Camano Island, eagles, Nature, photography, Stillquamish Riverm Silvana, trees

Eagle Watch – February 2015

Eagle Watching-1People often think I was nuts to move so far from work when I bought my home.  Granted, it is quite a drive.  However, much of it can be very scenic if you get off at the right exit.  And the long drive is worth it when you have young eagles taking their maiden flights over your head as you cruise along a country road.
Eagle Watching-5Probably one of the most difficult things about living out here and watching these young sky sentinels is to try not to be too enraptured by them.  Unless, of course, you pull over and break out the camera to get some pictures of them.  Eagle gazing, I am sure, ranks right up there with texting while driving.
Eagle Watching-8There were a total of 8 of them in the trees over the river when I took these shots.  This one, though, was off away from the others.  I suppose he/she wanted some alone time.  Wasn’t even looking at the river.  Maybe he/she wanted some red meat.
Eagle Watching-9This is the Stillquamish River from the bridge on Pioneer Hwy between Silvana and Stanwood.  We’ve had a lot of rain this year, so its a bit high.  Not as high as a few weeks ago, but still impressive.  Maybe that makes the fishing good and why there are so many eagles camped in the trees along its banks.
Eagle Watching-18Yeah, I know, it looks like the other one, but this is on the other side of the river bank.
Eagle Watching-19And this one “Is” looking at the river for some fresh seafood.  Maybe they are working together for some surf-n-turf.
Eagle Watching-22One of the youngsters is looking out from the branches of a tree.  Its funny how few people see the kiddies.  There was a father and son on the bridge that saw all the adults.  Didn’t see either of the kids in the trees right next to the bridge.
Eagle Watching-32 Even without the white heads and tails, the juveniles are still quite regal and impressive.
Eagle Watching-36And he had absolutely no interest in me at all!  I tried very hard to convince him to take off flying, but he just pretended he didn’t hear anything.
Eagle Watching-38 Actually, that needs to be corrected.  He heard everything except me which just goes to prove that it is not just human youngsters that have selective hearing.
Eagle Watching-45There’s a part of me that wonders if the kids were near the bridge so they could get the easy roadkill lunch from the road.  The grownups wanted the fresh salmon though.
Eagle Watching-46 Just one more shot, because you can just never get enough looking at these beautiful raptors!
Eagle Watching-49Yeah, they had that whole length of the river covered.  You could almost hear them gossiping amongst themselves. “I’m telling you Fred, the one I caught last week was THAT big!!  I kid you not!  We had to leave half of it for the damned crows.  Not that they ever share with us.  Greedy little bastards!”
Eagle Watching-52And every once in a while, one of them strikes a pose and looks for all the world like Elmer Fudd doing Scrooge.
Eagle Watching-56
Eagle Watching-58 Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ comes Watchin’ the salmon roll in Then I watch ’em roll away again, yeah I’m sittin’ on the branch of the bay Watchin’ the tide roll away, ooo I’m just sittin’ on the branch of the bay Wastin’ time
Eagle Watching-61Hey kid?  What say we go down the river a bit and see if the farmer left us some leg of lamb?
Eagle Watching-73 Sure!  There’s too many fishing here to day.  They’re scaring them all away.
Eagle Watching-75And the incoming sea gulls came gliding through the air towards the fields below.
Eagle Watching-78 And with them, came the other little birds, the doves and the blackbirds, the crows and the swifts.  It was gonna be a fun time in the pasture this afternoon.
Eagle Watching-79And they began to find a formation.  All except Henry who never seemed able to get with the teamwork motto and always fell away from the pack.
Eagle Watching-84And you thought they were a pop group!  (Flock of seagulls, if you didn’t get it)
Eagle Watching-85 It seems that they just find the need to all take off every few minutes to a spot about 100 yards in some direction.  Yup, all of them at once.  I think that may be one of those co-dependency things.
Eagle Watching-86We’ll just call it field hopping.  See?  They’re doing it again.
Eagle Watching-88Or it could be a strange mating ritual of showing off their gliding technique.  Not quite as dramatic as a peacock doing the shake your tailfeathers boogie, but I suppose its better than nothing.
Eagle Watching-89But, in truth, its not completely without some Ohh-Ahh! moments.
Eagle Watching-93And the sun begins to set over the bay, so a short stop at the wetlands.  Could build a town with all the driftwood we get!
Eagle Watching-94I do believe that is Rainier off in the distance.  Very impressive considering how far north this is.
Eagle Watching-96I needed a reflections for a photography group.  Nailed it!
Eagle Watching-98Yeah, I live in paradise.  If I believed in heaven, it would be right here.
Eagle Watching-102Yeah, I think its Rainier.  Pretty sure.  Not craggly enough to be Baker.
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  1. I see you love birds as much as I do….They certainly are fascinating to watch. We have seen several here in the swamp…Sadly in two towns from us, Norfolk, which has a beautiful Satanical Garden..which happens to be close to the airport…the airport has made the Gardens destroy the eagles nest that have been there for years…
    A huge outcry came…but they kept tearing them down as the rebuilt them….Once the Gardens had them on the web and we could watch the mom and dad feed their new babies….Sadly they are now gone..When I visit my brother on the Hoopa Reservation in California I see many. Here in Southern Virginia we are finally building them back up…

    • I love all of nature, but yes, I do love birds and especially the raptors! I am finally living in “my” paradise. And thankfully, enough people care about the wilderness up here that they work very hard to preserve it. They monitor the eagle’s nests around here. We even have one on a freeway bridge. Damn eagles think its okay to put a nest anywhere! *grin* I was told that in my area, there are at least 15 identified active nests. I have found, I believe, 9 of them. There are two that are in a tree right next to someone’s house. The farmers throw slaughtered sick calves to them to supplement their diet. They like having them around cuz they hunt rodents. Oh, and they put cereal in the fields after the last harvest to attract the snow geese and swans that migrate in. Nitrogen rich natural fertilizer at a fraction of the cost and a tourist attraction to boot.

      They’ll get back up if you have any nest going so long as they take care of them. I understand they were almost gone here too We have lots of them now. And more in the winter when their relatives come visit from Alaska.

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