Once in a lifetime experience!

I am usually just a lurker her enjoying everyone's photos, but I had such and experience the other day I had to join in!! My husband heard quite a racket outside in our yard with some hawks that he had to go out to investigate. He saw 2 hawks diving and screeching at something in our tree, figuring it was a turkey vulture he didn't think to much of it. Well when it took off it was a Bald Eagle!! I was just pulling into the driveway thinking I had just seen an extremely large hawk, until I got out of the car and actually watched the show. WOW what an experience it was for us. I grabbed the camera and got the best shots I could, unfortunately my telephoto lens is on it's last leg and hasn't been focusing to well, but felt privileged to even get a few. He stayed around for a while until the hawks finally won out.

We can't really figure out where he came from but feel so privileged to have had the experience and lucky enough to get a few shots so our friends would believe us!!

Well that's our story and we're sticking to it!!!

Attack!

Soaring...

The chase

Last good one!!!

WOW those are so cool! I like the 2nd one best - look at those legs and claws!!! It's neat to see them next to other hawks - really shows off how BIG he is!

That's a great sight! Congrats luvs!

Wow, luvs, what a treat. High drama. Well done to capture it.

Thanks guys..it was so exciting!

I saw a Bald Eagle overhead the other day! Wow great shot and high drama! May I ask those of you wonderful folks what type of camera a novice birder like myself can invest in for a nice digital camera to capture pix like you've? Marg? what type of camera is yours?

Lily, I've got a Canon 40D and 98% of the time use a Canon 300mm 1:4 L IS and a 1.4x Canon extender. I hand hold all my shots and wherever possible shoot in shutter priority.

Thanks Marg. for your reply. Ooooh now we're talking about professional photography!

Oh, no, Lily, not by any means. When I look at the results professionals with vast experience photographing birds get, I'm blown away by them. I've got a looooooooooooooooong way to go. But it's such incredible fun. I'd suggest maybe looking at a basic single lens reflex camera (SLR) and playing around with it, see what you like and what you don't like about the one you buy and then upgrade when you're more certain and are comfortable with the various features of digital. The best advice I was ever given was to hire a couple of cameras before making a decision. Maybe consider that.

Sorry luvs, I hope you don't mind my little spiel there.

Congratulations! I know how thrilled you must have been to even SEE one, but glad you got a few really nice shots to remember it by.

No problem Margaret, I love learning too!!

Thanks GP, it's funny, I drove 2 hours in the fall to Hawk Mountain to see something like this and here it happened in my own back yard!

Lily_love, I have a Canon Rebel xt that I love with a Quantaray 300mm. I am hoping to upgrade to the 40D within the year and get a new lens too. Like Margaret said, check out quite a few to get a feel for what you like.

Man oh man! A bald eagle in your yard. What an amazing experience. You are so lucky luvs.

How exciting...I almost fainted when I saw one perched in the upper field and can't imagine what I'd do if it landed in the back yard! You did well to get pictures of the whole episode!

I've got carried away with my own interest and forgot to thank lovegrtdanes for sharing such awesome experience with all of us. Thank you.

WOW luvs!!! Those shots are amazing!! I'm so happy for you. They are like National Geo shots! Congrats and thanks for sharing them. And how amazing all that fantastic drama took place in your own back yard!

Congratulations ..... and nice photos. You probably didn't get any closer views at Hawk Mountain. You need to take a ride down my way to the Conowingo Dam off of Route #1 in Maryland - about 70 miles from Philly.

That is just way too cool!! WOW

Thanks evryone!! Still so exciting when I tell the story!! LOL

Linthicum I googled the dam and it looks really interesting. Not too far at all. I may have to take a ride....thanks

Margaret that must have left you feeling like extremely excited. The shots were impressive to say the least. I recall the felling you must of had as I remember watching and photographing Two Adults doing there what I have learned since was there mating flight. I thought at the time they we fighting. Bald Eagles are just impressive to watch.
Robin

Heart stopping. How glorious. Thank you for sharing.

Christi

Exciting, wasn't it? It's awesome to be honored by such a sight. Big congratulations!

I've seen osprey chase an eagle away, and the ravens seem to delight in their torment of eagles.

I'm lucky to have had eagles land in treetops here in my yard, but haven't seen eviction at such close quarters. I did notice some time ago that the old oak along the river that used to be an favorite fish watch station for the Baldy's has been taken over by a pair of Red-tails.

Wonderful photos and you tell a good story too! Thanks for sharing :-)

Thanks everyone. I am so glad I posted my experience, this is quite a group here!!! I keep hoping he will come back!!!

So cool, great pics!!! Thanks for sharing.

Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread until now. What a fabulous experience that must have been, luvs!! Thank you so much for sharing your images with us.

Barb

Those are some great photos. Wish I had the equipment and ability to get photos like that!

Thanks all!! And thanks to a few wonderful people here and there good advice I am getting me a new lens so I can get really good pics!!

luvs, Great photos! How exciting to have such an event take place in your very own yard!

Can you possibly tell us a little about your yard (the habitat) and if the baldies frequent it often? Thanks so much. t.

T. I do believe the eagle was of course..although my yard is set up for birds and butterflies, with trees and flowers, bushes for cover and bird feeders it isn't a place for eagles. It is about a 1/3 acre in a small suburban neighborhood. I think he was possibly passing through, and since we do have quite a few hawks that call the woods by us home, and were defending there territory we got lucky to see it. They caused quite a commotion. I still am on the lookout for it hoping he will come back. I have searched the woods thinking just maybe he would be there but found nothing.

A friend told us that a state park near by has been rumored to have eagles there. Haven't been there yet to check it out.

Ah, so do you live near a river or lake or something like that?

Supposedly there are bald eagles on the Ohio River about 2 miles from us, but I haven't heard of them coming down to our neighborhood, but your story gives me hope! We border a 2000 acre park, too. (-:

It would be a nice addition to our yard list for 2009!

We are about 5 miles from the river as the crow flies!! About 8 miles from the State Park. There was also talk about there being an eagle's nest at the Delaware river but the site was closed because there were too many wave runners going and disturbing things. Apparently you can't to it by vehicle, only boat or wave runners. Isn't it unfortunate that some people don't respect wildlife? Oh I promise not to get on a soap box!! LOL

Hi luvs, I gather we're not far from one another. :-)

Hi Pelle, probably not...I'm in the far Northeast part of Philly near Bucks County. Are you North or South of Philly? Are you closer to NY or the Jersey shore? I don't know my geography to well!!

luvsgrtdanes, here is a recent article that may be of interest to you. It looks like they have identified three Bald Eagle nests in Philadelphia.

http://www.philly.com/philly/health_and_science/20090110_A_third_eagles_nest_in_Phila_.html

Also, here is a site that identifies recent bird sightings at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/heinz/sightings.htm

This may also be of interest on an on-going basis .....

http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/PENN.html

Happy birding !!!!

Hi luvs, I'm 10-15 minutes from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge.

About 40 minutes from the Jersey shore and 2 hours from NY.

Pelle not to far at all.... I'm about 15-20 minutes from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge!

Linth thanks so much for the links!! I'll be checking in with the PA site that's for sure.

I am not a newspaper person so I didn't see that article. I am only about 15 minutes from one of the entrances to Pennypack Park. I wonder what part they are in...seems I have some more looking around to do! My new lens won't get here soon enough!!