BIRDS OF PREY

"I love ospreys-everybody does. When I was a kid, before DDT found widespread use, ospreys were so common on Long Island that you could find their nests on the ground. I remember one giant oak tree on Orient Point that held three active nests. I used to watch the birds dive down out of the trees to snatch weakfish and bluefish - what marvelous hunters. The osprey is a bird that you can paint from underneath. The underside of an eagle is relatively dark and uninteresting, but the black-and -white pattern of the osprey's plumage provides a nice natural design."