Mom came down for a visit today and tomorrow and it was the nicest day of Spring so far so I asked if she would like to take a run over to see if we could see Sammy. He wasn't around initially but there were a few guys there waiting a return - he left temporarily about 15 minutes before we arrived.
We were going to drive "over there" to have a look when all of a sudden out comes Sammy and he landed about 30 yards from the Parking lot - you should have seen the folks scrambling to get into position and then the traffic that slowed down "to see what was goin' on". He sat there for 10 minutes... or so and then ...
he took off and did a few areobatics for the folks... Mom and Terry (and Allie) were sitting in the nice comfy truck with front row seats watching the whole show ...
I had scrambled out to the shoulder of the road and was freezing my fingers - there was a bit of a breeze so the wind chill was nippy... and it is definitely harder to hold the camera still - even with the monopod.
He crossed in front of us and then landed on the end of the perch two frames down. One photographer walked out onto the marsh and went in amongst the trees where Sammy spent a lot of his time this winter.
At the end of the day he was able to get tremendous shots from this, Sammy's finale spot for the session. He was to the right about 25-30' away and Sammy didn't seem to be bothered by anyone today. I guess he has gotten used to a lot of attention. I still don't condone the "invasion" of Sammy's territory by people who just don't seem to realize that Sammy is fighting for his life for food - just to get a decent shot... and that even the distraction of watching people distracts him for his hunt for food... It's probably a short time before he heads back north ... Thanks Sammy (could be female although I referred to "him" a lot- just easier to pick one gender and stick to it).
I hope I see him again - but the chances are nearly nil - but we'll see. We won't know if it is the same Sammy if he reappears next winter - but I will certainly be looking for him next time the snow flies... it's called HOPE...
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