Split-second rewardfor three-day watch
A MOMENT captured in time: Having spied its prey, an osprey dives in and wrenches a brown trout struggling from the water.
It happened in a split second, but The Scotsman photographer Ian Rutherford waited for three days in a hide on the banks of the Rothiemurchus Estate fisheries in the Cairngorms National Park before capturing these images.
Starting at 5am each day, and with help and advice from wildlife ranger Keith Collins, Ian watched and shot the protected species as they dived into the waters to get food for their chicks.
He finally captured these images at 5.30 yesterday morning.
“The actual moment where the osprey would spot the fish and dive into the water took just a split second,” he said, describing the bird’s hunting habits. “They plunge their talons and head under the water initially, so they can see the fish, then they grapple with their heads above the surface for up to 30 seconds at times to get a grip on it, and fly off. To be able to lift themselves and a two-pound fish out of the water with wet feathers must take incredible power.”
Ian said getting the perfect image was as much down to luck as it was to time and patience.
“They would often dive in too far away, or disappear behind an island,” he said. “Also, there were a few abortive attempts from the birds, when they’d let go of the fish, so it really was a case of luck and patience in capturing the right image.”
The fisheries at the Rothiemurchus Estate are considered one of the prime sites in Scotland for watching ospreys and the public can pay to come and see them feed in the waters.
The protected species is currently in the headlines, as the RSPB Loch Garten Osprey Centre, near Aviemore, is monitoring an osprey nest awaiting the hatching of a clutch of eggs.
Hopes had been raised when one of the three hatched several days ago, but joy turned to tragedy yesterday when it was reported that the father, known as Henry, accidentally trampled on and killed the chick.
A spokesman for the RSPB said: “He appeared to have freed himself in the nest, but when he returned from his next trip a couple of hours later, the chick appeared lifeless when its mother, EJ, tried to feed it. There have been no signs of life since, and it appears that Henry may have trodden on the tiny chick.”
