Tag: raptor

On the Watch

A Juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk

During the height of the pandemic, I found myself indulging in bird photography more than ever.

During that time I had an unexpected close encounter with this beautiful juvenile sharp-shinned hawk perched atop a tree located on the Dungeness levee trail, prior to the river rerouting.

As I kept my focus on her, she scanned back and forth over the field below her, as I held my breath and somehow, she failed to see or hear me approach.

And though it wasn’t pleasant to witness the end results of her hunting behavior, watching the process was truly incredible, and within minutes I was doing just that.

Sensing movement in the field below her, her eyes immediately locked on a target as if guided by radar, then instantly, she took off, swept down, flipped her prey in the air, and landed her meal of the day…all within seconds.

And I congratulated her; I’m sure she’ll be feeding her young the same way someday.

Our National Symbol…

Finally…the bald eagle is now OFFICIALLY the national bird of the US! Although it’s been on the Great Seal of our country since 1782 and has signified strength, courage, freedom and immortality for generations, it is not always on its best behavior. Benjamin Franklin actually objected to it being chosen to represent the country, saying:

‘I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our
country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who
live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy.
The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true, original
native of America’.

…but we eat turkeys and glorify eagles! Yes, because aside from their faults they are still incredibly fascinating, as was this one…although eating something very unmentionable.

Wildlife Wednesday at The Dungeness Landing County Park

WARNING! Bird photography can be addictive but also challenging.

My addiction started while peering out the window eyeballing hummingbirds on a feeder everyday. It then progressed to herons, then eagles…and from there, there was no stopping me.

The www.wildlife informer.com states, ‘The Washington Fish & Wildlife Office estimates that up to 80% of the eagles found in the state during the mid-winter months are migrants with the largest winter concentrations occur in the lower Columbia River, Skagit River, Nooksack River, and Banks Lake.’ But from my observation, Sequim has one the largest numbers in the state (I once photographed 30 of them at the Landing). ‘As for the total population of breeding pairs, the WFWO states there are about 900 current nest sites.’ I’ve personally located over 6 active ones in our area.

So with that said, the Landing is another spot on my typical 25 miles daily drive through Sequim and the surrounding area watching for birds. This particular day, I was blessed with the graces of a baldy transporting a fish to the treetops and was able to capture this image.

So if you too are up for a challenge…consider donning a pair of binoculars, or grabbing a camera. Just beware, you may not be able to escape the addiction!