Eagles and Trees

Our friend from the last posting that seemed in a hurry to escape from a raven, was not actually the goal of the raven's flight. He was just passing through. Yet, the eagle still seemed pissed that he has to deal with the interloper at all.

From the Eagles' Point of View

Circling for a landing, this eagle is eyeing a good spot for lunch. Apparently, the service is pretty good and the price is right.

Eagles Everywhere

We see our pugilistic friends in the background as the local stakeholders sit and watch, "ain't none of my business!".

Survival of the Fittest

Eagles, like all other wild animals, work hard for a living. As these birds approach maturity, their battle wounds begin to show.

Eagles on the Wing

Perhaps because the fish are more active, the eagles got more active as the day went on.

A Busy Time of Day

The herons have found a place that suits their hunting style and their apparent desires to pose for the camera.

Big Beef Creek, Seabeck

Not too far away from Sequim is the village of Seabeck, on the Kitsap Peninsula. Here is where the Big Beef Creek joints the Hood Canal. Every year about this time, there is a small fish, called a midshipman, that runs through here to the canal. This brings out the birds in significant numbers.

Another Visit to the Eagles Nest

We made another stop at the eagle's nest by the shore to see what we could see. On this trip we got to see mom quite well, but the kids are pretty elusive.

Out By the Shore

A trip to the shore to see what birds we might see there seemed in order. It is also interesting to note that from Sequim we can see the San Juan Islands and, on a relatively clear day, Victoria Island as well. Above is one of the San Juans.

An Eagle and Beavers

Ridgefield really is a place you need to visit. There is an amazing amount of wildlife here. This is one of the few places that I've seen a beaver.

Bald Eagle at Crescent Beach

After leaving Tongue Point, we drove next door to Crescent Beach to have a look. Not much happening along the beach (except more people than you could shake a stick at...no thanks) but on the way back up the hill, we spied a bald eagle posing in a tree just off the road only 10-12 feet off the ground.

Diamond Point

My apologies for the out of focus photo above. It was the best I could do as this immature bald eagle was on the wing. The attraction was something in the water. It also attracted lots of other hungry birds.

Eagles

We continued out ride on to Bainbridge Island and stopped at the Town & Country grocery to get a sandwich for lunch. We rode out to find a spot to pull over and eat while we enjoyed the sunshine and the scenery. Along the way, we found a pair of Bald Eagles basking as well.

Eagles at Rest

We finally cashed-in my birthday present and took the tour on the Skagit River (about 1.5 hours north of us) to see the Bald Eagles. Yes, the bird above is a Bald Eagle...an immature one. We're told that it takes about 5 years to reach the white-headed state. We saw lots of immature eagles on this trip.

I've broken the posting into two parts so no one gets tired before the end. In this post, you'll see sitting birds. Tomorrow, I'll post the ones I caught in flight.

Bald Eagle

Seth and I went for a walk down the beach in the afternoon. To our surprise we found a Bald Eagle perched on a low branch in a tree. To our even greater surprise, he was perfectly happy to sit on the limb while I shot away and walked all around him.

Eagles and Gulls

Down the beach a bit from the house is a spot where there is a fairly wide beach. This morning I noticed that there were Bald Eagles outside our place and when I found them down the road, I went back to try to get a photo or two.