This osprey was at the edge of my lens range when I spotted him in a tree over the lake. Although osprey are residents of our area, I find that I encounter them less commonly than I might expect, and certainly less often than I spot bald eagles.
This was as brief interaction, and the osprey’s behavior and body language is very typical of raptors – and many birds in general. In the second image of the sequence you’ll see the raised tail feathers, a sign that departure is likely imminent. Many bird will strike this pose and excrete prior to takeoff, and indeed in the third frame you can see a stream of “bird poo” falling.
Fortunately there was nothing beneath this dead tree!