Nesting Time

I thought this recent shot would be a good representation of the theme of this forum in that through the efforts of man, this nesting platform is one of many that are put up throughout Florida to aid the breeding efforts of ospreys. This particular one is located in the Northwest corner of the Gulf Pier parking lot at Ft. Desoto Park, St. Petersburg, FL.

This particular pair has been together for 4 years now utilizing this platform for their nest. Although it is not quite nesting season, they have started to protect their territory in anticipation of their breeding season. These two ospreys have been named. The male, in the foreground is named Fleck and his mate in the background making eye contact with me is named Jewel. She is quite a spectacular bird and a bit larger than her mate. I purposely took this shot to show the complete platform. I have endless close-up shots both static and in flight of this pair.

Shot was made with a Canon 70D, Canon 100-400 L lens at 400mm, f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 100.