Late winter and early spring is a great time to look for pelicans, particularly at the Red Rock dam near Pella Iowa. You’ll find some eagles here too but as the weather begins to warm, the pelicans start to out number them. Sometimes you still get those crisp, cold days, with what I always … Read more
This immature Coopers hawk is a specialist for the most part. It hunts small birds of all varieties. You can always tell one of these is nearby when the backyard birds go totally still and silent. They won’t flinch…or maybe even breath until the coast is clear. On this particular day this hawk targeted a … Read more
There’s nothing all that dramatic with this image…just a eagle landing on an old river snag…I mean they do this kind of thing a thousand times a day, but it’s still cool to see when it’s close by. Those big wings make the bird light as a feather when they touch down. This bird is … Read more
If you get tired of the contrasty black and white of the adult Bald Eagle, be sure to take a gander at some of the juveniles you’ll see around…usually every winter that’s a pretty good batch of them. From one year up to 5 years of age, you will see varying stages or degrees of … Read more
It would be easy to miss…the beauty and uniqueness of birds like the common grackle. Look closer though and you’ll see colors and tones radiating from the plumage that the naked eye is just prone to miss. Or maybe it’s not just in the eyes but from a mind that views most things as all … Read more
The average female Bald Eagle will weigh in at 12 lbs…some are larger though and could be several pounds heavier. So with all this mass, one has to be a bit dainty in the landing on ice. After they fall through a few times, the birds stop landing with a resounding thud, and put down … Read more