I was out for a very long, hot, dusty ride in the countryside this past Saturday afternoon. Just as I was riding back into town by the QE2 Power Plant, I spotted a BALD EAGLE over the river hovering and diving then taking to flight again, soaring about, terrifying the massive flocks of gulls, being chased about by some crows, hovering and diving again and eventually settled down on a stop in the middle of the river. Then it was joined by a Great Blue Heron!?
It was quite the sight! It cheered me a little after a long and disappointing ride to a number of dried up wetlands devoid of birds or much other life!
While I was busy taking pictures of these from the West Bank of the river trying to get a good angle through the thick brush that borders the river, I noticed a number of small birds flitting about in the bush right next to me… so I took a few pictures of those as well. Some were Cedar Waxwings, but at least one other was one I hadn’t seen before!!
Yellow-Rumped Warbler in the Birbs of Saskatchetoon 2022 Sketchbook (Volume Two!)
These are a few of those pictures that I took that weren't terrible...
Oh, and the Eagle and Heron I was looking at...?
Bald Eagle Hovering before diving.
Eagle being chased around by some ballsy crows.
Great Blue Heron Arrives
Heron... watching the Eagle... watching the Heron...
Just after I left the position where I could see them both, the Eagle took off in the direction of the Heron. Then moments later I saw the Heron flying over where the Eagle had been. Did the Eagle take a run at the Heron...? Did the Heron make the Eagle regret some of it's life choices...? No idea... we'll just have to imagine how that all went down.
Nice drawing/painting. The eagle/crow/heron/et al scenario sounds like some cool bird-watching. Sounds like just the thing to cheer one up, as you said.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI've seen Bald Eagles, but I've never seen them diving into the water - so that was quite the sight. I was hoping to see it fly up with some fish it caught... THEN a heron showed up - which I usually only see about once a year, and I think that was now the third! Would have liked to see what went down between them. Did the eagle actually fly AT the Heron or did it just happen to fly off in it's general direction!?