Tuesday 7 April 2015

A Golden Eagle and a Murder of Crows

April 6 2015 72nd Ave Delta BC Canada

This first shot of the Golden Eagle was taken on April 1st during a short photo session before dusk. 
Juvenile Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
As this bird matures the white patches will be replaced by an all dark plumage. 


A few days later I took about twenty shots of the same Golden Eagle being harassed by American Crows sometimes referred to as a 'Murder of Crows"
I particularly like the crow's expression on the top left. 





Finally outnumbered, the much larger Golden Eagle is driven away from its hunting grounds by a many as fifty crows. I like the symmetry of this image, each crow having a slightly different shape. Many of the crows have white markings and I'm not too sure if they are Northwestern Crows or the American Crow. 
The shot came about at dusk, when the Eagle taking it's last hunting foray of the day ran into the crows which were massing for their nightly roost.
No two days seem the same when birding, which I suppose is the what makes the pastime so interesting.  

Check out CBC's Nature of Things
April 19 2015  2 p.m 


"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon
Langley/Cloverdale





4 comments:

  1. Lovely shots I saw her tonight perched in a tree what a beauty.

    cheers

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    1. Her golden nape is growing longer each week, what a treat to have such a beautiful bird, a bird of myth in our presence for so long. I can't believe it. I heard you were lucky with the owl a few days ago. Cheers

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  2. Great shots, my favorite is the last one!

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  3. We have been so lucky to have the golden spend the winter here, I wonder how long it will stay around especially as the duck population dwindles. Picked up my 129th BC year bird today, Red Crossbill at Richmond Nature Park. I've never kept a year list so it will be interesting to see the number at the end of the year. I have been enjoying your photography of late, you have a really good eye for action, composition and storytelling.

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