Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis)
Originally uploaded by Don Sausa
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis)
Location: J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel, Florida, USA.
After church, my family and I went on a Sabbath nature walk and visited the largest undeveloped mangrove reserve in the world: J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
It wasn't the right season for all of the migratory birds, but I was hoping to see at least some birds pop out.
I really wanted to capture an osprey or some sort of raptor up close and as we exited the drive-through area of the reserve, my dad saw this osprey perched on a tree.
It was magnificent! The right bird and the right lens (Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS) made this shot easy! I did some handheld and then when I saw the osprey not budging from his location, I took out the tripod.
To be honest I have lived in Florida all my life and have largely ignored the abundant wildlife that surrounded me until I started buying super telephoto lenses. With these lenses I could see them up close and personal. God created some magnificent creatures.
