We spent the first half of our Alaskan adventure in the town of Seward, which is nestled between Resurrection Bay and Mount Marathon. They have a lovely marina there (which is a popular spot for cruise ships) and lots of places to hike, including a fun trail to Exit Glacier that we explored. But for a birdnerd like myself, the best thing about Seward is that there are Eagles everywhere!

I’ve already told you that we saw these beautiful birds every time we walked out the door of our “home away from home.” Some were perching at the creek’s edge…

…some were scanning the area for food…

…some were flying by…

…and some were just resting and digesting!

We also saw Eagles when we were out and about exploring the area. Our VRBO host told us about a back road that often has wildlife, so we went to investigate. As we were driving along, we stopped so I could take a picture of this Steller’s Jay…

…then turned to see this glorious guy (or maybe gal) perched at the top of an evergreen.

A bit of trivia – Bald Eagles are clearly not bald, so why the name? Well, it comes from the Old English word “balde” which means white-headed – a word that may well describe me in the not too distant future!

This beauty was scanning the area…

…but was very aware of my presence.

Eagles are massive birds (they have about an 8 foot wing span) with huge beaks that can look quite intimidating – until they open their mouths, that is. Unlike Hawks, which have a piercing battle cry, Eagles just let out an aggressive but unimpressive chirp. I guess they prefer to let their talons do the talking!

I wish the sky had not been so dull of a grey, but like I said in the previous post, our ten day trip forecast was a steady supply of cold and drizzle. And regardless of the lighting, I was just thrilled to have such a patient poser.
After letting me snap a bunch of shots, he did start to get a bit fidgety…

…and then flew off out of sight. He is so majestic and graceful in flight.

As we were wrapping up our time in Seward, we packed some sandwiches and parked our car at a spot along Cook Inlet to eat. We ended up seeing several Eagles there, who also seemed intent on enjoying some lunch.

Another fun fact about these birds of prey is that they are “kleptoparasitic” – is that not a fun word! It basically means that although they will hunt their own food, they are equally as willing to steal it from someone else.
This young Eagle (it takes about five years to get a full white head) was guarding and eating a fish that he found on the shore.

It was such a treat to have Eagles flying by while we sat and munched our lunch. Who needs five star dining when you have such a beautiful view!

Although we do have Bald Eagles here in Georgia, they are few and far between; in Alaska, they are everywhere! I took far too many Eagle pictures to feature them in only one post, so rest assured, there will be more coming later! In fact, the shots I’ll share a few posts from now made me feel like I was living my daydream of being a National Geographic field photographer! Stay tuned!