I’m often down on the jetties in Gold Beach, or walking along Bailey Beach, or out on the gravel bar at Lobster Creek with the DSLR and a telephoto lens trying to catch photos of ospreys fishing. It occurred to me, long ago, that the ospreys and I have at least one thing in common: We are both often unsuccessful in our pursuits, but we are both persistent. I read that an osprey catches a fish in fewer than one quarter of its dives and, more often than not, I either don’t get the photos, or I get out-of-focus photos, or they’re too far away for me to get a meaningful shots. But, like the birds, I keep trying.

My very first post was of an osprey that caught an eel, right in front of me, while I stood on the South Jetty of the Rogue River. In the following sequence of shots, you’ll see one that misses.

At this point, I had just picked the bird up in the lens and there’s some blurring, but you can see its legs back as it begins its dive.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 100     focal length 400mm

It’s bringing its talons forward.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 100     focal length 400mm

As it nears the water, it’s going into the water talons first.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 160     focal length 400mm

If I have to tell you what just happened, stop reading my blog.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 125     focal length 400mm

It’s come out of the water empty-handed (empty-taloned?). As I said, most of an osprey’s dives are failures.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 125     focal length 400mm

Still shedding water, it begins its climb for another try.

Shutter speed 1/1000     f-stop 5.6     ISO 160     focal length 400mm