedantic removal of halos; Topaz Pro plug-in DeNoise was used for mild blanket sharpening and moderate noise control. ‘Australian Bird Guide 2019’ for species distribution confirmation, supplementary data and colour checks
LocationIsland Point, Harvey Estuary, Western Australia
Keywordsmale, female, in flight, adult, behaviour/display
You already have an outstanding request to download this image for non-commercial purposes. You may cancel this request by clicking on the button below and waiting for confirmation that your request has been noted. When you have selected all the images that you require, go to 'My Download Requests' (under Photo Gallery) and submit your request by clicking 'Edit/Submit' and filling out the details. You will be advised of the result by email. Note that cookies MUST be enabled for this to work.
You may request download of this image for non-commercial purposes. A request that meets the usage rights of this image will be automatically approved; a request that does not meet the usage rights will be refused, but may (at the Download Manager's discretion) be referred to the photographer. The usage rights of this image are: Any non-commercial educational or conservation use by any requestor, excluding personal use. For further details of image usage rights, see here. Request the image by clicking on the button below and waiting for confirmation that your request has been noted. When you have selected all the images that you require, go to 'My Download Requests' (under Photo Gallery) and submit your request by clicking 'Edit/Submit' and filling out the details. You will be advised of the result by email. Note that cookies MUST be enabled for this to work.
Previous19045/19449 in Main LibraryNext
Previous134/169 by Jim SchultzNext
Previous191/195 of OspreyNext
Previous191/195 of OspreyNext
Previous26440/27424 OverallNext
Use the arrows at the left and Right hand side of this page to display the Next/Previous photographs in that group, or click on one of the blue links above to start a slide show in that group (group slide shows are only allowed if there are less than 1000 images in the group).

CONTACT US

The easiest way to contact us is by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Our People page, in the About Us section, contains email links to each of the committee members.