I really enjoy bird photography because of the challenges that come with it.  Most birds are very alert and skittish of humans so they will fly away quickly before you are able to focus let alone take a picture!  Trying to get a good photo of a bird that is obscured by lots of branches in a tree or one that won't remain still for more than a second is surely a lesson in frustration.  I have photographed most of the common backyard birds in my area for many years and I am happy with those images but one species of bird has eluded me for a very long time.  The bird in question is the osprey and I know that if I was going to have any semblance of a chance to photograph one, I would have to go to it rather than hope one will come to me.  Osprey hunt for fish so they prefer to live in areas near rivers, swamps, marshes and even the ocean.  Recently, I was in Madison CT and decided to pay a quick visit to Hammonasset Beach State Park because it has marshes and of course, the beach!  Even as I parked my car I could see some osprey soaring in the sky and even one sitting on the man-made nesting platform way off in the distance in the marsh.  I walked onto the almost deserted beach and spotted one approaching me high in the air.

My first shot ever of an osprey!  Its wingspan was incredible to see!

This one grabbed a fish from the water.

Gliding with a fish clutched in its talons.

Heading back to its nest with a nice meal.

You  can see the very sharp hooked bill, ideal for tearing fish apart!

Keen eyesight enables the osprey to see fish in the water from high up in the air.

Four ducks playing follow the leader.

A seagull on the ocean water.

  Kids exploring on the jetty.

So this visit to Hammonasset Beach was totally unplanned and I was really pressed for time so I didn't take a lot of photos.  The great thing is that I saw lots of osprey and I hope to return with all of my photo gear and snap more pics of this majestic bird.  For now, I can check the osprey off of my bucket list.