Eagle & Crested Caracara

I'm sure I'm prejudiced, but I live in a pretty cool area.

We're not far from civilization (7 miles to Publix!) but our wooded neighborhood plays host to some amazing wildlife.

On our five acres, we have encountered bobcat, coyote, deer, hawks, eagles, sandhill cranes, wood storks, great blue heron, ibis, egret, possum, raccoon, mice, alligators, turtles, owls, hippos and more.

No hippos. Just seeing if you're paying attention :D

Anyway, wildlife sighting is pretty common here. Bald eagles proliferate in this area of SW Florida, and we've even had a nesting pair on our property before! In the winter, seeing bald eagles is a common, even daily occurrence.

Still, we usually just catch a glimpse. We'll see one in a nest along the road as we pass. We'll spot that distinctive boxy wing appearance of an eagle in flight. We'll see one snatch a fish from the creek and fly off to enjoy.

The other day, my husband left for work just after sunrise. He sent me a text soon after, saying he was on a street about a mile from our house watching a bald eagle hang out in the beautiful early morning light.

I figured odds were slim the eagle would still be there by the time I made my way there, but it was worth a shot. I love early morning light :).  I grabbed my camera gear (and put on a bra, as I mentioned in my facebook post about this :D) and hopped in the car.

When I arrived, the eagle was perched in a nearby snag.

I pulled over and took a few shots from my car, then approached him on foot. He wasn't interested in my company and soon flew off (note to self: work on Stealth Mode) and I went back to my car, thinking this encounter was over.

As I started my car, a Crested Caracara flew out from the brush

and started snacking on the big draw to this area on this lovely morning... a freshly killed armadillo in the roadway.  Caracara are fairly rare, and easily spooked, so I stayed in my car and used my long lens to grab a few shots of this amazing bird of prey.

It wasn't long before a car came along and the Caracara scooted back into the palmetto scrub, but I was thrilled to have had a few minutes to catch these shots!

Hope you enjoyed!

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