Thanks Rolf. The Osprey was perched on top of the crane on the jetty at Tangalooma and I couldn’t believe my luck as I slowly approached and the bird didn’t seem too concerned.
I even had time to set up the tripod and fit the 400mm on the ball head and I spent probably 5 minutes watching its behaviour before the bird decided to fly off. I noticed the head move from side to side and I got the sense of an impending launch so I clicked the shutter and when the mirror returned, there was no bird in the viewfinder. I played back the image and saw that I had captured the moment just after take off and as a bonus, it was in focus! It was a good day!
We’ve spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach watching hordes of these soldier crabs going about their business but this is the 1st time we have seen then sparring. It wasn’t possible to determine if it was territorial or courting behaviour, but it certainly provided a new photo opportunity for me. It was a good day indeed.
Cheers
Dennis