Photo of the Day: Osprey Catches Fish, Plastic Bag

Shinnecock Hills birdwatcher Lorelei Galardi has been keeping an eye on a pair of ospreys since late March, when they nested on Dune Road in Hampton Bays near the Ponquogue Bridge.

"I've been following the nesting pair for Osprey Watch, a site set up by the Center For Conservation Biology," she said. "They enlist people from all over the world to log activity at osprey nests, i.e. arrival of the adults, when eggs are laid, hatching, fledge, etc."

When she went to photograph the nest on April 10 around noon, she saw a surprising sight — in addition to a fish, one of the ospreys caught a plastic bag.

Galardi said when she cropped the photo on her computer, she saw a treble hook in the fish's gills as well. "I couldn't tell if the plastic bag was stuck to the fish or the bird," she said. "I went back to the nest at around 5:00 to check on the pair and they were both fine. Thank goodness the bag was gone."

The image illustrates why a plastic bag ban is important for Southampton Town, Galardi said.