"ENRAPTURED BY A RAPTOR"

Bald Eagle (Adult) -11 Photos

How could you not admire a mature Bald Eagle hanging out on a branch overlooking the river.

After some manoeuvering to obtain an unobstructed view, I managed to find a sweet spot for shooting albeit half sitting, half lying down and shooting up. It was good to be relatively comfortable as this amazing bird remained on this one branch for over 40 minutes, just surveying its surroundings and grooming (Photo #1 through Photo #7). 

Well that was the case until the magpie mob showed up, followed shortly thereafter by the raven rabble. You have to give the magpies their due, in particular, as they are truly bold as brass but somehow they know that the eagle will not retaliate for fear of any type of feather damage (Photo #8 & Photo #9).

But this time, the eagle had the last laugh (Photo #10 & Photo #11).  It didn't actually fly off to another location, it dropped down to a lower location on the tree, with its back up against thick leaf covered branches (so no sneak attacks from behind) and a frontal attack that would entail trying to fly directly into the sun. It took me some time to locate its new location as it was totally in shadows and a direct line of sight into bright sunlight.

So it was off to other venues for me and when I returned, the eagle had gone, probably flown back to join its mate and the entourage had left, no doubt to find other raptors to bully.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9

PHOTO #10

PHOTO #11