Return to Fir Island - Ducati.ms

Bill_Anderson · Feb 13th, 2008, 9:00 pm

I made another visit to Fir Island today to try to get some photos of the family of eagles that has taken up residence there this winter. It was nice and sunny when I left home about noon, but I noticed very dark, ominous clouds up north where I wanted to ride. I lucked out and hit a few drops of rain around Everett, but nothing more the rest of the day.

I have plenty of photos of the swans and snow geese from last month, so I just took photos of the raptors and a flock of turkeys that came out into the road behind me as I rode by. I missed getting some great shots of two of the eagles because they kept flying away from me as soon as I pulled up near them. I don't know what they were afraid of as my Duc can only fly figuratively.

This sequence started out as one eagle in a tree. It was then joined by two more. I assume they are a family group. The things which look like leaves are actually a flock of starlings. Sharing the tree with the eagles didn't seem to bother them.

Sorry for the marginal photo quality. I was using the digital zoom of my point and shoot in poor light as I was straddling my bike

Bill_Anderson · Feb 13th, 2008, 9:08 pm

First photo: While I was photographing the three eagles in the tree, one of their buddies kept circling near the river and open fields behind the trees.

Second photo: Why does a turkey cross the road?

Third photo: Getting mooned by future Thanksgiving Day dinners.

Fourth photo: Obligatory motorcycle in the photo photo

Fifth photo: Yet another eagle on the opposite side of the island.

I rode some roads which criss-crossed the island and kept seeing the same eagle and one of his buddies in low trees beside the road in front of me. There were no obscuring branches, but every time I got near, they would take off. This happened about four times. Since they are the top of the food chain, I think they were just teasing me. When they weren't doing that, they were playing aerial tag with each other.

**Chuckracer** · Feb 13th, 2008, 9:31 pm

Most cool!

Bill_Anderson · Mar 11th, 2008, 3:05 am

Sunday (03/09) I repeated the ride on Fir Island with a friend. We saw lots of raptors in the trees and stopped several times so he could take some shots. I have gotten so many photos of eagles this year that I did not bother. I took my friend north on some roads which were new to him. With the change to daylight savings time, we put on nearly 200 miles after lunch and still got home before dark.