Posted on May 30, 2017
There are quite a few Osprey platforms for building nests along the Wildlife Drive in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville, NJ. Usually for some reason there are one or two that do not get used each year. But this year they seem to all occupied. There are also other nests throughout the Refuge that you do not see, except for the large amounts of Ospreys flying in the Refuge. The platforms along the Drive are a good place to wait for interesting photos. Everything from the Ospreys defending their nests and young from other Ospreys, hawks & other intruders, to seeing them mating or bringing fish to feed the young Ospreys. Also early in the season you will see them bringing sticks and branches to build the nest. You can get great flight shots as they leave or return to the platforms. You need a long lens, since they are not real close to the road and it is forbidden to go off the road. (But I have seen a few do that which is not a smart thing to do) Quite often there are times of a lot of action you can get photos of right above you on the Drive. Most platforms have a post nearby where the mate waits near the nest, sometimes eating a fish. While you are waiting for action from the Ospreys, there is usually lots of other subjects flying or wading by. Egrets, Herons, Terns, Gulls, Shorebirds, Cormorants, Bald Eagles, Swans, the list is endless. Also while you are waiting the landscapes and Cloudscapes are great there. A usual day there I can easily have 5,000 shots or more to go through especially if you are tracking the flying birds, shooting bursts to get the best wing positions. Or if you come upon a bunch of shorebirds in a feeding frenzy, with hundreds of birds going at it.





Posted on July 22, 2016
On our last visit to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville NJ, there were a lot of Ospreys.They were on Osprey Platforms, on posts, on trees, on the ground and busy fishing so it gave quite a few opportunities for photography. This male Osprey flew close by when I was photographing another one on the ground in the grasses.

Posted on June 28, 2016
Osprey often keep bringing sticks to their nests even after they are built and there are young chicks in the nest. I do not know if it is for repairs or just what they do. It is fun to see them swoop them up from the water by the shore.





Category: Birds, Blog, Brigantine NWR, Oceanville NJ, Favorite Locations, Wildlife Tagged: osprey, osprey flight, Osprey Flying, Osprey nests, Osprey Sticks
Posted on June 23, 2016
My favorite birds to photograph are raptors. And then tightening the list are Eagles and Ospreys. Mostly because they are fun and have more action to photograph. Plus they are bigger subjects. Ospreys are easier for me to get to, plus there is lots of action around the many Osprey Nests/Platforms. These were taken at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville, NJ. Along the Wildlife Drive there are many Osprey Platforms. At this time of year there are still young Ospreys that have not fledged yet, so there is quite a bit of activity around the nests. Sometimes they are bringing food to the young Ospreys, or just hanging around the nests watching over them. They even come by with more sticks for the nest so there are lots of photo opportunities. Soon the young Ospreys will be flying around also giving lots of subjects to photograph.
These were taken with a Canon f/4 400mm DO lens, with a 1.4X Series III Teleconverter on a Canon 7D giving a full frame equivalent of 896mm, handheld.




Category: Birds, Blog, Brigantine NWR, Brigantine NWR, Oceanville NJ, Favorite Locations, Wildlife Tagged: Osprey Flying, Osprey Nest, ospreys, Ospreys Brigantine
Posted on August 20, 2015
Category: Birds, Blog, Brigantine NWR, Oceanville NJ, Favorite Locations, Wildlife Tagged: osprey, Osprey Flying, Osprey in Flight
Posted on April 8, 2015
This Osprey was working the lake for a meal for quite a while. Never caught anything, but kept on trying. Eventually flew to a tree and stayed there. It gave me an opportunity to practice shooting quite a few flight photos after a long winter.
Category: Birds, Blog, Celery Farm, Favorite Locations, Wildlife Tagged: Celery, osprey, Osprey Flying
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