Sunday, August 1, 2010

Birds of Prey


The birds of prey have made short work of the deer carcass that is down the road.   Someone hit a deer about a half a mile from our house.  Chance and I scared the Eagles feasting one evening.  We waited for them, there were two, to settle back in..there was too much traffic..I could see them landing across the road in the field every time a car disturbed their feeding.  When the traffic was sparse we drove really slow and stopped right in the middle of the road and got this photo of one of them in the field waiting to visit the carcass.  They must have feed at night, because in just a few days..there was nothing left but a puddle of brown and a rib cage.


The other day, next door neighbor Jo and I saw a turkey vulture.  This is the first one I have ever seen in Minnesota..I didn't get a great photo because he flew away.  But it definitely was a turkey vulture, this is the same area where the wolf was sighted, perhaps there is a deer carcass in that area also.

The birds of prey seem to be more active this week, we have seen lots of hawks and many eagles flying over the fields looking for mice and rabbits and what ever else inhabits the grasslands.  Perhaps their young are very hungry..

Last Sunday when we were up on Cass Lake and we were out on the lake tubing, I saw an eagle fly in, I hollered at all the kids to look, and then the eagle barely touched the water and came up with a fish.  Andy had been dumped off his tube and was in the water when the eagle flew right over him.  I have witnessed the eagles keen fishing ability before, but this was a first for the grands:)

15 comments:

Lynda said...

Amazing birds, aren't they? And now you have one less deer eating wildflowers!

Patsy said...

Those turkey vulture are some ugly bird. But they do a good job of clean up.
Patsy

Anonymous said...

What a treat for the kids to see the Eagle at the lake.

I've had one close encounter with a turkey vulture. They have got to be the ugliest thing ever!

Gail said...

What a wonder to see!

Rose said...

i think i've rarely seen an eagle. they seem to be overwhelming. Rose

The Retired One said...

They are both amazing birds to see in person! Great shot of the eagle!

West Side of Straight said...

Great pics.

Linda said...

I saw my one and only turkey vulture last spring....they're HUGE.

carolina nana said...

Great picture of that eagle,they are such beautiful birds.
Have a blessed week

LadyFi said...

Wow - I'd love to see an eagle up close in the wild! That first shot is amazing...

Karen said...

Great eagle picture, we get them around here sometimes, as well as the turkey vultures. http://wyndsonfarm.blogspot.com/2010/06/deaths-follower.html
Thanks for stopping by!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

It's amazin' how quick and on target the big birds are. One Sunday morn' we awoke to a 'teen' size eagle in our big oak tree that overshadows our deck. It's was a treat to watch, although I believe he was stalking my songbirds! Wonderful pictures as usualy, thanks.

May God bless your day!!!

Rita said...

Love the regal eagle picture! They are magnificent. The turkey vultures may be homely, but they are also beautiful in their own way--kind of like hairless chihuahuas. ;) Awesome that the grandkids were able to see the eagle hunting fish. That's something I have never been privileged to see--yet. Not unless you take a video--ROFL! :):)

Lanny said...

We love the turkey vultures, healed one up once, he was a reluctant releasie, we thought he was about to stick around for the easy meat. Pass on the eagles, never thought I'd say that, but really too many lambs and ducks have been lost to those buggers. We do like watching the osprey fish, it is a sight to behold and share. Glad your grands got to witness an eagle do as much.

DayPhoto said...

WOW! That is cool! I love your photos!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com