We enjoy the neighbourhood crows, a flock of five which we see every day. Watching them, we have come to appreciate the birds and observe them everywhere we go. Consequently, we always notice the two crows which consider an area near the end of the boardwalk their home turf.
Recently a Bald Eagle landed in a tree in that area, settling in to watch for its next meal. The two crows weren’t having a eagle in their domain, so they dive-bombed the bird until it left the tree. It circled while the crows watched and then flew out over the bay.
In the bay, the eagle caused a stir among the ducks far into the bay, not visible until they reacted to the eagle. It was difficult to photograph them however.
Meanwhile at the nearby feeder in the crows’ domain, two Mourning Doves fed on seeds at the base of the feeder, oblivious to the danger they had just escaped. The crows had defended the area well.
Several days later, when we arrived at the end of the boardwalk, the crows were nowhere to be seen. A Bald Eagle was settled in a tree top beyond the trail overlooking the bay.
Out on the bay, a flock of diving ducks were feeding, unaware of the predator watching the scene. My husband and I watched for several minutes and when the ducks left the area,
flying out of the bay, the eagle followed.
How fortunate we are to be able to see these animals year round.
P.S.
In the fifth photo you can see the stand of a wind turbine across the Northumberland Strait in New Brunswick. It is rarely visible from shore in Prince Edward Island.
40 comments:
Eagles are majestic birds alright.
I spotted it. Yes, difficult to spot unless you have really clear conditions, I guess.
We have ravens as well as crows. I love the raven 'cronk' warning call. No eagles locally, though. We have to drive to the dump.
Beautiful photos! Visiting from Bill's Ireland blog. I have never been to PEI but would love to one day
I went back and looked, sure enough, I saw the stand. I love to see the wildlife around here, too :-)
That eagle is majestic.
It is amazing how smart crows are harassing the eagle like that. Our turkeys run for the trees when an eagle flies over. Very interesting to watch.
I adore the corvid family. Smart, family minded birds. Brave too. I hope that your pair returns safely (despite also admiring the raptors).
I have only seen wild eagles out and about with so much distance between us it was hard to tell they were eagles. Would totally love to see one. My older brother flew to Alaska once just to photography the eagles. Dropping in to say, the first snow woman you said you liked and was thinking you and grands could make is so easy. I picked up a pizza pan at Dollar Tree, primed it and painted it white. Then I just gave it the face I wanted. Took a winter hat I had and glued it on there. Hint~ do not use a glue gun if you are going to hang anywhere that the sun hits. I used E6000 on the hat to keep it in place.
The eagle is absolutely beautiful to see. It's amazing that two crows could get him to move on and out of their territory.
The Eagle is so majestic and really knows how to rule the domain.
I'm sure the crows found another place to call home.
Fantastic photos.
Sue
We have crows visiting our yard daily, Marie. You could almost set your clock by them and they know that we will have set food out for them. We will be spending the weekend with my daughter in Ottawa so they will miss us for a few days. I hope they don't abandon us.
Wow, gotta love images #4 and #7 … congrats on the great Bald Eagle shots. Neat description of how the Eagle was surveying the area. I do see the wind turbine in #5 … I’m curious though … is that layer of white that goes across the image at the bottom of the wind turbine a layer of fog? I get that here, looking across Puget Sound, to Bainbridge Island, when the conditions are just right. Another neat post, Marie. Thank you for sharing. John
John,
I believe we are seeing the ice in the Northumberland Strait, snow along the shoreline and fog in the distance, singly or in some combination. The atmospheric conditions were just right that day to allow me to capture them.
Marie
Many people are oblivious to all the great things going on in the neighborhood. Great stories are told out there and all we have to do is watch.
Beautiful bird photos!
That eagle is a beautiful bird. It's interesting to see all the birds in their usual behavior.
We often see crows and eagles interacting here. They don't like each other at all, and the crows work together to harass the eagles. Such a great place for you to walk and observe wildlife.
Great shots of the eagle. My friend feeds crows and has them coming to her house at a certain time every day to be fed. She wrote a picture book for children about a baby crow. I am feeding birds here at my sister's house and seeing some I researched to find their names. One was a hairy woodpecker. But blue birds are feeding on the suet as well. Wish I could photograph them like you do, Marie.
i enjoy you enjoying the scenes around you. It is something worth crowing over.
Watching bird behaviour is quite a treat.
Interesting sights! No crows or eagles here, our visitors are mostly doves.
Fantastic to watch these birds, I'm glad you didn't witness the eagle having a meal! Sarah x
the images of the eagle are magnificent...isn't there just something about them!! i went back and looked at the 5th picture, yes, i see the wind turbine, how cool to see it!! i am not sure exactly how i feel about them!!
An interesting bit of bird politics. The eagle is a stunning bird. Grrat photos
May
Amazing how you saw the entire saga unfold and captured everything in these photos.
Wow, crows took on the big boy. Amazing. Though one on one, I wonder how the crow would do? I don't know?
Very cool that you get to see these birds, year-round.
Beautifully told dear Marie :)
Loved the story. I used to be a keen observer to birds back in native town. Crows are most clever and selfish no doubt they can survive with this attitude in any kind of way situation. Eagle shots are exceptionally good. Loved the dove too.
Hugs and blessings
Oh no! What happened to the poor crows?
Crows are interesting birds. A find it strange that group of crow is call murder of crow.
Coffee is on and stay safe
What a fabulous eagle photo! I also enjoyed your photo of the crows. I’m a fan of crows, they are such highly intelligent birds.
Wow !!That Bald Eagle is beautiful!So majestetic:)))
The eagles are magnificent.
I do love the eagles, though I dislike thinking of them killing other birds. It isn't as though I don't know it, I just simply don't like thinking about it.
Can you share what camera and lens you use? The close-ups are phenomenal!
Maebeme,
I use a Nikon P900 camera. It is a great one.
Marie
The picture of the eagle is outstanding! No snow in your area?
Hello,
Beautiful photo of the Eagle on the tree top. I would think the eagle's appearance would make the ducks nervous. The Mourning Doves are sweet.
I do see the windmill! Great photos! Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead.
Margi,
We have had an unusual winter to date. We have snow and then it turns mild and we lose it. A storm is due tomorrow so we’ll see how long that lasts this winter.
Marie
That was pretty brave or stupid for those crows to take on an eagle.
I always love reading your posts and seeing your photography. I find grandeur and splendour in every inch of your eagle!
Just be having a lovely look through all your posts, the bald eagle is an fantastic picture you must have been so pleased to capture it. Thank you for sharing and letting us marvel at this magnificent bird! Sarah x
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