Osprey Carries Away Large Fish as Myrtle Beach Tourists Watch On

Onlookers on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, were stunned by the sight of an osprey swooping over the sands carrying away a large fish in its talons on June 22.

Footage shot by Tennessee native Ashley White from the 17th floor of an apartment building where she was staying on vacation shows the fish still wriggling around trying to escape capture as the bird carries it high above the beach.

Ed Piotrowski, chief meteorologist with local media outlet WPDE, shared White’s footage to his Facebook account, joking that some people thought the bird was a “condor” and that the fish was “a great white.”

However, he said the osprey had caught a “large Spanish mackerel”. Both the Spanish mackerel and osprey are found in the area. The birds are, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, “locally known as fish hawks or fish eagles.”

Talking to Storyful, White said that she and her mother were on the balcony of their condo, and discussing dinner plans when “something caught my mom’s attention behind me.”

“She pointed and said ‘Look at that bird, I believe it has a fish! Too bad I don’t have my phone.’ I just happened to be playing music on my phone so I turned on the camera real quick to get the video!” Credit: Ashley White via Storyful