Original Oil Painting on Canvas

24"H x 30" W, $2,000

(Orders and information: linda@relisart.com)

Available in mixed Florida Birds notecards

Flying High

The Osprey makes its home among the thousands of miles of river ways, lake shores and coastlines that make Florida distinctive in the United States, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply (exclusively fish). It is found on all continents except Antarctica. 

Its hunting technique is a thing of beauty. Its prey is first sighted when the Osprey is 15–40 feet above the water, after which the bird hovers momentarily then plunges feet first into the water. From that height he is often completely submerged below the water and manages to lift himself and his prey out of the water and into the air. It is a sight to behold. 

Fortunately for me, I live on the North fork of Florida's St. Lucie River and get to see this spectacle daily. There is a tall St. Lucie pine tree overhanging the river, next to my home, that is often its perch before or after its hunt. 

This painting is a "thank you" for the spectacles he has shown me