The Story
I photographed this Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) chasing an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) that was carrying a freshly caught fish at Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, United States, in November 2020. The Brown Pelican mainly eats fish and is one of only two pelicans that feed by diving into the water. The Osprey is a fish-eating raptor found almost worldwide, and it nests near water that holds enough fish. IUCN lists both as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/3200 sec, f/9, ISO 400, −1.3 EV. After failed attempts going back to the 1870s, local leaders blasted the inlet open with surplus Navy explosives in 1948, and it has stayed open ever since.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) belongs to the family Pandionidae (Osprey) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List