Sometimes On The Edge©: Osprey -- the ultimate fisher

17,000 species have recently gone extinct or are at risk.

Lately I have been very impressed by some to the High Definition (HD) photographs and videos uploaded to Arkive.org, with some posted to YouTube. ARKive.org: Images of Life on Earth; it's current priority is the completion of audio-visual profiles for those c. 17,000 species at risk. Those are in the IUCN Website Red List of Threatened Species: the list is further broken down in the horizontal index: on the left, Least Concerned (LC), Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), Critically Endangered (CR), Extict in the Wild (SW), and on the right, Extinct (EX). See also, Wikipedia - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

This from Arkive.org (I first noticed this from the BBC Planet Earth series - film unit):

Osprey -- the ultimate fisher http://youtu.be/nA3LtXnNIto

Published on Mar 5, 2012

Wonderful footage of an osprey catching fish. View more osprey videos at www.arkive.org/osprey

Hovering at moderate height, the osprey dramatically plunges down feet first to snatch fish from the water's surface. A shake of the head as it emerges from the water; the osprey carries its skilfully captured prey with its long talons.

More osprey videos can be found on www.arkive.org, along with videos of other birds of prey, fish and thousands more fascinating species.

More information about ARKive – a unique collection of thousands of videos, images and fact-files illustrating the world; they are creating an awe-inspiring record of life on Earth.

Explore 15,000 of the world’s endangered species. With over 100,000 photos and videos, discover what these animals, plants and fungi look like, what makes them special and why we should protect them.

The most popular

All species - Most popular species. View videos and photos of 50 of the most popular species in nature.
Mammals - Most popular mammals. View videos and photos of 50
Birds - Most popular birds. View videos and photos of 50
Reptiles - Most popular reptiles. View videos and photos of 50
Amphibians - Most popular amphibians. View videos and photos of 50
Fish - Most popular fish. View videos and photos of 50
Invertebrates - terrestrial – 50 terrestrial (living or growing on land; not aquatic) invertebrates
Invertebrates - marine – 50 aquatic invertebrates
Plants and algae – Top 50 plants, and more
Fungi (including lichens) – Top 50 fungi, and more

The ARKive project started being developed back in 2003. ARKive is a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery" which it does by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the world's species into a centralised digital archive. Its current priority is the completion of audio-visual profiles for the c. 17,000 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The project is an initiative of Wildscreen, a UK-registered educational charity, based in Bristol, UK. The technical platform was created by Hewlett Packard, as part of the HP Labs' Digital Media Systems research programme.
ARKive has the backing of leading conservation organisations, including BirdLife International, Conservation International, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The United Nations' World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as well as leading academic and research institutions, such as the Natural History Museum; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the Smithsonian Institution. It is a member of the Institutional Council of the Encyclopedia of Life.

Two ARKive layers for Google Earth, featuring endangered species and species in the Gulf of Mexico have been produced by Google Earth Outreach. The first of these was launched in April 2008 by Wildscreen's Patron, Sir David Attenborough.

With the help of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, we are creating an awe-inspiring record of life on Earth.

Freely accessible to everyone and preserved for the benefit of future generations, ARKive is a truly invaluable resource for conservation, education and public awareness. See more at: http://www.arkive.org/about/#sthash.qePEcCKn.dpuf

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. (ABOUT)