2016-02-07: What I’ve seen this week

It was quite an exciting week for photos this week!  Given the continued icy conditions on my road, I’ve been driving a short distance away to one of the main roads to walk Spencer.  Tuesday morning, there were a huge group of ravens and magpies surrounding a ravine, so I stopped the car to see what  had happened.  During the night, the local coyote pack took down a deer, and the birds were tucking into the leftovers (evening at 9am, maybe only 1/4 of the deer remained.

We set off again at lunch for another walk, and this time the ravens and magpies were absent; while walking I figured out why – a beautiful bald eagle was watching over the area.  I grabbed a few shots and he or she flew off through the field, and I carried on with my walk.  On the drive home, I spotted the eagle again and grabbed a few more shots through the open window of the car, before realizing that there were two eagles in the area.  I followed one to the end of the cul de sac, and was lucky enough to be able to get a few more shots in before it was time to get home and get back to work.

Fingers crossed this coming week brings more wonderful photo opportunities.

Have a great week!

20160207_What I've seen this week
On Monday afternoon I spent a bit more time with the northern hawk owl. It was late afternoon and snowing lightly, and he chose the top of the tallest tree possible to perch. This was the best of the few shots I got.
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First spot of the eagle; this was only the second time I have seen eagles in my neighbourhood. The first time was a fleeting glimpse far too quick for me to capture.
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The deer carcass was at the base of this hill. The previous day, the snow was untouched; there certainly was a large amount of activity that went on in the night.
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I stopped the car, put on the four way flashers, and took a few photos (I live in a really quiet area so it’s not a safety issue).
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This is the second of the eagles I saw. I don’t know of the distinguishing features between sexes, so I don’t know if I saw two males, two females or one of each.
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I couldn’t have asked for better light. Midday sun up north in the winter comes in at a pretty gentle angle.
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The branch shadows are a bit unfortunately, but at least the body positioning leaves the stunning yellow eye exposed.
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Up and away. I did briefly see the pair when I returned home, circling high up, reminding me of the vultures in southern Africa.
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What more could you ask for on a Tuesday lunch break?
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I always love the opportunity to capture birds in flight. 1/1600sec, f5.6, ISO 180

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