More Adventures

Murphy came with me today back out to the refuge - and enjoyed a couple of nice walks. The adventures began on top of Goose Egg Hill, when an American Kestrel (small falcon) attacked a mature Northern Harrier Hawk (good-sized hawk) and drove the hawk out of his tree. As I was tracking the hawk with my camera the kestrel attacked again and voila! they both are in the shot! Compare the size of the birds and you see the inequality - but the kestrel did not care.
Later down a dike, I was tracking what I thought was an immature bald eagle - very dark but still big - when bingo! into the viewfinder flies the mature bald eagle to attack this other bird! Looking at the photo I now wonder if the other bird was a Golden Eagle - will do research on that.
So two shots and four birds - doesn't happen all that often but I love it!
Along the way a Harrier posed for me, ice crystals made an unforgettable shape, gulls buzzed us to see if we had any food, and there was no breeze - still as a mouse - so had to capture the still water!
Enjoy!

This guy is obviously lost - all his buddies have already gone south and he is still hanging around!

Heron tracks in the snow

Still waters!

Fascinating ice on the edges of the streams.

Gulls make good practice for panning with the camera.

Here's the two eagles - darned if the top doesn't look like a Golden Eagle.

I'm a sucker for shapes and forms and light and color.

Kestrel and Harrier - what a size difference!

Northern Harrier.