A wildlife photographer has captured a breath-taking image of an Osprey in the Highlands after spending more than four hours waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
David Dawson, 47, from Dundee, left his home in the early hours of Thursday morning to travel north to Aviemore to observe the early morning hunt of the fish-eating bird of prey.
The factory worker set off around 1am to set up a camouflage hide on the banks at Macdonald Aviemore Resort by 4.30am, remaining there for more than four hours before the opportunity arose to capture the perfect picture.
The image showcases an Osprey holding onto its prey after diving into the water to capture a fish.
Speaking about the day’s events, Mr Dawson said capturing the image was simply a streak of luck. He said: “We had to be in the hide, which is run by Aviemore Ospreys at Macdonald Aviemore resort, by 4.30am before the ospreys start diving.
“I was there for four hours before I got the picture about 7am but it’s just luck if you get the picture in good lighting and with the bird catching the fish.
“The ospreys did about 11 dives that day, with five-minute breaks in between each one.
“Each dive last about 20 seconds maximum so it all happens quite quickly, and a few of the dives really early in the morning were in really bad lighting.”
Mr Dawson, who enjoys wildlife photography as a hobby, admits he didn’t realise he had captured the iconic image until he looked back through his shots.
He added: “When you are in the hide you are just concentrating on taking the pictures, you don’t have time to look at your camera because you don’t want to miss anything.
“It wasn’t until I looked back I realised I had got good ones.”
