This is the dramatic moment an osprey swoops down and snatches a trout straight out of the water.
Wildlife photographer Mark Hancox waited for SEVEN hours in a cramped hide on the shores of Loch Garten, Scotland, to capture the shot
He said: ”I knew ospreys use the loch as a feeding ground and had heard about them swooping down and plucking fish out of the water.
”I was determined to see it for myself and catch it on camera.
”There were a few near misses but the bird sometimes missed the fishes or they slipped out of their claws.
”Suddenly after a long period of silence I heard a huge rush of air and this osprey grabbed a large trout from under the surface of the water.
”It was a fantastic moment. The bird must have spotted the trout from at least 30 feet away. It came out of nowhere.”
Loch Garten, in northern Scotland, is the ancestral home of ospreys in Scotland.
Mark, 48, Hartlebury, Worcs., took the picture two weeks ago.
A RSPB spokesman said: ”Ospreys are sometimes known as the sea hawk and survive on a diet of fish.
”Their ability to see prey from a long distance is something to behold and the results often spectacular.”