Robert Anderson, Tools of the Trade (ANIMALS 2026)

In this portfolio of images, I wanted to highlight three of the Eastern Osprey’s specialised hunting attributes: firstly, its fearsome talons for catching fish; secondly, its strong and spectacular wings for soaring, diving into water and transporting its captured prey; and thirdly, its hooked beak for tearing apart fish flesh to feed itself and its young. It is one my favourite birds to observe and photograph. It is a magnificent, photogenic raptor and presents challenges to get close to. I have found myself on windy cliff edges, wading across slippery reefs and climbing over rocks to inch steadily closer to gain their trust and capture photographs and video. At nearly 69, this presents some risks to life and limb! In two of the photographs the bird was perched and preening. As it prepared to fly, it went through a stretching routine. To me, it seemed to be showing off its wing and tail feathers, and talons. The third photograph highlights its beak in action. All three photographs were taken at a location I delight in visiting regularly.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.