In a new flight pattern this fall and winter, I’ve seen Bald Eagles flying over the pond with the Great Blue Heron rookery. A couple of weeks ago I saw one go by and about four minutes later one came back with a fish in his claws.
I can’t say for certain its the same bird but given their territorial nature it is likely, making that a pretty efficient dinner run.
Back in October I posted images of a Bald Eagle Pair. After taking those photographs I look in that tree every time I pass by and three weeks ago I was rewarded with one half of the pair on the very same branch.
The mate was nearby, perched on their nest.
As is often the case with Red-shouldered Hawks, I heard this one before I spotted him having a look about.
He of course, was keenly aware of my presence.
And away he went.
I love to watch Black Vultures, at least from afar. They aren’t that attractive but are skillful flyers and do a fabulous job keeping dead stuff cleaned up. I was happy to spot this pair perched high in a pine tree.
It turns out as I looked around and heard the distinctive flap-flap-flap of Vultures taking off that there were dozens of them, sitting in and flying around a stand of pine trees.
The cloudy sky wasn’t a great asset to these images, but you can see how the birds arranged themselves.
This last image conveys the massive size of the trees and some of the soaring that was going on.
October 20, 2020
The pond below this Osprey was way to shallow for him to hunt, but he seemed fascinated by something.
I moved along and got a better view, especially when he sat up.
I heard a high pitched bird call. Eagle was my first thought. I turned my head and there, high in a pine tree, not one but two Bald Eagles.
I tried to get a slightly better angle to avoid having branches sprouting from their heads. The best I could do was swap branches.
After only a few sightings over the summer, I’ve seen quite a few Bald Eagles in the last few weeks. This pair was watching a pond below them.
My walking route took me past a nest I know Eagles used last mating season and I wondered if I could even see it. The last time I passed by here the foliage on the lower trees was too thick to get a clear view. Since then a few leaves have dropped, vines have drooped and fortuitously the late afternoon was shining through a gap in the trees, spotlighting the nest.
You can visit my post It’s Twins, Eagles That Is! for some views of the nest in use last winter.
A Turkey Vulture swooped right over me with his distinctive “wing fingers” fully extended. I love to see these vultures in flight, they are exceptionally graceful and agile in the air.
Well actually, a maple leaf or two, but they did obscure this Red-shouldered Hawk’s belly. I spotted him because of the contrast in color.
He was looking all around as another RSH was calling across the swamp. He was pretty content in his semi-enclosed spot.
