Capturing our feathered friends

A weekend of solitude after the holidays, and both boys were actually napping simultaneously in the car. We had gone out to breakfast, and on the way home, were passing an area overrun with bald eagles. In all fairness, we consider ourselves blessed to live in an area where eagles roam freely through the winter. There's nothing like driving in the car and watching an eagle soar overhead, or laying on the living room couch and hearing sweet eagle cries from the pine trees in front of the house...

...but I digress. Seeing so many eagles and knowing that our kids were blissfully taking simultaneous naps, I asked Justin to drive home so that I could grab the camera. As we got back to the park, I found myself giddy with excitement. From a distance, the trees were covered with the chocolate chip-looking silhouettes that are the hallmark of our wintering bald eagles.

I skipped down the path - well, as quickly as I could with the DSLR and zoom lens - and started clicking. A few times, the eagles flew overhead so close I couldn't get them entirely in frame. At other points, I watched as territorial fights broke out, leaving eagles scrambling for branch space or simply nursing bruised egos. When I was ready for a change of pace, the sweet owls sleeping in the evergreen trees provided a nice respite from the strength and dominance of the eagles.

I can't imagine a better way to welcome 2017.