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Ospreys struggles to catch large fish, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland - 12 Jul 2013
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Drew Buckley / Rex Features (2668135p)
Hungry Osprey Sees Giant Trout Dinner Slip Away
This hungry osprey bit off more that it could chew when it set its sights on snagging a monster trout.
The bird of prey swooped down to snatch the king-sized meal from a pond in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
However, while hooking its prey proved easy making a quick getaway with it prize was not.
Following its dive to snag the fish, the osprey was left floundering around in the water in an attempt to lift off once again.
Eventually, it managed to get airbourne with the trout clutched in its talons, but at the last second the heavy fish slipped from its grasp.
Undaunted the osprey simply returned to the hunt and on its next attempt was able to fly away with a more modest sized dinner.
The moment the raptor struggled to bring home its supper was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Drew Buckley.
He comments: "The bird was submerged in the water for a good five to ten seconds trying to gain enough lift to haul this massive fish out of the water.
"In the end it looked exhausted and dropped it, only to return shortly after and catch a smaller one.
"It was an incredible spectacle, not only to photograph but to witness as well".
Speaking about the process of photographing the osprey, he adds: "The 4am start to settle down into the hide was rather tiring, but I was spurred on by the hope of capturing these birds doing what the do best - catching fish, diving into the water at full speed and surprising their prey".
Boasting a 2m wingspan, an osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized fish.
Due to this the birds of prey have become uniquely adapted to the challenges of catching their favourite feast.
To begin with the osprey will fly above the water's surface in order to locate a fish - gliding and soaring anythin...
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