?Around 4:30pm?my son and I were?at the east end?of the jetty at Brackett's Landing in Edmonds, located just north of the ferry dock.?? As we were walking to the west end of the jetty, which juts out into the water, ?I heard?gulls screeching?in the manner they always do when an eagle is present.??I immediatley began scanning the sky for one of our local eagles, possibly Patchy or Bismark, who I have seen fish in the area.

I saw one eagle coming in low and close from the south. I have learned the hard way to immediately shove my 100-400 zoom lens to the 100mm end when an eagle is coming in that close.?? The eagle dove right at the end of the jetty, about 20 yards from me and out of my sight below?the rocks.?? It came up with something and flew back south over the ferry dock, accompanied by its gull-tourage.

It was very entertaining to study?my photos on the computer when I got home.??I am always amazed at people who are totally clueless as to wonders of nature happening around them.??Three people were at the end of the jetty when the eagle dived near them.? By using the 100mm end of the zoom, distance compression in the shots was minimized.??

A man was facing west with the eagle passing directly in front of him.? I don't?believe?he ever noticed it, as he remained motionless in all of my shots and appeared to be staring out over the Sound.? A woman standing behind him was looking southeast through the mounted binoculars, away from the eagle.? She was apparently oblivious to the screeching of the?gulls which should have?prompted her to look around for?the action directly behind her.

A?young girl standing beside the woman may have been the only one of the three to notice the eagle.?? Her hands?were placed on?her?head and she was jumping around in the manner of a person?witnessing something?unbelievable.??

After shooting, I looked through the viewing monitor and?noticed that the eagle had caught something which I assumed was a fish.???I have observed in my numerous photos of eagles and osprey?that they carry prey quite differently when flying.??Eagles fly with their legs?tucked back,?while osprey hang their?legs down.?? When I enlarged the photos on my computer at home, I saw a pair of long,?thin legs dangling beneath the eagle, which I knew did not belong to it.?? The eagle had not caught a fish, but a small wading bird such as a dunlin.
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA.