Osprey Eye

(Osprey)

Ospreys’ eyes reveal their age—yellow while hatchlings, red-orange while teens, and back to bright yellow as adults. No matter the stage, you can’t miss those glary orbs.

As with all raptors, their eyesight and hunting prowess are amazing. They may first hover 650 feet above the water to identify schools of fish and then drop to 30-60 feet to prepare their dive. They’re able to peer beneath the water’s surface, pinpoint the exact location and depth of a fish, and calculate the angle and speed of their dive—all in split seconds.

It must be a bit of a daily grind, however, as their capture rate is about 40-50%. I guess if you compare that to my capture rate when I spend a morning casting and casting and casting, that’s not too bad.