Panshanger Fish Hawk

I put on my birds in flight top and told Ollie dog that we were going to look for Big Bird at Panshanger Park. I spent quite some time there last year but didn't spot the osprey. It sojourns in the park every year at the beginning of September on its way to Africa.

As we arrived at the entrance to the park we met a man who said the osprey was flying around Osprey Lake. I managed to get a very distant shot as it headed west. I had a nice chat with the photographers who were waiting beside the lake for it to come back. I decided to take Ollie to the Dog Dip and as we passed another lake south of the River Mimram the wildfowl made a great commotion. It was the osprey again but I didn't manage a shot. 

Ollie had great fun in the Dog Dip and we decided to check on Osprey Lake again before home. We saw the bird swoop down, catch a trout and fly off with it. I was quite a distance away but I managed a mediocre shot. The waiting photographers got some great images. What a thrill to see this majestic bird of prey fishing.