Though the Long Tail has already returned to Bermuda sightings of another magnificent bird — the Osprey — also mean spring is truly here.

This Osprey was caught in action after it picked up lunch near Abbot's Cliff, in Smith's.

Barbed pads on the soles of its feet allow the Osprey to grip slippery items, like this trigger fish. Look closely and you can see the trigger fish was carried headfirst — to make it as aerodynamic as possible.

The sighting is good news for bird watchers and sun lovers as the Osprey pass through Bermuda during their spring migration.

Andrew Dobson, the past president of the Bermuda Audubon Society, said their return is always exciting for bird enthusiasts.

Mr. Dobson, who wrote 'A Birdwatching Guide to Bermuda', said: "The Osprey is the only regularly occurring eagle species in Bermuda.

"Sometimes Ospreys will spend the winter here, including two last winter, but those have since gone. They occasionally summer here and there was great excitement and anticipation last year when two birds were seen together at Cooper's Island carrying small twigs — potential nesting material.

"Ospreys have never nested in Bermuda, but the area of somewhere like Cooper's Island would be ideal."

Mr. Dobson said they are easily identified because, like the bird in this photo, they are black and white in colour and have a large wing-span and 'finger' tips. Another tip to know if it is an Osprey — the birds have a slow wing beat. The birds do not harm Bermuda's environment or threaten other endemic species on the Island, he said.

Mr. Dobson added that their abundance is also a cause for joy. In the 1950s and 1960s the Osprey were threatened and became endangered because of the the widespread use of the insecticide DDT.

He said: "The poison entered the food chain resulting in egg hatching early. But DDT was banned in 1972 and there has been a tremendous improvement in breeding success."

If you want to see more birds like this one the best places to head are Castle Harbour or the Great Sound, but Mr. Dobson said they can also been seen elsewhere on the Island.