A Convocation of Eagles

Adult and juvenile coming in for landing.
Adult is carrying food in its talons.

This past week, I was mesmerized and thrilled by a convocation of eagles who gathered on our beach at low tide, eating crab, squid, fish, clams, and other tasty tidbits.  Most days, all year round, I see at least two eagles at the beach, and sometimes as many as a dozen, but recently fifty or more gathered within an area roughly three to five acres.  I wandered there for hours, entertained by their antics as they vied for the best place to sit on the top of a rock, soared on the breeze, fought and mated and taught their young.
On sunny days with a cooling breeze, staying indoors is not an option for me (even though I still have many older photo files to work on) - I'm out there, I come home exhilarated, and as quickly as possible edit the day's photos to share with my friends on Facebook.  These are just a few of my favourites (best viewed on a full-sized screen, not your piddly little smartphone). I think Blogger still lets you click on a photo to see it full screen and/or as a slide show. Enjoy!

I don't know what this one had in his mouth - a shucked razor clam, perhaps.
Whatever it was, he enjoyed consuming it.

This one was eating what appeared to be a squid.
The photo of him or her landing was blurry, but showed a bulbous end with dangling tentacles.

They were very active, hopping among the rocks grabbing little tidbits to eat (likely little crabs)
 as well as fighting over whatever fish or crab, squid or shellfish or seastars
they brought back from a flight.

Six in the air in one shot!

Dad, did you stick a feather on my nose?

"Henry, it's a long weekend! I TOLD you it would be busy here!"

Juvenile cleaning out a crab shell

Not sure if they were fighting, mating, or just had an awkward landing.
Moments later they were sitting side by side, staring out to sea.

Just cooling the talons! 

Every white spot is an adult eagle's head...the juveniles are harder to spot as
they blend in with the rocks.  I counted about 30 in this frame, but there were many more in total.

Another frame with six eagles in the air - seven actually, because the handlebar mustache of the eagle on shore on the left is actually a eagle taking flight in front of him.  The photo made me laugh! 

This one is coming in with a fish in his claws.

Synchronized soaring,
in perfect symmetry

This  one reminded me of the beautiful dances of First Nations peoples - in ceremonial robe,
the lower section swaying one way, the arms gracefully curved, the head bent.  Aboriginal culture is so full of  representations of nature, so imbued with meaning from the natural world. 

Despite the fact that the weather was gorgeous and much of this was over a long weekend in a tourist town,  few tourists or locals walked to this rocky end of the beach, or even walked further than a few meters from their cars at the other end.  They'll never know what they missed - these eagles were just a couple of hundred meters from the beach access Maggie and I always use.

Nobody here but us shelties....and a few dozen eagles!

Maggie was with me the first day I spotted the eagles, but she stayed between my feet and on a short leash as I photographed with my little point and shoot.  She was never in danger - and I left her home when I took the larger camera down there in the days that followed, so I could give all my attention to photography.   The eagles were also never in danger - I kept my distance in all these shots.

I live in an amazing place - I am constantly in awe of the nature that surrounds me.