I paid a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge this morning. There were large numbers of Lesser Scaup and Bufflehead ducks on the water, and small numbers of Canada Geese flying around. And I sighted the usual, cardinals, a red-bellied woodpecker, a belted kingfisher, chickadees, etc. And it was a nice day for eagle sightings, albeit from a distance. I saw two pairs of eagles simultaneously harassing each other in mid-air, too far away for usable photographs. And I saw several eagles perched in trees on an island in the bay.
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| Eight Bald Eagles |
There are eight bald eagles in this picture. Two are hard to see, obscured by branches, but they are there. They are a mixture of white-headed adults and brown-headed juveniles. The two nesting pairs of eagles were near their nests, not cooperating, too far away for usable photos.
There was one juvenile bald eagle that I inadvertently stalked all morning. I would approach it along the shoreline. Sometimes I would see it perched in a tree and it would fly away before I could get close enough for an unobstructed shot. Sometimes my first view of it was of its butt as it flew away before I noticed it. Always it flew away from me along the shoreline. I did eventually have a good close encounter with another juvenile.
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| Juvenile Bald Eagle Flyover |
The wind picked up, it got colder, and I had enough. I headed to the parking lot. Just as I was about to get into my car, a pair of juvenile red-shouldered hawks flew by, circling each other. They hung out near the sun and I had to work to get a shot that wasn't badly back-lit. Sadly I didn't get a usable shot with both of them in the frame.
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| Look at the Red Tailfeathers |
In the shot above, the sunlight shining through made the red tail feathers stand out. Below is the same bird, with different light, lacking the visible red.
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| Red-Tailed Hawk |
