Fishers Island Conservancy Photo Contest 2021
Remembering this Day
When I first saw the yellow signs on South Beach alerting me to the nesting areas, I had a simple goal: I wanted to see a Piping Plover. Without the Conservancy raising my awareness (and curiosity!), my photographic adventures would have never started.
I’m so glad that so many people liked my Osprey photo, and since a few people have asked me about the story behind that photo, I thought I would share it with you along with other photos I took documenting the experience. Without question, “photography-wise,” this was the best five or six minutes of that summer.
One evening, I was sitting on South Beach, photographing this lovely ruddy turnstone perched on a large boulder in the evening light.
Although I never saw it, given my eye was glued to my camera, I heard a loud splash and realized that just 25 yards to my left, an Osprey had dove into the water. I immediately swung my camera around because it was clear the fish s/he had in its talons was large. The waves lifted the bird, and its wings provided buoyancy as it prepared to lift its catch.
S/he made repeated efforts to pull the fish from the water but never got the fish more than halfway out.
During this time, the waves were washing the bird closer to me; I felt the bird was looking directly at me now, both surprised to see me and sharing with me its predicament, “What am I going to do here?” and “What are you doing here?”
As s/he was trying to re-muster its energy, the bird floated in the water, its wings outstretched and began to ride the surf nearer and nearer to shore.
The Osprey and I were equally surprised when a wave cast it upon the rock, and with one hearty flap of its wings, it “landed” the fish onto the rock.
S/he made efforts to conceal the fish under its wings and was so tired the bird didn’t move, content with its newfound resting place
I was confident s/he would now be able to regain its strength and finally take flight with its hard-fought catch. However, much sooner than I expected, it once again tried to take flight and this is when I shot the photo I submitted for the contest.
The next photo in this sequence captures the bird’s forward wing motion range. One more push to secure the fish away from the lapping waves.
What I hadn’t realized at the time, though, was the reason it made this hasty departure from the rock was that a Greatblack-backed wing gull had spotted the osprey and was flying in to steal the fish. The osprey didn’t put up a fight, let the fish go, and banked quickly away from the attacking gull.
I have to say I was a bit surprised the mighty Osprey was so easily intimidated. Perhaps s/he was too exhausted to defend itself and hold on to the fish longer.
After a quick “rinse cycle” (twisting its head more than 180 degrees to rid its feathers of water…
…the Osprey gave me one final departing shot.
An unforgettable evening from that summer had come to an end.
The Least Tern
The Fishers Island Conservancy published a series of photos of Terns and their mating rituals. Click on the image below to read the story and see the images on their website.
