Crows and Eagles have a hate relationship. Lets say there is no love lost between them.  This weekend down on the Puget Sound beach (great low tide) I caught a young bald eagle flying around.

At first a couple crows would take turns chasing the eagle.  They were on guard patrol.  I heard at least two baby crows crying in the madrona forest on the hillside. This made me worry that the eagle wanted a quick snack. This is what the pursuing crew of crows are trying to prevent. If they chase the bigger bird away, then he won’t find their precious nursery sites.

After a few pass over the bluff, the eagle landed in a madrona tree. This is where I got my camera out and took a few pictures. The first one is a distant view that will give you perspective of what I mean by madrona forest on the hillside.

As you can see this tree is a long ways from where I am down on the beach.  A telephoto lenses and a good pair of binoculars are a must to sort out what these the birds are really doing up there.

This photo is a bit closer to the action.  The red arrow shows you the dark blob that is the eagle.  The blue arrow is the guard crow making sure the family knows where the pesky predator is.

Now that you know where the players are hanging out here is a little more zoom on the camera shot.  You can clearly see the eagle blob is more than just tree.

Then another crow decided he needed to get up close and personal with the eagle. He landed on a branch on the same tree as the big bird. Before he did that he did a fly by & swooped as near as possible.  This also gives you a better look at the eagle.  It is a bit tough cause he is on the other side of all the trees branches.

Getting even closer with the camera zoom, I am trying to tell which way the eagle is facing. I think he is looking away from me towards the south. His perch is such that we are looking thru the tree at him. It is open on his side so there is a clear view of the water and likely snacks he is seeking.

To wrap this up – here is a really zoomed view of the eagle. I think we are looking at his butt but I will let you decide.  Nothing like an eagle butt to make us all giggle like little kids.