Ospreys aren’t usually avid people watchers.
But this guy was!
He couldn’t hide his cross-eyed curiosity about the strange human looking up at him.
Eventually, he resumed more raptor-like disdain,
and went about the serious business of people ignoral.
He focused on anything but the nosy photographer.
Finally, my presence outlived his patience,
and off he flew in a rapturous huff!
Cheers to you from the people-watching osprey~
Great photos. I love watching the osprey, and occasionally they often watch me, particularly if they are fishing over my kayak.
Oh, I want to go kayaking to photograph you being people watched by osprey!
I’mnot sure if this will work, I was actually standing on shore here, but he was people watching… https://trentsworldblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/osprey-040.jpg?w=1200&h=
Wow, great shot!
Thanks.
<3
He certainly was! Awesome.
Yes, checking out the humans.
<3 <3
Great pictures, I managed to take a lot of pictures on one that was fishing but I was never able to get close to it even with a 150-600 tele lens.
I hear you, birds are tough to photograph, most of this was shot at 1200mm.
I assumed this was your RX10 IV but EXIF tells me it was the HX400V. Maxed at 50X for 1200? Please confirm. Amazing clarity.
P.S. Ospreys and peregrines are personal favorites.
They are both such precision fliers and catchers!
Thank you John. I started the photos at maximum zoom, but slowly and deliberately moved closer and closer, which some birds tolerate. By the time I was closest, I was no longer at full zoom and those photos had the best clarity. Although the photos of him looking at me, were when I first arrived, and he was checking me out to determine if I was a threat. Those photos were all maximum zoom.
The HX400V is very modestly priced in today’s camera world, and your photos are a strong testament to its capabilities. Of course, I always look at the negative reviews first, which EVERY camera has. It still looks like a good camera for me and my mercurial participation in photography.
It is a good camera. The variable zoom and stabilization is what makes it special. Sony has not released a 500, so I wonder if they are discontinuing the series which would be very disappointing to me. The improvements with each new model were impressive. The only downside from my point of view is that it is a rather delicate camera, due to the movement of the zoom, it needs to be handled gently, but this is worth it in my book. I hope you buy one. I want to see your photos!
Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
<3 <3
My immediate thought upon seeing the first photo was that now I know what it means to have one’s feathers ruffled!
Laughing…….No wonder you are my friend. Birds of a feather flock…. conjointly 😉
🙂
I never knew an Osprey was cross-eyed! He’s trying to be nonchalant about it, but secretly he’s really checking you out. 😉 Beautiful shots, Cindy! <3
He was totally checking me out, and pretending not too. I remember guys behaving just like him in the olden days! 😉
Great, so it’s come down to predators now lol
Exactly, raptors are my peeps!
🤣
It sure looks like he was looking back at you. Good pics.
Thank you. He definitely was, crossed eyes and all!
You snapped some great photos of him!
He was actually most patient to allow me to.
Cindy, thank you again for your beautiful photos!
Be well Charles & thank you!
You are welcome.
<3
Those are glorious photos! I’ve only had one osprey interaction and that one watched me, too, which made me think that was the norm. Guess I totally lucked out! 🙂
You lucked out, at least according to my experience. This is the only osprey who has ever stared so intently, albeit, cross-eyedly, at me. 😉
That was exactly my experience and it made me so very happy! Glad you had the same.
<3 <3
Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
Once again, here are more beautiful photos from Cindy Knoke!
People like you, make me love blogging Charles.
Thank you, Cindy!
<3 <3
Of course he was looking at the bird whisperer. They all know they are posing for an outstanding photographer.
More likely Marlene, he was waiting, and hoping, I would stand more directly under him, so he could drop a well warmed fishy gift, right on my upraised head! 😉
You make me laugh. Such a cynic. I’ve never seen one of your photos where you didn’t get the most incredible shot possible. They love you.
Well, the gift could be well intended. You should see some of the gifts my mother in law used to give me!
Awesome photos as usual!
Thank you & cheers to you!
Cindy Wow! Such a stately bird. I didn’t know ospreys looked that way. He’s kind of a cross between and eagle and hawk, but also has his own unique features. Very beautiful. I’m amazed, what wonderful photos.
You are very kind and most appreciated. Ospreys are a weird gimish, but their raptorness is evident in their eyes and talons!
You’re welcome. And I agree. They have that glint!
They do indeed, that “watch out” glint flashing in the sun!
Hehe 🙂
Love the rapturous huff!
Smiling, thank you!
Amazing birds, awesome photos, Cindy!
Aww, so happy you enjoyed & cheers to you!
As usual, great pictures. By the way, what could you have been wearing (or not wearing) that day? Just askin’.
Clever question, red pants. See:
“Distinguishing color is important; even for raptors. Like us, all diurnal birds see in color, because the cones (color detecting cells) that give them such keen eye-sight also allow them to see colors. What role does color play for a raptor? Most importantly, colors allow them to differentiate prey from background, and subtle color shadings increase the probability of prey capture. This is so important that, while humans have three sets of cones, most birds have four sets of cones with one additional set beyond the blue range. Color is also important in reproduction, as nestlings often display brightly colored mouths so that it is easy for parents to feed them.”
Wow what a beautiful creature. Perfectly captured!!
Awwww, so kind and so appreciated too. Cheers to you Michele <3
😘❤️
Awesome. Recently saw (on several occasions) while in the south one perched on a bridge.
It is a thrill to spot them isn’t it!
Absolutely!
<3 🦅
Isn’t he fantastic! 🙂 Wonderful shots. 🙂
I love him to pieces. He’s sort of looks like a Raggedy-Andy-Bald-Eagle! 😉
Wow–what an awesome shot. I’ve never seen an Osprey that close and clear before. So beautiful Cindy!!
Very happy you enjoyed & cheers to you <3
Beautiful photos. Excellent clarity; and good humor. 🙂
Thank you on all counts! Very much appreciated & cheers to you 🦅
Gladly. Thanks! 🙂
<3 <3
Love the pictures and the commentary.🌟
Makes me happy I posted, thank you <3 🦅
Cross eyed curiosity. I wish I had come up with that. 🙂
I am surprised I am not cross eyed, because I clearly am curious 🦅
I like your raptor pun. I guess he flew in a raptUrous huff, in a raptOrous way?
I like yours!!!! <3
If it were not for your magic eye, we could not enjoy these incredible photos. I do not know if the birds are impressive or are your photos that make her look like that.
You are very kind and touch my heart. The birds are definitely impressive. It is when we are able to see them closely that we realize this. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
His expression!! 😂😂
Glad you noticed. Raptors expressions are fascinating and mysterious, and with this cross-eyed stare he just blew me away.
Another great set of amazing bird photos, Cindy!
Awww, thank you very much & be well Peter 🦅
What marvellous photographs. It is great to see such close-up details.
Very pleased you enjoyed & thank you <3
I love that face.
So pleased you do!
Great photos Cindy. I love Ospreys. We have a lot of them here in Florida.
You do indeed. I need to go back to Florida and do some parrot watching!
Saw a ton of them hanging around the other day.
Pull out your i-phone and take some snaps please! I would love to see them.
Ok. Next time I run into them and I have my phone. They were the small green parrot, a flock of them flying around.
Oh good. Thank you!
Beautifully pictured and I loved your whimsical captions
Much appreciated! Thank you Ivor.
Great shots, I think he is just a poser! sure he knows about your beautiful blog, as he is now famous! 🙂
Laughing….His agent, told him, “Get out there, I’ll tip the bloggers off. You’ll get your photos posted!” Priceless.
Aren’t they just magnificent birds and their intent study of of you shows intelligence.
miriam
Yes. Raptors are highly intelligent birds. When I look into wild bird eyes, I see sentience.
As always a delight to view your photos … I’m smiling at the twist of the osprey watching you! Love the last line of ‘rapturous huff’! Just so! 😀
They are funny. They rotate their heads to keep at least one eye on you! Thank you for such a lovely comment Annika <3
Those talons! Once he had you in his grip I should think you’ve had it!
They are such beautiful birds, but I always think their eyes have an almost comedic look to them. Another fantastic picture.
Eagles get this cross-eyed look too sometimes, like they are staring at their own big beaks!
They have such formidable talons. They curl around like matching sets of simitars!
WOW! This is amazing, Great shots, Thank you, Love, nia
So happy you enjoyed the rumpled Osprey Nia & be well my friend <3
Pictures of a magnificent osprey by Cindy Knoke.
Friends like you make blogging a joy <3
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Photos of a magnificent osprey by Cindy Knoke.
Thank you sweet friend & cheers to you <3
WHAT A FANTASTIC SHOOT AND A CLOUDLESS SKY, CINDY, CHINA
china.alexandria@livingthedream.blog
Thank you kind friend <3
Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
Be well China!
Amazing bird. He tough enough to watch what he wants… as long as he wants.
Exactly. I wish I was that tough!
I’m pleased he kept his distance
I wish he had gotten just a teeny bit closer. I was dive bombed by Harrier Hawks in South America, but I was prepared for it, and wore a thick hat and glasses, and knew when to duck. It was actually exhilarating. This guy I was not expecting to see, so I was not prepared, and hence you really are quite correct <3
🙂
Oh, Cindy, he is magnificent. xxx
<3 my friend who <3 the birdies!
Amazing shots – those eyes!
Cross-eyed, but seeing perfectly! <3
♥
toll, lieb Cindy, mache es gut an diesem schönen Tag
Vielen dank mein lieber Freund <3
pppft what awesome eye expression, and you dear wonder, manage to capture it all for us to see and experience. how is your neck =^_^= ..
I do often develop a crick in the neck! 😉 Thank you for caring & be well my friend <3
WOW! Lovely shots. Thank you Cindy. 🙂
I am happy you enjoyed them & send you cheers my friend <3
what a cutie! I always wonder what animals think when we stare at us……..do they think the same thing when we stare at other people???? or are they thinking meals…like to cook or grill or marinate…with or without a side dish….. ???????
I like this idea. Him thinking, “She seem to big to kill outright, but I wonder if I could just take a couple of tasty bites!” 😉
Magnificent birds and incredible images – thank you again for such awesome pictures!
Thank you much more Sheila, for your thoughtful appreciation <3
Thick feathers I wold love to pet. He’s absolutely gorgeous and your photographs are, as always, stunning. I’m going to reblog all of this beauty so some others can enjoy it and be amazed by all the fabulousness of your work.
You are the reason I <3 blogging. Thank you sweet friend & Happy Hump Day!
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Cindy! There was an osprey in Wisconsin that I didn’t get to see up close, not far from my parent’s retirement home. A Nat’l Geographic photog set up a tent high in a tree to get photos. I did see the tent, not him or the osprey. This bird is majestic!
This reminds of when I was viewing grizzly bears fishing for salmon in Canada, and our hosts told us that Nat’l Geo photographers got underwater with the salmon to photograph the bears and their teeth and claws from the salmon’s perspective. Utterly nuts in my opinion, but I am sure the photos were incredible!
Love this! What a great personality in your beautiful osprey captures!
They are fascinating birds aren’t they, like eagles, but utterly unique.
He does look a bit cross-eyed. Love it!
Cross-eyed yes, but his vision is 20/20!
It’s soooooooooo cute.
He is. Ospreys always look a tad rumpled, like they are in need of a good haircut!
I didn’t realize ospreys are cross-eyed (or is it a peculiarity for this particular birdie??) Great bunch of photos, Cindy. I’d have been a little leery over being so close to him!!
They are cross eyed when looking at a single object directly in front of them. Their eyes have more peripheral vision than ours, so the pupils move around more.
Thanks for explaining that — I learn so much from my blogging friends!
So do I <3
Maybe he was fascinated by that adorable photographer. 🙂 Beautiful bird and photos Cindy.
I wish! But I suspect he was thinking more in line with the alien in Star Trek who called humans, “ugly bags of mostly water!”
Ha, ha. Maybe they’re alien tracking devices. 🙂
<3
Such an intense look. Great photos. Thanks for a lovely visit.
Thank you for taking the time to make such a lovely comment <3
My pleasure.
<3 <3
I haven’t been this close to one. They usually fly away. These images are wonderful. I love those eyes.
The eyes are incredible aren’t they. Crossed, but all seeing!
😁
Look at him sitting there on the wire looking at you. What happens if his tail touches one of the other wires?
Leslie
Frightening thought. If the two lines have different electrical potential, then electrons will move through the body of the bird, and the bird will be electrocuted.
That’s what I thought…
<3
I sure wouldn’t want to be at the other end of those talons…wow!
Rather formidable aren’t they!
You and your camera were so close to him, Cindy. Great photos. Love the details and his eyes your captured, Wow!!
Honored Amy& very pleased you enjoyed him. I always am impressed with your photos, so we are even <3
💗🙏
What an incredible capture of a magnificent creature, Cindy! 😯😍
So kind and much appreciated too!
I love the way you communicate with nature – and then share the beauty with us all. Lovely photography. And now I’m singing the song….
I wish I could add your song to the post <3
How beautiful! I can’t even begin to imagine how thrilling it must have been to see such a magnificent bird. His colors are so striking even though they are only black and white. You did a phenomenal job capturing him!
How come I am so very lucky to meet people like you? I am very grateful for this <3
Oh, Cindy! Thank you so much. I am so blessed to have met wonderful people such as you, too.
I don’t always have time to comment, but I so enjoy your blog and pictures.
Blessings, my friend~💖
I feel the same as you do on all counts, including not always having time to comment, so no worries <3
Cindy, I just had to come back and see these beautiful pictures again. I really like them!
Awww, touches my <3 ! Thank you~
You are welcome!
What an amazing bird. Don’t think I’d like to be caught in that hooked beak or its claws.
I can’t get over how clear and sharp your bird images are, Cindy.
I love raptors, but I am much bigger than them. So I can fully appreciate their lethality without being threatened by it. If they were bigger, or I was smaller, I would dig instantly into the earth, just like voles, and desperately hope I evaded them.
Great shots of this bird! Beautiful!
Love to you sweet friend <3 Hope all is good with you.
Gorgeous photographs, Cindy!
Ahhh, thank you so much <3
So cool!
Yes. Thank you for noticing. They are <3
Extraordinary photos, as always! Incredible the way you captured him staring!
Thank you very much. Wild animals and wild birds will stare into the lens of a camera not attached to a tripod, but to a human being. It’s odd, but it’s true.
I’ve seen ospreys in the strangest locations. Not that I’m complaining though, they’re some of my favorite birds.
Good for you. You are seeing. Seeing them in strange locations is such a testament to their ingenious survivability. I think they may be one of the most ubiquitous birds, present on the most continents.
Yes, they certainly are adaptable birds!
<3 <3
He is so amazing
Thank you so much. Yes he is <3
Quite the peacock, in a black and white way.
Gorgeous shots, Cindy!! ❦
Maybe he’s flattered you think he is a black and white peacock! Because he can see colors, better than you and I, and must be impressed with peacocks, if he’s seen them. He would probably eat a peacock, if it’s colors, and feathers fanned, weren’t so confusing.
Love to you Resa <3
Beautiful!
Thank & wonderful to meet you!
Wow! So beautiful!
Very pleased you enjoyed & lovely to meet you!
I am always amused how animals become nervous if you stare at them, Cindy. Even cats. I am sure that the osprey was a bit curious as well as disgusted, probably about the fact that you were disrupting its hunting routine!
It’s odd because they don’t like being stared at, but they seem fascinated by the camera lens and never see me without it attached to my face so maybe they think I am not human. Plus Herbert, our cat, stares intently in our eyes for the longest time. Our vet says his making direct eye contact is “unusual.”
Mmmm, bordering on steampunk with that camera attached to your face, Cindy. I’ve had birds perch on my lens.
I’ve stared down a few growling dogs in my day. 🙂 –Curt
These made me smile. I wonder if its sharp eyes can see its reflection in the lens?
Oh course, why didn’t I think of that! He was looking at his own reflection. We shall name him Narcissus! Are you home now, or still in Truckee?
Truckee, heading to visit my niece in Santa Cruz for the weekend. Fly out Tues. LOTS of snow in Truckee! Makes home look meager, but it is colder there. Spring won’t be too long now, however (hurrah).
How is Santiago?
Lots of epic snow! It’s wonderful, considering the horrid drought. My son says it is raining at The Holler, and more rain forecast.
My daughter and the twins are in Santa Cruz.
It is a small world.
I can’t wait to see your photos of the California poppies and am glad that worked out well.
We are in Mexico now, connect to Santiago on Saturday.
https://superduque777.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/0_a94_xl.jpg
Bellissima! Grazie mille.
Oh my ! 🙂 Gorgeous captures friend. 🐇
Thank you & be well.
You making it to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park right now? Wildflowers are supposed to be WILD. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638
I have flown away and will miss them, but I know it is going to be an historic bloom. The California Poppy bloom is historic and epic too, but I also missed that!
I would love to see both, darn it.
Fantastic photos of amazing birds – just beautiful!
Awww, honored, thank you & happy weekend!
Gorgeous Birds.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Visa versa 2UX2 awesome woman <3
Very big bird on the wire! 😉 Looks like after a fight. Thank you for sharing, Cindy. Have be beautiful weekend. Michael
Very kind and most appreciated Michael & cheers to you my friend!
OK, i know that from our former cats. They need eating grass against the hair from the fur.
Yes. I know just what you mean!
But, the Ospreys I see always seem disheveled, as if they had battled something they found hard to digest, so I understand completely what you are saying.
But really they are always this rumpled looknig. It seems almost like a disguise. To fool you into thinking they aren’t instantly ready to attack again.
What a lovely windblown Osprey!
I <3 my friends who <3 birds!
❤❤❤
There’s my Osprey! 😊 Just teasing, Cindy, your images are gorgeous! Boy, they can give some fierce stares at times, and they do keep their eye on us humans. I don’t blame them. 🙂
Yep, your osprey stoppedy by for a visit, so I could send you some photos proving he gets around! They as fierce as every raptor. People who own them, don’t posess them, they just cage and fly them. I think I love them as much as you do.
The look of that eyes goes through and through… That are breathtaking pictures, dear Cindy.
Yes, the term may be piercing. Raptor eyes are piercing and their vision blows my mind. When I find them with my super zoom lens, they are already staying intently at me with no super zoom capability. They are just amazing animals. Thank you so much for appreciating them.
Stunning!
Muchas gracias mi amiga <3
De nada mi amiga. ❤️
Late to this post: cracking shots, Cindy – as everyone else will already have said!
It’s lovely to hear it from you! Thank you <3
He’s got the look:)
He definitely has the “don’t tread on me look down pat!”
Fantastic closeups of an Osprey, the best I have seen!
Honored. Thank you very much!
That close-up of his cross-eyed wonderfulness is fantastic!
I don’t know when you’ll ever see this, what with all the comments, but I love your witty narrative with sequences such as this one with the beautiful osprey. You gave me a good chuckle.
beautiful
Grazie mille!
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Thank you!
What great photos and read. We live in an area of Osprey habitat and it is true, they do not pay much attention to us humans. This bird is an avid and successful hunter. I wrote a small blurb about what I thought of when I found a dead one on the beach. https://noelliesplace.com/2017/09/01/the-minds-eye/
Lucky you to live in osprey territory. We have a few Ospreys at The Holler too, but sightings are not regular. Magnificent birds!