Meal Time With An Osprey!

Documenting An Osprey Eating A Huge Fish!

Photographing every aspect of an Osprey’s meal.

Adult Male Osprey Holding Huge Flounder While Perched On A Pier

An adult male Osprey holds a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, while perched on a pier overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

An Osprey Without Peer, Except For The Pier As His Perch

Meet the male adult Osprey I aptly named, Pierson. This is his dining room table. After Pierson flies to the Atlantic Ocean to catch a fish, he usually returns near his nest to land on this piling supporting a pier with docks on the bay in Avalon, New Jersey. Pierson is the only Osprey who eats his meals on this pier located on the “people side” of the bay, while many other Ospreys dine somewhere on picturesque Cedar Island, which is protected from people. Pierson’s mate, whom I named Pamela, is usually on the nest with their chick about a quarter mile away on Cedar Island. People in boats going by mere feet away from Pierson are oblivious to this bird of prey. But I make the most of each encounter.

Over the years from more than 200 feet away on my deck where I stay on vacation, I’ve enjoyed photographing Pierson. It’s a rare treat to see an Osprey eat his meal. Read my Photographing Birds Of Prey Blog post to learn more about him and my 5 Rules For Photographing Birds Of Prey.

I couldn’t believe the size of the fish Pierson caught July 10, 2026.

This was the largest fish I’ve ever seen an Osprey catch.

Winging It To Keep The Flounder On The Pier

Later that day, when I showed my photos to Avalon Fishing Fleet Captain Brandon Hurd, he agreed with my estimate that this Summer Flounder, or Fluke, was about 14 inches long. That means it weighs about 1.5 pounds, while an adult male Osprey weighs about 3.75 pounds!

In New Jersey, a Flounder caught by humans must be at least 18 inches to be a “keeper.” With Ospreys, EVERY fish caught is a keeper!

This Flounder was so large that Pierson struggled to keep it atop his usual pier. Here is one of many photos I took of that struggle. Look at the size of his talons!

Adult Male Osprey Struggling To Eat Huge Flounder While Perched

An adult male Osprey struggles to eat a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, while perched on a pier overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Adult Male Osprey Flapping Wings To Keep A Flounder Atop A Pier

An adult male Osprey flaps his wings while struggling to keep the huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, on the pier he is perched overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Still Struggling To Position His Meal

Even while flapping his wings, Pierson couldn't keep the Flounder atop the pier. Here is an action shot of his wings flapping.

When you photograph from a distance, you need a narrow aperture. I consider the aperture button my DETAIL button. I got my best results with an aperture of f18, and sometimes f20. He was perched in incredible sunlight, so I knew I could use a narrow aperture without my photos being too dark.

Hey Gulls: Don't Bother An Osprey While He's Eating!

After maneuvering the Flounder for 7 minutes— often flapping his wings to maintain balance— Pierson flew to a lower and wider piling nearby. I’d never seen him use this piling, but it accommodated his huge catch better, and was closer to me!

I was fascinated by how he ate. After each bite, his head was on a swivel, checking his surroundings. When this Laughing Gull ventured too close, Pierson made sure it was no laughing matter. I love the expression on Pierson’s face.

Adult Male Osprey Eating Flounder And Scaring Off Laughing Gull

While eating a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, from atop a pier overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey, an adult male Osprey stares with mouth open to ward off a Laughing Gull flying by July 10, 2026.

Adult Male Osprey Staring At Laughing Gull July 10, 2026

An adult male Osprey stares at a Laughing Gull to defend the huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, he is eating while atop a pier overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Seeing Is Believing

Here’s another shot I took just 4 minutes later when that Laughing Gull made another feeble pass. Because of the Laughing Gull’s approach angle, I was in the perfect spot to record Pierson’s “displeasure.” That any Laughing Gull thinks it can intimidate an Osprey into losing its catch is pretty funny.

My biggest challenge was distance. To get close while being so far away, I had to use my largest lens— 700mm. This meant I was wielding a 5 pound, foot-and-a-half long camera. But I was up for that challenge!

Both my camera and lens have Image Stabilization. I needed everything. Due to the angle at which I overlooked Pierson, I could not use a tripod. So I had to go handheld. That’s a workout. And it’s also why I work out with weights as training for my photography. My training enables me to hold my heavy camera system, so I can concentrate on getting the shots while knowing I’m holding my camera steady.

Wings Wide While Eating

Hungry Ospreys eat quickly. So I needed a fast shutter speed, usually 1/1,600th of a second, to “freeze” the action of each bite. It was intriguing to see his beak open, and even see his tongue. Whenever Pierson flapped his wings to keep his balance, he looked amazing. Those were times when my shutter button went wild!

Adult Male Osprey Flapping Wings While Eating A Flounder July 10

An adult male Osprey flaps his wings to remain atop a pier while eating a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Adult Male Osprey Staring While Eating A Flounder July 10, 2026

An adult male Osprey stares while perched on a pier overlooking the bay eating a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Eye To Eye With An Osprey!

Osprey eyesight is 8 times greater than ours. So I was glad I saw him through my 700mm lens, even if my camera weighs more than an Osprey! Meanwhile, his zoom lens is built in!

Oh that stare!!!! Like other birds of prey I've photographed repeatedly, Pierson knows me as the “camera guy.” In my own way, I’m “perched” on a deck overlooking the bay. So to him, I’m effectively up in a tree. There is no doubt he sees me. He also realizes I'm no threat. I remain still, so I don’t startle him.

It’s spellbinding to make eye/lens contact with an Osprey! Pierson checked me out many times, and then continued his feast. It was awesome to take shots without affecting him eating his meal. As you see here, we stayed in touch!

Taking A Big Bite!

I wanted to get good shots of him actually eating. This is one of many keeper shots I got. He'd twist his head to tear off a piece of Flounder. Though I was far away, sometimes I heard noises he made as he ate the Fluke.

Usually, Pierson spends about 45 minutes devouring a fish. Sometimes, he’ll only eat a portion before flying it to Pamela to either eat herself or feed their chick. In this case, it took Pierson 90 minutes to eat about 80 percent of this fish! He then flew the Fluke to the nest for Pamela to feed their chick.

What a catch! It was a remarkable show of strength to watch Pierson gorge on this huge Flounder. It took guts for him to catch and fly that Flounder back to a "table" where he could eat.

For 90 minutes, I was riveted. This wasn’t your typical Osprey meal. Through my lens, I’ve recorded incredible experiences with Ospreys. But watching Pierson devour this huge Flounder not only made me hungry— it made me realize yet again that the Osprey is an amazing bird of prey.

Adult Male Osprey Opening Beak To Eat A Flounder July 10, 2026

An adult male Osprey opens his beak to eat a huge Summer Flounder, or Fluke, while perched on a pier overlooking the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

General Settings

Below are settings I used, plus suggestions for how you can set up your camera and zoom lens to photograph a similar encounter with an Osprey, other bird of prey, or other predator.

ISO 800 (because my 700mm lens needs more light), Aperture f18 or f20, Shutter Speed 1/1,600th Second

For your camera, try ISO 500, Aperture f16 (or f18), Shutter Speed 1/1,600th Second. If your photos are too dark, push up your ISO (to 640 or 800).

Photo Tips

Seize any photo opportunity to watch a bird of prey devour a meal. While your camera and zoom lens might not be as big, you can certainly use my tips to get great shots.

Keep your distance, so you don’t spook your subject. You want to enjoy photographing that bird doing what it does best. Yet, you don't want to interfere with nature. Zoom all the way in with your biggest lens.

When photographing Ospreys (or other predators) eating, be prepared for a long photo shoot. That means finding a safe spot where you can stand or sit comfortably to hold your camera for very long periods.

Take breaks to rest, and also look beyond your subject to see what else is going on. It was interesting to see boats go by with people who never noticed the magnificent Osprey feasting just feet away!

To capture your Osprey (or other bird of prey) biting, staring, or even flapping wings, use a fast shutter speed of 1/1,600th Second.

I was lucky to have super sunlight that morning. That meant Pierson’s yellow eyes looked electric! Make the most of good light by using a narrow aperture (f16) and relatively low ISO (500) to get maximum contrast. If you don't have bright light, use a higher ISO.

See my Photographing Birds Of Prey Blog post to learn my 5 Rules For Photographing Birds Of Prey.

Review & Refine! Keep checking your shots to see if your settings are good enough. The more you’re willing to improve your settings, the better a photographer you will be!

Osprey Eating A Huge Flounder 5-Photo Composite July 10, 2026

A composite of 5 photos showing an adult Osprey eating a huge Flounder while atop a pier along the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Experience The Osprey Meal Time 5 By 30 Inches Storyteller Photo.

This composite of 5 photos shows an adult Osprey eating a huge Flounder while atop a pier along the bay in Avalon, New Jersey July 10, 2026.

Osprey Hovering In Sunlight June 29, 2026

An adult female Osprey hovers over the Atlantic Ocean in sunlight hunting for fish during a clear morning in Avalon, New Jersey June 29, 2026.

Want To See More Ospreys? Check Out The Ospreys Gallery.

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Osprey Catching And Letting A Flounder Go 6-Photo Composite July

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Soar With The Birds Of Prey 5 By 30 Inches Storyteller Photo.

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Experience The Red-shouldered Hawks 5 By 30 Inches Storyteller Photo.

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