Today's offering from the Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is this beautiful Lanner Falcon.
This is not a native species but is normally found in Africa and Southern Europe. In 1666 some were reported in The Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest but these were likely to have been escaped hunting birds.
They have a different hunting style to the Peregrine Falcon which tends to stoop attacking its prey at great speed from above, the Lanner by contrast has a more horizontal flight and takes its prey in flight. This bird was part of the flying demonstration and it was truly a great spectacle. As it flew above the trees a large flock of pigeons scattered noisily before the falcon returned to the arena to chase the lure. It whooshed past at speed and getting a photo of it in action was incredibly difficult we will see later in the week whether I was successful or not. For now these three shots of the falcon on its perch will have to do.
I think the first picture is my favourite because it is looking straight at the camera with its piercing gaze. I have cropped the third image to get a little closer to highlight the detailed markings on its face and to show off that imposing beak.
Just look at this handsome creature. Vultures have a bit of a bad reputation as dirty scavengers but they actually serve a vital role in protecting the environment; by feeding off carcasses they help stop the spread of disease.
There is so much power in this beak and jaws and that piercing gaze just goes right through you.
I watched this one feeding on what looked like a leg of mutton or goat. It ate everything, not just the muscle but the tendons and sinews, picking the bones clean.
I have always loved owls and these two specimens at Chester Zoo are quite stunning. I love the serene pose of the Ural Owl in the first image but my favourite of the two is the Northern Hawk Owl with its piercing gaze. While the Ural Owl sat serenely watching the world go by the Hawk Owl was always alert, keeping its eyes on me at all times.
When I went to Canada getting a shot of a Bald Eagle was at the top of my wish list (alongside Bears, Otters and Hummingbirds) and I have to say I was really happy to be able to get up close enough to get this shot.
My first attempts were unsuccessful due to the birds being spooked by my lens which was not camouflaged so I experimented by covering the lens with a t shirt and it seemed t do the trick
I've mentioned bucket list items several times in my blogs in the past with puffins and hummingbirds and if I really did have one this beautiful bird would be up near the top of the list.
I first saw a Bald Eagle in Utah a few years ago with my daughter and about six months later I saw a lovely juvenile eagle at a raptor centre in North Wales, since then I have been really keen to see another one in the wild and it was certainly high on my expectations for my Canadian adventure.
On the drive from Toronto to Thunder Bay I say a number of Turkey Vultures and a couple of Bald Eagles flying quite high but these were not photo opportunities.
This beauty was spotted while visiting Kakabeka Falls, initially it was perched high on an old tree on the far side of the gorge and I watched through my binoculars as it took off to go hunting.
As we walked around the cliff top path we came to a viewing platform to get a good view of the falls which are a truly spectacular sight. Looking downstream however we were able to catch a glimpse of the eagle perched on a branch around 20 - 30 feet away. It was really hard to see as it was sheltered by the branches and to get a good view it was necessary to lay on the decking and peer through the railings. That was no good for getting a clear photo though and to do that I had to stand on the inner railings and lean out as far as possible. With the heavy 150-600mm lens it was really difficult to hold it steady while keeping my balance at the same time, I didn't want to lose my camera or end up at the bottom of the gorge. Difficult as it was I am quite pleased with how the shots turned out.
In the first shot the eagle is looking intently at something in the river below although I don't think he was looking for food since it had not long eaten.
In the second shot he was looking directly at me and I think I have captured his piercing gaze. He clearly wasn't disturbed by our presence because he spent some time in this spot as we watched while he preened his feathers, but always keeping his eye on us.
