A Bald Eagle in Riverside Park
24 January 2020
I knew that a bald eagle had been hanging around Riverside Park, right by Columbia, for the last few days, so I went there this morning to try to find it. No joy—it was probably out fishing—but I did get some nice, albeit long range, photos of a red-bellied woodpecker.
Red-bellied woodpecker
Some time that morning, though, the eagle returned, which I knew from Twitter. So, after class, I headed back, and it was still there. Viewing was fine, though it was hard to get good shots because of all of the branches in the way. Naturally, it had a very large crowd of admirers. (Aside: how did birders ever manage before the Internet?)
Bald eagle
About three trees away from the eagle, there was a red-tailed hawk jealously guarding its lunch: squirrel. I don't know if it was afraid the eagle would try to take it, but I did not see the hawk eat anything until after the eagle had left.
Other days, a set of pictures like these would be the star of the outing. Today, though, the hawk took second place.
Red-tailed hawk
