The one that got away

coastalconn · Aug 6, 2014

Again the Ospreys were fishing on the wrong side of the bridge. I was shooting in my normal manual mode at 1/1600th and F8 but was using 2 full stops of EC since I was shooting into the sun.. I saw this Black backed gull chasing an Osprey with a fish and managed to grab this sequence. Thought this was a pretty cool sequence.. I did learn the reason the Osprey looks small is black backed gulls are the largest in North America and have a 5-6 foot wingspan so they are about the same size as an Osprey... Of course the tiny buffer filled up and the last shot was pretty much luck that I caught both birds and the falling fish.. comments welcome and thanks for looking...

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 1 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 2 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 3 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 4 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 5 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

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Gull vs Osprey 8_6 6 by krisinct- Thanks for 2! Million + views!, on Flickr

Desi · Aug 6, 2014

Wow......these are awesome!! What an amazing thing to get to see, and to capture it no less....I never thought a gull would go after something with talons...nuts.

sscarmack · Aug 7, 2014

Your right, thats a huge gull! Nice series.

Civchic · Aug 7, 2014

Desi said:
Wow......these are awesome!! What an amazing thing to get to see, and to capture it no less....I never thought a gull would go after something with talons...nuts.

Yeah, I always feel bad for the terns - they work so hard and the lazy gulls steal their fish all the time, but I've never seen one go after an osprey! Wow! Although the black backed gulls are so big, and probably outweigh that osprey. Awesome set!

Rosy · Aug 7, 2014

Kris - have you ever submitted your images to National Geographic? These images need to shared. Each time I see your post I call my kids and hubby over to they can see them as well

baturn · Aug 7, 2014

Amazing set! Interesting, educational and beautiful.

astroNikon · Aug 7, 2014

That's one BIG gull
awesome shots

Msteelio91 · Aug 7, 2014

Holy crap. Great set! That last one, you can see the disappointment in the seagull's eyes hahaha

BillM · Aug 7, 2014

Fish hater !!!!!

LOL

Nice set as always Kris :thumbup:

JacaRanda · Aug 7, 2014

Yes, great sequence. For those surprised - I see smaller birds harrassing larger ones all the time (even though the gull is freakin huge), now that I look up more often. Never understand why hawks don't rip apart crows, or why crows are chased away by mockingbirds, or why mockingbirds are chased away by hummingbirds. It's a fantastically weird world out there.

Owls do however, get revenge on crows and I love it! They also are more responsible for small pets missing than people know around here. Coyotes get more blame than they should.

BillM · Aug 7, 2014

That wasn't a pack of Owls I heard howling in the woods behind my house last night Jaca :greenpbl:

coastalconn · Aug 7, 2014

Thanks for all the kind words! The gulls are pretty damn big now that I noticed them. I see them go after probably 1 in 5 Osprey with fish... It's funny that raptors get harassed by tweety birds all the time. I've noticed Owls are pretty chill with crows a few hours after sunrise to a few hours before sunset, but those borderline times, watch out crows, lol!