Monday, January 19, 2009

Finding Eagles

It's no secret that I am fascinated with bald eagles. They are so majestic, strong and graceful and I would love to be able to add what proud hunters they are. This isn't the case because most eagles are hunters of opportunity. They will feast on anything they find from carrion to garbage. They will even chase other predators from their catch. Vancouver Island is included in the southern range for Alaskan eagles who migrate to find warmer temperatures and an uninterrupted source of food. The eagles being on the island was our main reason for choosing to spend a week. The sheer beauty and diverse landscape was an added bonus. We stayed in Nanoose Bay, a quiet little community that is only an hour's drive from four thousand foot snow capped mountains. And when I say "island" don't get lulled into a sense of diminished size with a population consisting of natives who either fish or do wood carving for a living. The island is the size of California and is heavily populated, even in the winter. The ferry to the mainland runs every two hours and in the summertime, the already busy highways are clogged to a standstill. I think my family got tired of hearing me say," hey look, there's another eagle up there". I know I never got tired of trying to photograph them.

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