9 amazing osprey photos

May 24, 2019

I was shooting a nested osprey when its mate circled in for a landing. Click here to see the entire series of photos!

Nesting ospreys put on show during Bassmaster tournament

I was working the Bassmaster Eastern Open on Lake Chickamauga when I saw a really unique sight: an osprey nest built on a piece of driftwood. And just visible above the top of the pile of sticks was the white head of an osprey.

My assignment was to shoot photos of anglers competing in the Bassmaster tournament, but I had to pass the nest while moving between two of the competitors. So I used the trolling motor to quietly ease to within 20 yards or so of the nest, hoping to capture some photos of the osprey taking flight.

Instead, the raptor stubbornly refused to budge. Apparently, the osprey was a female sitting on eggs.

I was shooting some shots using a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens, when the guy in whose boat I was working told me the male was circling.

Soon, the bird was flapping its way into the nest holding a stick obviously meant to add to the nest. It lighted and gave me a hard look. My finger was glued on the shutter button the entire time.

The resulting shots (seen below) are simply amazing. I feel so fortunate to have been at the right place at just the right time to get these photos.