Last Ospreys of the Year
Date: July 31st, 2024.
After my last visit to Rutland where I had a no show by the Ospreys, I had managed to book this last visit of the year. From mid August these Ospreys migrate to Africa returning to Rutland Water next March.
I had the usual Early start of 4:15 am at the Trout Farm, meaning leaving home soon after 2:30am.
It was a warm morning, it promised good light from around 6:45am when the sun appeared over the hillside to the East. The breeze was from the North East which I hoped would mean the Ospreys taking off in to the wind towards the hide.
The challenge with the Ospreys is how fast they dive, and I had never yet caught one through the dive and with Talons out as it was about to hit the water. High shutter speeds (around 1/3000 of a second), meant a high ISO, typically around 2-3,000, but some images below were at ISO 10,000.
Two Ospreys dived during the morning. A total of four dives and two fish taken, making this the most productive session of the year. A lot of good images, and as can been seen below I got my Talons Out dive shot I had hoped for.
I have arranged the images in a dive sequence although they are from across the four dives.
