This was an unforgettable trip to the park – I was painting a fairly nondescript landscape of the pond when a man passed by, and asked if I had seen the osprey. I hadn’t, and of course asked him where it was. He pointed – maybe 20 feet away and practically over my head! All that time there was a fabulous bird of prey right out in the open, and I missed him completely!

Thankfully the bird was in resting/preening mode and I had plenty of time to sketch before he flew away. My fellow birder noted that he is not seen often at this park but does come around periodically to fish the pond. (It’s stocked twice a year, so I expect it’s a good meal spot for the bird.) PB28 Cobalt, Burnt Umber, and Jane’s Gray.

What a privilege to see an osprey so close and (somewhat) still! He was there for maybe 20 minutes, mostly in the same general position minus swinging his head around. After posing for me, he flew a short distance away to the comorant trees. No danger there, all the season’s babies have fledged and the nests are empty. Just for grins, here’s a few of those too, hauled out on their favorite drying branch.