Bird Photographer Catches Super Rare Shot of Blue Heron And Osprey Fighting for Fish—But Who Won?

Rare photographs capture a great blue heron attempting to steal an osprey's catch in New Jersey. Courtesy of James C. Sengul

The stars were still twinkling, and a slim crescent moon hung over New Jersey as James Sengul got in his car and set out, camera stowed, to drive two hours to Union Lake Dam before sunrise. He needed that precious twilight window to position himself.

He would need the sun at his back. Favorable tides meant shallow waters where the stars of his photoshoot, nesting osprey and great blue heron, could ravage the fish they followed upstream after an exhausting migration to cooler climates from South America.