The Beaches - Raptors

Yes, it's back to the US of A (mostly).  Florida is a pretty decent place to see birds of prey, but the views from the beaches this year were just great.  I've already shown snaps of an osprey on the pier, but even sitting on Naples beach there were good views - overhead

and going for fish.  Follow the snaps and you'll see just how close to the bathers the birds were going in.  It has a fish in the last shot.

Even more more fantastic for me was the regular sight of a bald eagle which would come and sit on a tall pine just behind the beach.

 The last and next 2 pics were taken from the beach itself, the rest from under the tree while an osprey wound it up - sadly didn't manage to catch the osprey in frame as well.

Up at Clam Pass several ospreys again used the beachside trees to rest or eat their fish.  All the snaps of the one eating were taken from the sand, and we had brilliant views over 30 minutes while it ate, slept and ate some more, shouting periodically at other ospreys overhead.

Brilliant, eh!  You don't see that at home ................. at least not until a Christmas Day surprise when this buzzard landed in the garden on our 'pergola' bird feeding station!  Kay saw it first while I was out walking the dog, and said the best bit was when a squirrel ran out, skidded to an abrupt halt and shot away again.  She didn't know which of them looked more shocked.  Pic taken with my pocket camera, and cropped for shape only

Now that's what I call a present.  Have a Happy 2013 all - surely a drier one at least.