Eric Zetterholm found this juvenile Bald Eagle drinking water, or perhaps looking for a fish, at the Gualala River. Behind him or her is a Killdeer on the riverbank.
Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sunny and very breezy this afternoon!
Here is Eric Zetterholm's story from Feb. 26.
“I saw Chris Beach pointing his camera at the river as I came into Gualala for work in the morning. I turned around and pulled in next to him to see the two adult Bald Eagles on the logging structure in the river. We said hello and he said that the eagles had been just sitting there and he was waiting for one to take off and fly. I walked up the highway a bit to get a different angle and took a few pictures of the adult eagles together. I zoomed in for some close up shots and then out again to watch for one taking flight. It was then I spotted the young Eagle sitting just below the parents.”
Eric walked back to his car and found several people now watching the Bald Eagles from the riverside. Eric wrote further, “I mentioned the little one being so hard to see hidden in plain sight, its color blending in with the logs and shadows. No one had seen the young one there, just focusing on the two white-headed adults. I went back up the road and was surprised again to see the adults start mating with the youth having a front row seat."
"Soon after, the male adult gathered up some nesting materials and flew off up river."
"I missed seeing the female adult fly away and left for work with the juvenile still sitting there perplexed. Parents can be so embarrassing.”
Eric Zetterholm leaves work for his lunch break and he often heads to the Gualala River. This past week he spotted this adult Bald Eagle.
A few days earlier he photographed this Bald Eagle (the same one?) and the eagle nabbed a Lamprey, an eel-like fish, for its meal.
A little after this sighting, the adult Bald Eagle flew off. And, to Eric's wonderment, a juvenile Bald Eagle flew in and posed for him.
It's always a thrill to see a Bald Eagle!
Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
It rained last night (.20 inches) and it's lightly raining this afternoon. It's suppose to dry up for the holiday weekend, and then watch out! Lots of rain predicted for next week, a river of rain event.
Michael Reinhart wrote, “I looked out the window and saw a VERY large bird circling low over the water – an immature Bald Eagle. While grabbing my camera, I noticed that there was a gull on the water under the eagle. The eagle attacked, picking up the gull, and flew off adjusting its prey in its talons.
Another gull [a Western Gull] made a few dives at the eagle, but the eagle kept going and disappeared around the cliff.”
Mike caught sight of the juvenile Bald Eagle on a bluff where he/she presumably finished off his or her meal.
It is heartening to see the recovery of Bald Eagles. As their numbers increased, they began expanding their territory northward along the coast. First we saw a pair in Jenner, and then two years later, the Gualala Bald Eagles arrived. Could this young one be last year's offspring of the Gualala pair? Maybe!
Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
It's sunny and breezy today, and achingly beautiful!
Looks like this juvenile Bald Eagle was checking out the Mendonoma coast. We don't know where this Bald Eagle was born. Gail Jackson recently photographed the beautiful bird.
One of Gail's friends thought this could be a Golden Eagle, but just look at that beak. I queried Mark Moore to make sure of the ID. He concurred with the juvenile Bald Eagle ID. He sent this photo of a juvenile with an adult Bald Eagle for us to see.
It's always exciting to see a Bald Eagle. We are thankful they are becoming a more common sighting here on the coast.
Thanks to Gail and Mark for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see more of Gail's nature photography, here is her website: http://gailyimages.com/
It's pretty foggy right along the coast, though we have sun at our place. Much cooler today.