Birds of Prey

Now enter center field the birds of prey.  All of these pictures were taken in central Florida, but chances are there are similar spirits where you live.  The Osprey above was a true test of my awareness but by practicing *Wide Angle Vision as often as I remember to, sometimes I get it right and notice things outside of my central field of vision, it is a powerful tool and causes us to notice things that others may drive past.  And you are not constantly shifting your eyes around.*  This particular raptor was probably utilizing this ready perch to scan the nearby seashore for it's favorite food (ospreys, or fishhawks, are sustained almost exclusively on a diet of fish).  It's amazing where you will find wildlife in the city.  A few minutes later while I was parking about a mile away, possibly the same bird was then making a bee-line to the nearest freshwater pond to get a drink.

To the right is the venerable bald eagle, photo taken at the Lowrey Park Zoo in Tampa.  The "American Fish Eagles" do live here in the wild of central Florida, I've seen 'em.  Some people don't believe that they are really here, even some longtime residents... they're not really looking.  One that I saw while taking a break from the office was just perched on the limb of a shortleaf pine tree for a very long time, maybe 20 minutes at least, just taking a break I guess.  Maybe it was drying it's feathers after a successful fishing trip, it's wings were stretched out very similar to the way they are in the picture, maybe a little wider, with one wing out further than the other.  They have a wide range, all the way up to Alaska where they are typically larger in size.

This osprey was perched overseeing a brackish lake, sharing the tree with another bird.  Ospreys are so common here and their huge nests can even be seen atop the electric poles lining the interstate highways, where platforms are placed by...people who place platforms (I guess maybe the city or possibly university students).  If you know what the other bird is then comment and tell us.  If you get it right...I'll send you a free Shemagh like the one in the Amazon link to the right, the pattern and the texture make for a very good camouflage covering.

Now I leave you with a view (below) of what I think is a Marsh Hawk, again, I noticed it by using *Wide Angle Vision while driving (is it safe to do so while driving? you be the judge).  I only saw his head twitch in peripheral, and there it was, with it's mate just a few meters away on top of the electric pole.  I haven't observed hawks enough to really know what they were up to, probably just enjoying the high vantage point to scan the area while resting.

Please help in the conservation of birds of prey worldwide by donating to the Peregrine Fund at www.peregrinefund.org.

*Wide Angle Vision is utilizing your entire peripheral field of view at once and continuously, until ready to focus on a single object, it is used by indigenous people worldwide, and was probably utilized by our ancestors who were likely more aware than we are today.  Look straight ahead and wiggle your finders on your outstretched arms so that you see them as far back in your peripheral as possible.  You are in wide angle vision.