No matter how or even if you worship, holidays are a time to be with those we love. So on this Christmas Eve, I”m posting the bird picture from my collection that best says “family,” and it’s one of my favorites.
![Osprey_and_baby[1].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b6db8790dbda3244e21e230/1545662453987-IK7LT27I3TP2PGY041LU/Osprey_and_baby%5B1%5D.jpg)
Tomorrow will be the first Christmas for this little guy, or little gal. He or she was born soon after Christmas last year. Unlike our backyard birds who lay their eggs in the spring, osprey and eagle babies begin hatching in January and February.
Osprey nests are about the size of a toddler’s wading pool. They build them high up in trees, or on platforms thoughtfully placed by their human friends. This one is on a platform about 20 feet off the ground near the beach in Naples, FL. It’s not far from a raised boardwalk, all of which afforded me this nice angle at which to shoot.
I just happened to be there with my camera when the osprey chick popped up to peek over the edge. So much of getting nice bird pictures is simply fortuitous timing.
If you ordered one of my 2019 calendars (thank you very much!), you’ll see this picture again throughout the month of February.
Whatever Christmas means to you, I wish you and your families all the joys of the holidays, and a happy and healthy new year