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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

an unexpected vistor

A lot of creatures live near the farm and most we never see nor do we hear from them. With some we are glad it's that way. Despite the upsetting nature of watching a dead lamb's body hoping to get another shot at a coyote, I had a wonderful surprise when I looked out and realized a white headed bird was at the meal. It was a neighbor we had not realized lived so close. We have off and on seen golden eagles flying overhead or screeching at us, but the last bald eagle we saw on our land had been several years back.

There is obviously a priority at a feed site as when the eagle was feeding, the vultures stayed back.  They had also kept out of range when the coyote was there.



What amazed me with the bald eagle was how alert it was to any attempt by me to get closer for a better photo. As best I know it, bald eagles have been protected from hunters for many many years but this eagle always left before I could get anywhere near enough for a clear photo. Three separate times I got a few photos but each time if I tried to move close enough for more detail, it left.

Once I went out and settled on the grass under a tree and waited hoping that eventually it would return and not see me. No luck although it was rather lovely to just be there waiting until the breezes got too cool and the sun went behind a cloud.

4 comments:

robin andrea said...

How lucky to have an eagle land on your property like that, even if it was to feast on the remains of one of your little lambs. We haven't seen an eagle here in Sierra foothills yet, but have heard that they are around somewhere. I'm always looking.

Ingineer66 said...

Very Cool. We saw a couple flying around when we were boating on Lake Oroville a couple of weeks ago. And we sat on a friends deck up at Lake Almanor last Saturday and watched a nest with a pair and a juvenile.

Rain Trueax said...

What amazed me about this one was that we hadn't seen it around before this. They aren't usually that timid where I see them other places. I've gotten better photos at lakes and on rivers. I don't know if it was the fact it was landing at the farm and I shoot at some things out there, but only the coyotes (when there's been an attack) and never birds; so not sure what was going on with that. People do hunt the turkeys around here; so maybe it's a factor. but I do see the golden eagles every so often but the bald eagle far more rarely and yet there it was.

Kay Dennison said...

Fabulous!!!! What a lovely surprise for you!!!!!