This is one of my favorite shots. I took it in February of last year near Naples, FL. Eagles and ospreys lay their eggs a few months earlier than typical backyard birds, so this little guy was already trying to get a look at the world six weeks before the official start of spring. But soon nests everywhere will be filled with eggs and then with baby birds.
To help accommodate the ospreys, utilities and developers put large, flat platforms atop poles to give the big birds places to build their very large nests. This one sits about 25 feet off the ground just off the beach at the Pelican Bay development. Because it wasn’t as high up as many other nests, I was able to get a good angle. I was just trying to get a good picture of the adult osprey, when the baby happened to pop up. As any photographer will tell you, you have to be lucky sometimes.