Eric Orkin

It is a commonly held belief that once ospreys snag a fish in their talons, they cannot release their prey until out of the water and on a firm base.  Clearly an osprey has to exercise good judgment in picking its next meal.  There are stories of osprey fighting a fish across the surface of the water onto dry land to save its own life.

Here I captured just such an encounter, but with a twist.  There were two dolphins in the neighborhood that were attracted to the commotion and stole the fish from the osprey as it appeared to be losing the battle to keep from drowning. Actually, it looks like the osprey may have gone against common wisdom and opened his talons on his own.  Given that it occurred just as the dolphins appeared on the scene, it is difficult to tell what actually occurred.

About the Images

These images were taken with a Nikon D300 and a Sigma 150-500mm lens.  That lens/camera combination yields 35mm equivalent focal lengths of 225-750mm. These photos were all taken at the full 750mm zoom and most required approximately a 50% crop.