Bald Eagle, Barred Owl...and Terrible Tom

The day started off with one of the best possible sightings...a bald eagle! Within 15 minutes of my leaving home no less!  I had pulled over in South Whitby to check a coyote field when suddenly it flew out of the forest and over my car.  The early morning lighting was poor and I was slow to react and only got a blur of a shot, but enough for an ID.

That sure woke me up! I headed over to Cranberry Marsh and saw the Barred Owl, though I can't take credit for the sighting. Two helpful crows found him for me -- I wish I could pay a couple of crows to hang out with me when I go out shooting.  They were harrassing the Barred and I was right in the middle of its flight path - very cool! I love the expressive face of the Barred Owl. Let's just say he was not amused - he was actually frowning. It all happened so fast though that I didn't get any photos of the ambush.

I found a c-c-cold swan at Oshawa Harbour. He wasn't the only one covered in icicles!  And a beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk near Pringle Creek in Whitby.


Chilly Trumpeter Swan, Oshawa Harbour



Red-Tailed Hawk, Whitby ON

Terrible Tom the Turkey is back at Halls and is waiting for his girlfriend Ann, apparently he has a message for her and wants her to head over to see him.


"Ann, where are you? I miss youuuuuu"


Here are a couple more from today.  They were both a challenge for my soon-to-be deceased Sigma 150-500, the lens I love to hate and hate to love (but I do love it).

Black-Capped Chickadee



American Kestral, Whitby ON