As I was walking the fish hatchery grounds?yesterday morning, I startled what I believe?was a Cooper's hawk on a log about 14 yards from me.?? It flew up onto the fence and?protective netting which keep the salmon hatchlings in the pond from becoming a sashimi buffet for our fine feathered friends.?? I took many photos as it seemed more intent on checking out whether or not any?hatchlings were in the?pond than worrying about me.?? This?was not the same hawk I recently photographed by the stream as it did not have a band on its left leg.

Two of life's eternal questions: "Ginger or Maryanne?" and "Cooper's hawk or sharp shinned hawk?"?? They have to be the two hardest species to differentiate.? I think this one was a Cooper's hawk based on the flat head and shorter, squared tail.??It was kind enough to model its tail for me, so I took several shots of it for ID pruposes.

I later caught one of the local eagle couples drinking in the marsh.??As one of the eagles drank, I used the 400mm setting of my 100-400 zoom to get?some good shots of it looking at its own reflection in the water.? I have been taking lots and lots of local eagle photos as I assume they will be more reclusive?once the eggs are laid and they start raising hatchlings.? From my observations, there are at least four adults and two juvies who?reside in Edmonds or across the border in Woodway.??
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA.