My catch of the day

©2013 Lydia Hinshaw

Not a good day to be this fish

 ORMOND BEACH, FL -- We set out for a walk this afternoon, and I decided to take a camera.  Occasionally I do something right.
 We'd gone less than a block before we spotted this osprey lugging quite a large fish.  I got several good flying shots as he circled, struggling to gain altitude.
 Finally he (it appeared to be a male) settled himself on a dead magnolia limb high above my neighbor's garage, probably to rest up for his next move.  That limb didn't look like a very good place to eat a fish.  The flat tops of utility poles are a much better dinner table.
 A crow showed up, perched nearby and raised a ruckus.  I don't think he wanted the fish;  more likely he was just upset about having a big, dangerous predator in his neighborhood.
 The fish was still alive, trying to escape in spite of being impaled by a talon or two.
 We watched for a while, and then proceeded on our way.  I lugged the camera for another hour without seeing anything worth photographing.  The osprey and the fish were gone when we passed by on our way home.
 More photos are on my flickr page, link is at the right.