Birdwatching is Dangerous! Proceed with caution...

I posted a few days ago about the Bald Eagle that I see each day. I still see him occasionally throughout the week. Or I could be spotting other eagles and not "my" eagle. The eagle population has grown tremendously in Northwest Iowa!

This morning, I nearly ran off the road trying to get a photograph (without success) of him! It seems as if I always see the really cool birds while I'm driving 65 55 mph on my way to work and I can't stop and check it out. Ok, well, actually I could stop since I drive down a road without any traffic to speak of. But each time I've tried that, the focus of my attention manages to fly away.

Today I went home for lunch and spent a half hour trying to photograph a group of Nuthatches on the tree next to my driveway. Didn't capture a single decent shot. Wasted my entire lunch time and potentially ruined my boots in the water and mud that is spreading everywhere with the warm temperatures today.

My time was up and I had to return to work, so I headed back into town. As I approached the end of the road, something large flies down and lands on a sign. A hawk! I love hawks! (I don't like them when they discover my bird feeders and consider it their personal all-you-can-eat-bird-buffet. But I can't control Mother Nature.) As I slowed down and tried to reach for my camera without driving into the ditch and flipping my truck I thought for sure Mr. Hawk was going to fly off. I came to a complete stop just 30 feet away from him and he still didn't fly off. I rolled down my window and aimed the camera -- he actually lifted his head as if to pose for the camera.

I finally got a great birding photo today!

First shot -- Hawk lifted his head as if to pose for the picture!



Hawk flew across the road to the sign on the other side and I took this through my windshield.


(p.s. - Those are antique glass telephone insulators on the old telephone pole in first photo. They're all over around here. I'm not brave enough to try to get any of them.)

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