Pandion haliaetus

Pandion haliaetus, Fish Eagle, Osprey...call it what you will, this bird likes FISH. Diving feet first into shallow water, the Osprey is handily equipped with barbed pads on the bottom of its feet as well as massive talons, which help it to grip slippery fish.

An impressive bird indeed, Pandion haliaetus often utilizes man-made structures to build its nests and has made an impressive comeback from all that DDT B.S.

I spotted this magnificent bird beside the road this morning at Sarasota's Myakka River State Park. It was chowing down on a fish (as you might expect) and making a delicious mess of it. Afterwards it sat on its perch, cleaning its beak against the branch, pooing a little, gazing around, and checking me out. Delightful.