A Florida wildlife photographer on Monday captured footage of an osprey diving talons-first into Florida’s Sebastian Inlet and flying off with a fish nearly its size.
Mark Smith told For The Win Outdoors that the osprey nabbed its meal, an Atlantic menhaden, at Sebastian Inlet State Park, and carried the fish 300 yards to a nearby perch.
While the footage is dramatic, and the fish a heavy lift, Smith said this is not a rare sight at this time of year.
Wait for it! #osprey #birdphotography #birdwatching #florida #fishing #sony #a7slll pic.twitter.com/HtvbB1SKGd
— Mark Smith Photography (@marktakesphoto) November 30, 2020
“The birds were in a feeding frenzy and I have dozens of clips like this,” Smith said.
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In fact, the photographer added, he has seen ospreys catch much larger fish, and early last month he captured footage of an osprey flying off with three fish in its talons, ultimately dropping one.
“Oh what’s that? There is a two fish limit? Well let me leave one right here for later,” Smith tweeted.
Ospreys, which prey almost exclusively on fish, will often spend hours consuming their meals, usually from high perches such as branches, cliff faces, and even the tops of power poles and light posts.