Country intro
The first ever dutch Osprey
The Osprey is a very widespread eagle in many parts of the world, yet has had a troubled history in Europe due to hunting and the use of chemicals ending up in its food supply. As of the 70s, it is making a recovery throughout Europe.
In the Netherlands specifically, until this day it has been a bird that was very rarely seen, and if so, as a migratory bird only. This scene, however, captures the first known breeding pair of Osprey in the Netherlands, and therefore the youngster is the first ever dutch Osprey.
It has caused quite a local hype, coined "fish eagle tourism". It took us a while to find the place, but as we turned around a corner to see a line of photographers, we knew we hit the jackpot. There's a lot of water in between the nest and our position, hence the very distant shot.
The youngster is a few days overdue from "flying out", leaving the nest. You can see the parent stimulating and encouraging flight. Two days after our capture, it actually left the nest. May you live long.
The osprey, also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than 60 cm in length and 180 cm across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
