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Photo of the Month - October 2009

Photo of the Month Bonus Photo of the Month

Your photo could be featured as Nature Canada's Photo of the Month.

1. Tell us your name, where you took the photo, and a brief description or story explaining the photo.

2. Image should be a .jpg file, smaller than 1MB.

3.When you submit a photo, you agree to allow Nature Canada to use your photo on our Web site, enewsletter, ecards and other educational materials. Every effort will be made to credit you as the photographer.

With two great osprey photos submitted this month, how could we choose? We thought we'd share them both.

Photo of the Month (left):

Hello Nature Canada,

This photo was taken in July 2008 at Salmon Arm Bay, Salmon Arm BC. The picture shows an Osprey returning to its nest with a fish in its talons. Ospreys are very common in this part of the Shuswap and can frequently be seen fishing in Shuswap Lake and returning to their nests to feed their young.

Clive Bryson

Bonus Photo (right):

This picture was taken one evening this summer while fly fishing at Lake Enid in S.E. British Columbia. The Osprey dove, caught the fish, then flew by the canoe as if to show how easy it is to catch fish.

Osprey talons are specially adapted to allow one of the front toes to rotate backwards so that there are two talons pointing forward and two in reverse on each foot. This helps secure a good grip on the flopping fish. The Osprey is also very quick at adjusting its grip on the fish so that the fish's head is facing forward to maintain an aerodynamic profile.

Larry Halverson
Invermere, BC

Thanks for sharing these stunning shots, Clive and Larry! You have both managed to capture the power and grace of these aerial predators.

The osprey is one of the largest birds of prey in North America. It is a fish-eating specialist, with live fish making up 99% of its diet. It will often hover over the water before diving feet-first to grab fish from near the surface.

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