Wildlife Spotting
Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, River Otters, and more!
I enjoy getting outside just to breathe in the air and feel the light, but it’s a special treat when I get to see wildlife. Here in Victoria, that’s pretty frequent, which is one reason I love living here! Last weekend I really enjoyed seeing some beautiful birds and it was a bonus to see a river otter in the same pond where I saw a beaver a few months ago!
A bald eagle is sitting regally on the top branch of a bare, scraggly tree in front of a blue sky.
A bald eagle perched on a branch looking over at a turkey vulture that’s flying by.
The underside of a turkey vulture soaring, showing off their two-toned wing and tail feathers and red head.
A turkey vulture flying in a blue sky.
I was taking pictures of this fancy looking mature bald eagle sitting on a bare branch when a big motion to my left startled me and I realized there were turkey vultures in the trees and soaring overhead! I was super delighted to catch a turkey vulture and that eagle in the same shot and to get some of those special details that make turkey vulture ID easy, like their two-tone wings and bright red heads. A lot of turkey vultures leave for the winter, but we always have a few around and they’re so impressive!
A river otter swimming in a green pond has their mouth open and tongue out.
A river otter sticking their head up out of the water looks like they’re trying to get a good look at you.
A river otter in a green pond. Their body is flat at the surface of the water and the top of their back and tail float behind their head that’s halfway up out of the water, just high enough for their nose to be out.
As I approached this little pond, I saw some big motion in the water and thought maybe it was a beaver again, but it was actually a lone river otter! I’ve seen groups of river otters in this area, but it always seems weird to seem them by themselves. They definitely became aware of me pretty quickly so I didn’t stick around to bother them very long, but I was glad to get a few photos!
(For photography nerds, it was sunset and there wasn’t a ton of light, so I was burst shooting at 1/125 s to avoid high ISO that happens when I’m zoomed all the way in. Most of the pictures were way too blurry, but I was excited to get a few that I liked!)
A flock of scaups floating on along a shoreline at sunset with a few green wing teals interspersed among them.
A whole flock of ducks have just taken off from the water, splashing water all around them. They’re all blurry from a slow shutter speed.
I’ll admit I was disappointed that this amazing flock of scaups (plus a few green wing teals) got startled and flew away, but it was pretty fun to play with motion blur of wings and splashing!
What kinds of wildlife are you seeing where you are? Tell me in the comments!
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