raptor

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By you just never know…

You just never know when an eagle will appear – or where it will land.
In this case the landing pad is one of the warning signs at the Jordan Lake dam.
The eagle balanced on the thin edge for four minutes.
My friend and I were still discussing the strange perch when a second adult eagle came up river.
The second eagle flew by the first eagle. Neither bird made a sound or seemed to notice each other.
The second eagle soared out over the dam and on to the lake.
The first eagle eventually gave up its balancing act and flew a very short distance – and this time landed in a pine.

WALK7499 Jul 14 2015 @ 10-40-11 Haw River eagle on sign

By part 2, Ace missed the Fish

Ace’s body was halfway into the water when he realized the danger.
He began pulling up hard, fighting for altitude.
His body swung to his left and he got the left wing tip caught in the water.

Going from the bottom left of the photo:
The smaller spreading circular splash shows his trajectory as he almost got his body cleared of the river.
The next curve of bubbles shows where his left wing tapped the water and he began a half arc.
Finally he got straightened out and his body fully free of the river. Oh, my.

WALK6836 Jul 13 2015 @ 09-10-11 Haw River Ace fishing lure part 2

By Whew! Ace missed!

I could see the fish as Ace flared his talons for the snatch.
I heard the fisherman further up the bank yell.
Ace looked puzzled as he neared the fish and suddenly aborted his strike.
The osprey had been diving for a fish that the fisherman had just hooked and was reeling in.
Both the fisherman and I breathed better when my photos showed us that Ace had not caught himself on the fish, lure or line.
Whew.

WALK6827 Jul 13 2015 @ 09-10-07 Haw River Ace fishing lure