In part I of the Osprey and the Pond , Dr. P showed some background information on how he has medically worked on birds of prey like osprey since the 1980’s. There was a teaser photo of his encounter with a wild osprey in northern Michigan in the summer of 2024. This page will show some photos from one day in the summer when the pond was visited by an osprey interested in the trout swimming just below the surface. The stars lined up for this experience; don’t forget that the key ingredient in good wildlife photos is patience over anything technical.
Equipment
The mirrorless Canon R3 camera and the Canon 500 mm lens worked as usual. They locked focus on the osprey that dove into the water 40 yards away, then kept the focus locked on as it sped out of the water with its fish. The fact that it shoots 30 pictures per second is a big help on a bird that is flying rapidly towards you.
Environment
It was around 8 AM, and even though the sky was overcast with no direct sunlight, the ability to increase the ISO allowed a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. I addition, the Canon R3 can focus well in low light, and the following pictures are a testament to this.
The Osprey
Here is a sequence of some of the photos Dr. took as the osprey literally crashed into the water and came out with a fish. The last few photos are in a higher resolution so you can get a better idea of what he saw.
