Not only did local photographer Danny Coyne get to witness an incredible exchange between a pair of eagles and two turkey vultures, he managed to capture it beautifully on camera.
He was hiking just outside of Peachland on Monday when he came across an eagles nest with a young eaglet inside (we're withholding the specific location for the interest of the birds).
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Mom was tending to the nest and dad was nearby when two turkey vultures decided to pay the eagles a visit with a clear interest in the youngest.
“The mom cried out and then the dad flew in from behind me and flew aggressively towards the vultures,” Coyne told NowMedia.
“The mom left the nest and tightly circled the nest while letting out a loud eagle scream but did not approach the vultures.”
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
As Coyne snapped photos, the vultures started to flee down the valley as dad made his presence known and the male eagle made sure to follow them away from their nest.
Once he felt safe, he returned to the homefront and perched himself in the tree above mom and the eaglet in the nest.
Coyne said the situation was a quick one, but the vultures returned for another fly by around five minutes later.
It was uneventful, however, and he stayed and observed for another hour with no more signs of the vultures.
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
The photos were taken with a Canon T6i wand a Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 lens, which clearly did the trick.
Coyne, who told NowMedia he's just recently taken up photography, said he was pretty much just below eye level with the nest, which was positioned off a cliff around 150 feet away.
Check out a few more of the photos Coyne took of the birds on Monday below and click this link to see his Facebook post about the experience.
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
Photo Credit: Danny Coyne
