Tag Archives: prey

Red Kites Hunting for Food

The reintroduction of red kites in the south of England has been very effective and they are now widespread across the south.  While were were visiting recently, I was initially excited to see one but rapidly got used to them being around.  We didn’t have to go far before we saw one.  The forked tail makes them easy to identify compared to the longer established buzzards.  Getting a good shot of one was a different story.

While we were walking through Longparish, we saw one hunting near the river.  The conditions were rather overcast so, while I got a few shots, they weren’t as clear as I would have liked.  However, the next time we were walking that way, the sun was out, as was the red kite!  It was just a case of getting lucky and having it come around to the side where I could get some good light on it and then I was able to catch some shots.  There was actually a buzzard circling nearby but it didn’t come very close.  I guess it was camera shy.

Fishing Boat Versus Gulls Versus Bald Eagle

I started my morning of a trip to Whidbey Island at Moran’s Beach.  This is a good location for morning arrivals at the airfield but it also provides a nice view out into the water.  You can get some wildlife passing through if you are lucky and I was.  A bald eagle was hunting in the area.  It was hanging out in the trees just north of me and then heading out to the water.  There was a fishing boat working not far offshore.  It was attracting a ton of attention from the local gull population and they were swarming around the boat.  The eagle was also interested, though.  It would swoop through periodically, looking for a cheap snack.  The gulls were not too impressed by the interloper!

Sea Eagles

Woodland Park Zoo has a pair of Stellar Sea Eagles in an enclosure.  The Sea Eagle is a big bird.  This pair were pretty active as well.  They were making a lot of noise and flapping around the enclosure not stopping at any one spot for long.  It made for a fun time trying to get some shots of them.  Shooting through the enclosure is a bit tricky but, being close enough to it allowed everything to blur out and the shots worked out pretty well.  They are an intense looking creature.

Eagles Versus Hornets(ish)

The Growlers weren’t the only things flying at Coupeville while I was there.  A bunch of bald eagles were also flying in the vicinity.  They were crossing the approach path for the FCLP training which had me a little concerned.  I thought they would get lost when the jets showed up but they clearly weren’t very concerned and were used the the jets.  They might have got close but they seemed to stay just far enough away to avoid any conflict.  A bird strike with a bald eagle would probably be messy for all concerned.

Bald Eagles

wpid5333-AU0E3122.jpgIt has been a couple of years since I last made a trip out to the Mississippi to take pictures of the bald eagles that fish out there.  Last winter it was pretty warm and my schedule was a bit busy.  Warm weather means the river doesn’t freeze up and the birds can fish anywhere they like.  When it gets cold, the ice means fishing is harder to do and they tend to gather at the dams along the river since they will usually have some open water just downstream.

wpid5327-AU0E3171.jpgThis winter hasn’t been consistently cold either but it has been a while and I don’t know whether I will still be here next year so, with a good looking weather forecast, I decided to go.  I was not alone in this with the number of people at Lock and Dam 14 in Iowa far larger than I have ever seen before.  Combined with the relatively open river, this meant the people were healthily outnumbering the eagles.

wpid5329-AU0E3773.jpgHowever, there were a few birds in the air at various times.  Sadly, with a lot of open water, they could choose where to fish.  Also, the wind was coming from across the river so they tended to make their fishing runs away from us.  Consequently, there were lots of eagle butt shots to be had but not many front views.  Even so, I was with some friends so it was a good day to be out and there were a few shots that made the trip a success, even if I didn’t get anything as good as I have managed in previous years.