Last Wednesday I was leading a wee nature walk at Antermony Loch and was pleased to see this Osprey, especially as there seemed to be a lack of other wildlife around. I was willing it to make a catch in front of our group. It was gliding and circling around, sometimes right in front of us.
Suddenly it swooped down and crashed feet first into the water. Success! It had caught a large brown trout.
Ospreys have incredible eyesight. They can see fish from about 30 metres above water and have polarized vision which enables them to see through water even if it is quite murky.They glide quite high over water then quickly plummet down to make a catch with their super sharp talons. Then they use their wide powerful wings to haul themselves with their prey back up out of the water.
I was glad to see and share this remarkable sight. In a few weeks time the ospreys will be journeying back to Africa, another British breeding season over.
As the osprey flew off, someone quipped that it was off to get its chips now!
Sarah's Wildlife Watch 