3 for 3: Eagles and Osprey
This was my second year in a row photographing bald eagles in Santa Cruz, and I wasn’t yet familiar with their behavior yet. I had seen them both separately, but I don’t believe I had seen them together yet.
On this day, I went out planning to spend about two hours birding having pre-accepted that I would spend half of the time waiting. Instead, the adult was there clearly visible in the most prominent tree as if waiting for me. Having spent a fraction of the time I had expected, I decided to splurge and try a second spot—a tree I had previously seen an osprey in.
As I walked towards my car I pondered, “Where is the juvenile? Why are they never together?” I drove to the other side of the lake I had been at, a 35 second drive, still wondering about the juvenile when it flew across the street just before me and landed in a tree no more than 10 feet away from the curb. Had I been in a taller car, it’d have probably rolled given how quickly I turned around to park.
This was the closest I have ever been to an eagle, and I went back to my car afterwards elated having captured both specimen in great lighting. I realized, “Clearly the Universe is cheating for you today”, and decided to splurge for a third bird. I drove to a parking lot and walked about a quarter mile to a tree I had previously seen an osprey in. I was so certain the bird should have been there, I took an almost-argumentative tone when I asked the Universe, “What am I missing? Why is the bird not here?” When I turned and headed towards my car, I realized the answer. The osprey was sitting atop the tree sitting just before my car. I couldn’t see it until I had walked away and turned back. I thanked the Universe and drove home in disbelief of everything I had seen in just a couple of hours.
