This is my second attempt at Gyotaku.
I came across the beautiful Black Crappie that was used to make this print in an unusual way. I was out fishing when I noticed a couple Osprey diving for fish. One dove, hit hard, and stayed in the water for a few moments. This is unusual. Osprey usually pop right out with a fish in their talons.
After a moment, the Osprey struggled to rise into the air. It got about a foot off the water with a large fish in its grasp. Unfortunately for the Osprey, the fish was too large, so it dropped it.
I noticed that the fish was floating on the top of the river, so I paddled over to take a look. It was this 14 inch Crappie.
Since there was no reason for it to go to waste, I scooped it up and took it home. Upon closer observation, I was surprised that there was very little visible damage to the fish. It had a few shallow punctures from the Osprey's talons, but nothing major. I supposed the impact of the strike killed the Crappie.
After making this fish print, I cleaned and immediately cooked it. Crappie is a wonderful tasting fish!
But........
It made me sick.
In retrospect, perhaps the fish was already sick and floating near the surface when the Osprey attacked.
Lesson learned: Don't trust a bird to provide your dinner!
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