Wednesday (1/14/15) morning I was driving up Pine St. at Pt. Edwards on the Edmonds/Woodway border just as one of the Pt. Edwards eagles landed on the family tree at the top of the hill. Over the past 5-6 years I have taken hundreds (if not thousands) of photos of eagles perched on this tree, but unusual atmospheric conditions presented an opportunity for some unique artistic/surreal/ethereal shots.
My shots can be seen at the top of page 6:http://www.pnwphotos.com/forum/showthread.php?11165-Edmonds-Eagles-2014-15/page6

I am most interested in Tweetsters' opinions as to the identity of the small falcon-like bird in the fourth shot of the series.?? It flew quickly around the tree and the eagle.? I think it was the Pt. Edwards merlin looking for a place to perch, but I welcome dissenting opinions.

I had forgotten to remove the 1.4x teleconverter from my 100-400L zoom, so the 5DIII was slow to lock on to the bird. I only got the one shot in focus.? I believe the bird returned two more times o check out small birds which flew in and out of the area.? I may have to plant myself up there for an extended period of time one morning in the hope of getting more photos.

Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA