Adventures

Feb 12, 2013

Project 326 through 322: Birds of A Feather

We've been so busy getting ready for our Paris trip. Not much time for blogging. So here is another big post that, in my rule book, counts as several days' worth. Friday we went up to the Skagit Valley area to check out birds of all kinds. We were hoping to see whooping cranes and eagles at least. We didn't see the cranes but we saw some great birds.
We thought these were turkey vultures. Turkey vultures are usually seen in larger numbers hovering over an area where something has died. That's what they do. But then I spotted the white heads and pulled over fast. Bald eagles! We've never seen so many in one place. I've been along the Skagit River during January when they gather to feed. I think I saw fifteen in one place. Up on Haida Gwaii we saw about a dozen in one place. But this was beyond anything like that. There was no way to get any closer to this scene. But it was a sight to see.
Always a sucker for a heron shot. This one was just about ten yards from us.
 An eagle flies by.
It's difficult to appreciate the size of this immature eagle. Yes, they can be as big as an adult. Probably as big as an adult female because females are larger than the males anyway. But think of how big the beams of an electric pole are. As we drove toward Samish Island, we both happened to spot it and at the same time exclaimed, "Oh my god!". We wondered if it would still be up on the pole on our way back. It was not difficult to spot even from a distance. By far the largest bird I've ever seen. Perhaps the angle produced an optical illusion. At any rate, it was big.

Not sure what kind of hawk this is. Light was flat and could only see its chest and face.

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