He thrashed his wings onto the surface and his head resurfaced. One foot hit the gravel bottom and he struggled to gain balance, wings still outstretched and beating the surface, other talon desperately trying to find a footing. Beneath the water there was pandemonium. The huge crash of the bird hitting the water and the pounding of the wings sent shock waves round the pool.
Hidden trout held fast. The tidal wave and its rebound left two momentarily out of the water. They fell down the bank into the water before it returned to a normal level and shot out into the curtain of bubbles and disturbed sand, desperate to find cover. They were disorientated by the pounding of the thrashing Osprey. Both raced across the pool, changing direction frequently, seeking shadow and safety. To one, dark tree roots loomed up and offered salvation. The other was 13cm long, it darted through the turmoil and into shadow, at the precise moment when Ozzie found the river bed with his other foot. In the mayhem the fish sought a small hidyhole in what appeared to be a angle of roots. Ozzie felt the squirm of the fish under his foot and instinctively clenched his talon shut. He stood waist deep, looking into the water, wings still up but motionless. He was in the shallows now and half paddled, half hobbled to the shingle bank. He was bedraggled, but he had caught his first fish!

Ospreys feet are specially adapted to grip fish. The outer toe can face backwards or forwards and the under surfaces of the feet and toes are covered in short spines to hold slippery fish. The claws are long, sharp and curved.