Merry Christmas

I'm grateful for another good year of photographic opportunities; the chance to go different places, to see new sights and for all the flowers!  Thanks to you who have chanced on this site and enjoy my circular visions.  

Hooded Eagle

As the handlers were getting ready to move the eagle they put his hood on, eagle is perched on the handler's gauntlet.  The man had to use both hands to hold the eagle in the air - he's a heavy bird, with very powerful talons.

Double Eagle

Double eagle heads.  This was the largest raptor we got to take pictures of.  He really does have an intense stare. The yellow in the middle is part of his talons.

Screech Owl

This tiny little guy is the  screech owl in my previous mandala.

Yoda

When I first made this mandala, I thought it looked like Yoda,  It really is a tiny screech owl with an intense stare.

peregrine original photo

Peregrine flapping its wings.  Imagine where the triangle is I took from this picture to make the earlier Mandala

Peregrine Falcon different view

The Peregrine posed for us. I liked this one because his talons make up the yellow in the middle. The star that formed was from a stray piece of grass. 

Great Horned Owl

Have always loved the face of the great horned owl.

They look so stern! We had a breeze the day of the shoot so his 'horn' feathers are ruffled.

Barn Owl

Bran owls have such an interesting face.  This one they had sitting in a tree which you can see as the 'V' shape between faces. I liked the speckles on their feathers. There were 6 raptors at this photo shoot, to include 3 owls.

Red Tailed Hawk

Bottom side of the bird. Outer circle is the tail feathers of a red tailed Hawk, his talons and in the center is his breast feathers.