The Osprey‘s powerful curved talons come in handy when landing in a tall, bare tree.
Unlike other birds of prey, the Osprey‘s talons are “nearly cylindrical, rounded on the top and bottom . . .” (The Scottish Wildlife Trust), and “their toes are lined with short, stiff spikes for extra grip” (Audubon.org) as they catch and carry large fish. 
To watch the Osprey‘s powerful talons in action, check out this remarkable BirdNote segment, featuring a video from Arkive.org. Hear and read more about this ‘fantastic fisher’ on this BirdNote podcast at Audubon.org.
Beautiful bird beautiful pics!
It was a beautiful day, too!!☀️
Like a ballet dancer “en pointe”!
Exactement~!
Wow, what a beauty!!
Thank you, Amy!
Wonderful shots, makes me miss ours that migrated! 🙂
They are really a pleasure to watch in action!
Hah! It looks the bird barely fits on that little stub of a branch. Nice photos!
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Hah! It looks like the bird barely fits on that little stub of a branch. Really nice shots, here.
Exactly, I thought so, too, Sue! Those rounded talons come in handy for tasks other than grabbing and carrying fish!
Beautiful captures Carol! 🙂
Thank you, HJ. It was a quiet, beautiful day at Viera Wetlands.