Our most recent wedding took us out to the beautiful North Fork of Long Island. Following the wedding, we stayed overnight at the refreshing Stirling House Bed & Breakfast. On our drive back upstate, Jenni pointed towards some trees a couple hundred yards away and said, “Is that a hawk?!?” I just barely caught a glimpse of the raptor in the trees, but I knew even from a distance that it was rather large for a hawk. So we turned the car around to get a closer look.
Since our camera gear was in the trunk, she got out my long lens, and I tried to focus as quickly as I could for a closer look. Sure enough, it wasn’t a hawk at all – it was an osprey (also called a sea eagle in some regions). Long Island is rather known for the springtime return of osprey pair, who raise their chicks before migrating south again. Sometimes they’ll winter as far as South America. Check out this site for more information on Long Island ospreys.
Here are some photos of our feathered friend. In one frame, you can even see the osprey’s mate sitting in the nest. My guess is that they’re either brooding with a few eggs in the nest or else protecting some hatchlings. We love bird watching, and this is our first time actually seeing an osprey in the wild. They’re beautiful creatures! 🙂
(Click any thumbnail to see larger versions.)
