Prepare to have your breath taken away. Do NOT look at the pictures below on a mobile device while you are driving. Seriously!

Our thanks to Jim Bains for sharing his excellent photos of the Bald Eagles nesting off TX29 about 8-10 miles west of Buchanan Dam! The pictures were taken this week (Feb 16, 2012). Following is Jim’s description of the pictures with the pictures added to go along with his narrative.
To make downloads fast, we have used thumbnail sized pictures. To see one in a larger format, just click on any of these pictures.
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This morning about midway between the old and new nest I was watching a Red-tailed hawk at a distance to see what his next move would be. Suddenly, a Mockingbird appeared from nowhere and ran that hawk away! I’ve seen them try that with the eagles too, but the eagles just give the Mockers a nasty look.

Photos By Jim Bains

Upon arrival, the female eagle was perched a very short distance above the nest for a long time, perhaps an hour or more, then decided to go to the nest.


Rather than just flutter down to it she flew out behind the trees, circled the trees and entered the nest from the front. The closeup shots are all a part of that nest approach.




I had the old Nikon D200 on rapid fire and got some pretty good ones.

Note how the tail feathers are used as a rudder, helping them to steer and maneuver in flight,


they also act as a “speed brake” when they are landing





Houston, The Eagle has landed - note the chick in the lower left corner
and help them to keep their balance while they are perched. They blow my mind sometimes!!

Mother and chick in the nest, waiting for Dad to bring home a nice bass from Inks Lake.

With the Eagle in her nest, Jim noticed another spectator nearby!
The little American Kestrel kept running away from me flitting from wire to wire as I chased him down the highway in the truck! They are FAST!
Regards,
Jim
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If you have a day off, or a weekend, stuff like this is happening all the time out here. The eagles will only be around for a few more weeks
We are only 70 miles from Austin,
only 90 miles from San Antonio,
only 150 miles from San Angelo,
only 240 miles from DFW and
only 230 miles from Houston.
Come spend a day, a weekend, or the rest of your life with us.
Bring your boat and do some fishing, launching is available on both Lake Buchanan and on Inks (see the Boat Launching page above for information)… or bring your bicycle and tour our country roads… or just come and soak up the scenery.
Our Visitor Center on Texas Highway 29, just west of the bridge over Inks Lake, is open every day except Tuesday and has free maps and other useful information to make your stay everything you hope for.
For details about the area, area lodging, and other activities visit our web site.
Also visit the web sites of our other area chambers of commerce:
http://llanochamber.org/
http://www.kingslandchamber.org/
http://www.burnetchamber.org/
http://marblefalls.org/
http://www.masontxcoc.com/