Late afternoon seems to be the best time to watch the osprey practice his hunting skills. He perches right above us while we sit in the shade of the palms. We think he's a young one, first of all because he's not one bit bothered by us being so close, and also because he's really not that great of a hunter yet. He has a few obstacles to overcome. The palm frond he sits on swings in the breeze while he spots his target. Then just as he takes off, the seagulls on shore charge to his prey and make all kinds of noise and shadows and scare it away. He likes to go for the needle fish that are bluish green, easy to spot, and sit still by the surface. When he's got his approach just right, he comes up with the fish, head first in his strong talons, jealous seagulls flapping along just in case he drops it, and carries it off somewhere else to chow down. Then he returns to the palm tree to get ready to try it all over again.