A chance encounter with an Osprey eating a fish along a lonely stretch of Fellsmere Grade Road seemed to be the perfect setup for a photo opportunity. I pulled off the side of the road with the intention of using the car as a blind. The Fish Hawk seemed relaxed to my presence so I settled in to shoot out the driver’s side window. Alas, barreling down the dirt road came a pickup truck, startling the Osprey into flight and ending my Osprey encounter with the series of photos seen here.







According to Dr. Bill Loftus, an ichthyologist with Aquatic Research & Communication, “the Osprey is eating a Gizzard Shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, the favorite prey of Osprey in that area and at Blue Cypress.”

Pandion haliaetus flying off to find a quieter place to eat.