Anyone know what type of fish this is? [Edit: It's a Starry Flounder - thanks for the ID Sonja.]


12 comments so far...

janress July 24, 2010, 08:03 AM
wow great !
mramshaw July 24, 2010, 06:19 PM
Thanks for the fav, johna. Thanks for the comments janress, I have tried a macro or two, the ones you do are extremely hard to do well, so I am pleased you like this.

This looks very jaggy to me, but the larger version on the clickthrough is okay.

Sonja December 15, 2016, 12:24 PM
Great shot of the bird! Osprey are so lovely.
Depending on your location, I think the prey species might be perhaps a Starry Flounder (Platichthys stellatus)....
mramshaw December 15, 2016, 05:58 PM
Thank you so much for the ID @Sonja, I'm convinced.

Osprey ARE lovely, I've spent many hours watching them.

Interesting catch, coastal but apparently normally a bottom-fish.

This seems to be the blind (ventral?) side.

"Most easily distinguished by the alternating orange and black stripes on the fins."

I had a feeling that might be the case, thanks for clueing me in @Sonja.

Sonja December 17, 2016, 09:19 AM
So you are close enough to the pacific? This is not a sweetwater fish. Makes a great surfboard however matching the plumage. Perhaps the Osprey hoped to get photographed and minded that the prop would make it look best. ;0)
In europe are far less ospreys than overseas, it's some years I last was lucky enough to met one.
mramshaw December 17, 2016, 09:31 PM
Yes, I am coastal (looked up the location for this shot).

I started noticing heron on the beach about 15 years ago,
which I guess was a sign that the fish were coming back.

Osprey only about 10 years ago (DDT was thinning their
eggs - along with various other raptors - and was banned).

I had other shots but the fish was backlit nicely in this one.

My notes from the time (you can tell I was excited):

2009-09-01

Osprey! Saw him ring up and then catch two fish - he either
had a nest nearby or he cached them for later, as there was
nary a break between the first strike and when he came back.

2009-09-02

Osprey waited for high tide, showed up 2:20 PM. Once
again, robbed of first strike, had to catch another.
Sanderlings. Some small dark ducks too.

Wow, here we are, 7 years later and I have a fish ID.

Sonja June 20, 2017, 01:54 PM
Oh, never noticed you continued the conversation......
Anyway I thought the people in the group need to see your flouder-carrier, too!
mramshaw June 20, 2017, 09:40 PM
Added to the group @Sonja. Thanks for the recommendation.
BJW June 23, 2017, 11:27 AM
Terrific photo!
Fizgig June 23, 2017, 08:17 PM
Well that's a first.... I've never seen one nab a flounder -- definitely a Starry Flounder.... Great catch for the raptor & photographer ;)
Andy Rodker June 23, 2017, 09:37 PM
Fabulous shot and very interesting thread. Thank you all!
mramshaw July 03, 2017, 06:11 PM
Thanks for the comments, this encounter really made my day.
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