holy mackerel... you guys have the very best walks.
that shot of the eagle attitude is powerful stuff.
Fantastic photography, as usual. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to live. And the eagles took my breath away. You must have some magic in you that draws wildlife to you. Powerful indeed ...
Nothing like being in the right place at the right time... wonderful! Lucky you!
Spectacular pictures of those eagles. That shot of the eagle must be the male. He looks so proud of himself. Keep those pictures coming.
Madrona trees always trigger pleasant memories for me - they're almost always coincident with some pleasant experience on a coastline. Thanks for the excellent photos.
WOW
I second endment's sentiment!
All these photos are lovely, from the lighthouse, through the madrones, to the final eagle shot. And I have to say because it needs to be said: John Ashcroft probably has never even seen an eagle.
A wonderful walk indeed.
Your hands were cold? I always picture you two walking hand in hand.
The Dalliance of the Eagles
Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest)
Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,
The rushing amorous contact high in space together
The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,
Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,
In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling,
Till o'er the river pois'd, the twain yet one, a moment's lull,
A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,
Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,
She hers, he his, pursuing.
--- Walt Whitman, The Dalliance of the Eagles
What stories! What pictures! What a treat this post is!
soccer mom, the poem adds the finishing touch.
Eagles are great. I'm sure glad you post pictures of them, otherwise I wouldn't get to see them. I've heard that they can be seen in certain areas around here, but I've never made the trip.
Great photos! Spectacular view of that lighthouse. What are the snow covered mountains in the background?
annie-- We had the same reaction, "Holy Mackeral!"
pam-- We do see a lot of wildlife, and we are utterly grateful for every opportunity.
MB-- Absolutely, right place right time. It was quite a moment.
Phil-- I love photographing madrones. They are so beautiful, smooth and curvy. Do you have them over in your neck of the woods?
Endment-- We kept whispering to each other, Wow wow wow.
CCorax-- I think Ashcroft went to the ronald reagan school of environmental studies: you've seen one wild thing, you've seen 'em all.
FC-- We sometimes put our freezing cold hands in our pockets! I usually have one hand out on the camera because I don't trust straps. That hand gets very cold.
soccermom-- Thanks for that very wondeful poem. I've never seen it before. Excellent.
janeboatler-- It was quite a walk. It doesn't always look like this in the northwest, but when it does, we are reminded of why we live here. We put up with a lot of cloudiness to get this.
owl-- If you can make the trip to where the eagle are, it would be so worth it. They are pretty amazing looking birds. Incredible presence.
Huitzil-- Those mountains are the Cascades. They are a significant range with peaks over 14,000 feet. We are looking east. If we could have flown straight up from there, you would see the Olympic range to the west. A smaller range with 8,000 ft peaks.
Fanatastic photos, and I believe you were walking where we walked with you not so very long ago. It makes me long for the Pacific Northwest, especially to see the snowy mountains across the Sound! Thanks for this beautiful post!
Viewing any bird of prey makes me watch in awe. Eagles are special. The male is usually the smaller of the pair. It looks to be the one on the right, but it's hard to tell.
Nice shots.
We had a nice urban walk yesterday, but with far too many houses in the way of the view! And no madrona trees on Queen Anne Hill, to which we walked. (People around Seattle seem to have corrupted the actual word.)
I always picture the madrones along the road on Whidbey Island, as you approach Ebey's Landing. I'm sure we rode our bikes past the ones in Pt. Townsend, too.
Beautiful shots, beautiful post, magnificent birds. That shrieking that they do is very eerie- I've had it set the hairs on my neck on end up at my parents place before I remember what it is. Thank you for this wonderful walk!
i've walked those very same paths myself not so long ago, and i remember one time when i saw a couple marbled murrelets from near the lighthouse. that day, there were some biologists present who talked to me about their work with that species.
Now that's what I call a WALK!
I love madrones as well. I equate them with the Ventana wilderness near Big Sur but quite inland -- around Tassajara Zen Center in particular.
That shot of the lighthouse with the Cascades -- omg it makes me shudder. I want to be there b-a-d.
And of course the eagles -- what a treat, and how lucky we are to have such wonderful eyes and ears in the PNW. Your blog could be the Port Townsend promo video. Be careful--don't want too many folks up there!
there were also many madrones up in white house canyon, between pescadero and davenport. we lived there, until the mudslides of 1981 moved us to aptos. i love them. like grown-up manzanita!
It's hard to come up with more accolades for such phenomenal photos. Great photos capturing a wonderful walk!
Really, Wow, what a great day!
kim-- This is where we walked with you and Dotty. We walked along the beach on this journey, but the way back was through the woods.
dave-- I had the same thought, that we are actually looking at the larger of the two, which is the female.
Isabelita-- There are madrones all over here in PT. If you rode your bikes here, you probably passed them right by.
Vicki-- It's so good to have confirmation from someone else that the sound is wildly eerie. I'd love to hear it again.
grrlscientist-- we saw some other water birds that I wish we identify. A seagull harassed one into giving up its catch. I don't think it was a marble murrelet.
Patry-- Yes, this is the kind of walk I've been talking about on your blog!
TD-- Well, we do photograph PT on spectacular days, but truth be known, it is cloudy here most of the time. I love photographing that lighthouse on a clear day. It's pure magic.
annie-- I remember when my family moved to California in 1970 from the east coast, and I saw madrones and manzanita for the first time. I couldn't believe trees with bark that was smooth and orange or dark burgundy. So beautiful.
OW-- It's the beauty we have to work with that gives us the opportunity for such photographs. We are grateful for it everyday.
sbgypsy-- It was a great day. Glad we could share it.
Amazing. Thank you both for sharing your versions of the story, and the beautiful photos. And soccer mom, thanks for quoting the Whitman poem; it goes perfectly with this post.
what gorgeous images! i had the opportunity to witness eagle love in ystone one year...you're right - it sounds scary! they are sure something to see aren't they! oh, and for your little cold camera hand, you should try those ragg wool mittens where the top flips back and they turn into fingerless gloves. i swear by them!
if i could take a walk half as cool as the ones you guys routinely describe i would be much happier. thanks for sharing the gorgeous shots.
Great pictures, great site, I read here often and usually don't comment. Speaking of Bald Eagles, I have heard that the USFWS is going to soon reopen its public comment period on its original 1999 proposal to delist this magnificent bird. Lets hope they are eventually delisted. What a great story that would be amongst so much anti-science that has been happening the last 5 years.
Oh, Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story and pictures! I felt as though I were with you...
I admire nesting Bald Eagles- up our way they're already incubating and they do NOT leave the nest no matter the weather.
I've only once witnessed a courship ritual, where they lock talons and literally tumble to the ground. Amazing and magestic birds, I'm happy you had this opportunity to watch.. and listen 
See my snowy pics in Cineto Romano (Rome) ITALY
http://cineto.leonardo.it/foto
BYE!!
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