Osprey Hovering In Flight

photograph of an Osprey hovering in flight, copyright 2016 by Doug Couvillion

Osprey’s are one of many fishing birds that will hover in mid-air when they see a potential meal.  To stop themselves they push their wings forward which creates the dramatic shape displayed here.

If you click on the image, above, you can see a larger version of the photo, which shows more detail.

Grackle In The Surf

photograph of a Grackle in the surf in Corolla, NC, USA, copyright 2016 by Doug Couvillion

This Grackle seems to have learned a few things from the Sanderlings on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  It waited for the waves to bring tiny mollusks and crustaceans into the shore and then tried to catch them before they dug into the sand.  I captured this image just as the Grackle realized the wave was a little too big.