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Early in the morning and I’m out at Jordan Lake watching Ospreys hunting for fish. These raptors are impressive to observe in predator mode. They will soar above the water until they spy their prey, hover for a second or two and then dive straight down like an arrow into the water. Much of the time they appear to be successful, like this one which flew right over my head with a fish in his talons as I stood on top of the dam. 🌿 I’ve noticed that most other hawks and falcons appear to have their talons arranged in a static pattern: three in the front, and one angled towards the back. But ospreys, have a unique configuration that lets them slide their toes back and forth, so they can create a two-and-two configuration. This helps them more firmly grip a slippery fish as they fly through the air. It also seems like they frequently turn the fish to a position parallel to their flying direction, for aerodynamic purposes. Photo by @sally_siko . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #Birdbehavior #bird #birds #yatesmillpark #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #purplemartins #birdsofeasternunitedstates #eastcoastbirds #eastcoastbirding #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #ncwildlifephotographer #naturelovers #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds

A post shared by Bird Watching N.C. (@birdwatching_nc) on Jul 12, 2019 at 3:54am PDT