Eagles and owls are some of the most majestic birds on Earth. I rarely see these birds, but when I do, its always an awesome sight. On Sunday we took a drive just north of town to see the Snowy Owl that's been in the area for the last few weeks. It was far out in a farm field and at the far distance of my binocular range. But thanks to postings on e-bird and a half dozen other birders parked along Lamb Road, I was just able to make out the owl sitting on a bare patch of field.
On Monday morning, I saw an amazing adult Bald Eagle through the sitting room window. The majestic eagle soared in from the west before turning north and heading directly over downtown Mason. Seeing an eagle from the comfort of my kitchen table is not something that I ever expected to see when we moved to Hogsback Acre in 2018. But I will take it!
Last fall I saw a bald eagle perched on a dead tree a mile north of Hogsback Acre. and in 2019, I saw one soaring over a wetland on Plains Road. These are the only times I've been fortunate to see an eagle without a drive up north.
Two fairly common majestic birds on Hogsback Acre are the Pileated Woodpecker and the Northern Flicker. These are both fairly large birds with bold marking and bold movements that command attention. Of particular note are their large "face swords" (also known as beaks) which they use for feeding and making "a little space" on the suet feeder. European Starlings (my most disliked bird) also possess substantial and dangerous face swords. Today I was able to catch a little video of a face sword battle between a starling and a flicker on the suet feeder. Guess who I was rooting for?
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