Oh no you don't! As these incredible pictures show, this bald eagle was never going to let a sea lion get at him or his dinner.

As it swoops in on a fish in Juneau, Alaska, the bird got far more than he bargained for but showed he was quick enough to get away unscathed.

Snapped by photographer Bradley Oliver, who lives in San Francisco, California, the dramatic events were captured thanks to his keen eye for a photo.

Mr Oliver a 41-year-old bank clerk, was on a family holiday when he took the amazing shots.





He said: 'It made our whole holiday to see this - it was such a sight.

'Me, my wife Christina and my daughter Makenzie were out on a nature expedition and were actually watching whales - humpback and orca killer whales.

'Sea lions like to play with fish before they eat it and my wife spotted the sea lion coming.


'From out of nowhere, the eagle swooped down all in the space of ten seconds and that's when all the action happened.

'I've been doing photography for four years and I've got a long way to go but I joked it's almost worth stopping now as it doesn't get any better than that.'

Source : dailymail

These close-up pictures of a majestic kingfisher catching its dinner in Worcestershire show that British wildlife can be just as stunning as exotic animals anywhere in the world.

Photographer Ian Schofiled captured the orange and blue bird as it swooped down to the River Salwarpe near Droitwich Spa to hunt for fish from the branches.


It took two attempts but the bird persevered, nosediving down beak first to catch its prey unawares.

Kingfishers are characterised by their rapid, low flight over water and their ability to hunt fish by hovering in wait above the water's surface.

The feathers on their backs can appear blue or green depending on the angle at which they are viewed.


They are a vulnerable to hard winters and are usually not found outside southern England because of their sensitivity to the cold.

Other interesting birds on the River Salwarpe include green woodpeckers, kestrels, buzzards, sparrow hawks, mistle thrushes and herons.

It was all the more exciting to spot the kingfisher after one died in 2010 from oil that polluted the river, rich which is rich in wildlife throughout the year.


Two geese were also taken for treatment at a nearby rescue centre.

The substance affected more than three miles of the River Salwarpe.





Source : dailymail

 There's nothing anyone could teach this kingfisher about hunting for food.

The colourful bird caught up to 50 unsuspecting minnows a day, diving into the water and scooping them up with its dagger-like beak.

At one point it even snared a young frog from the pond and took it away for her dinner.

As well as being an adept flyer, the female bird also illustrated her swimming skills as some of the wonderful underwater shots show.

The action photographs were captured by eagle-eyed nature cameraman Manfred Delph near his home in Gudensberg, Germany.


He watched the white-throated kingfisher for days hidden under a camouflage tent so he could be close to it as she hunted her prey.

Delph said: 'Kingfishers always come to this pond so they can hunt all the little fish in it.

'It is a lucrative source of food for the birds.The kingfishers like these ponds because the are like warm springs, and even in the coldest weather the water doesn't freeze over.

'These are certainly some of the best photographs I have taken.'




Source : dailymail

 A baby owl who had to be taken from his family has been given a new one made up of stuffed toy birds.

Five-week-old Tomsk was saved by trainers at the Scottish Owl Centre in West Lothian after his sibling was accidentally killed by their parents.

The Ural owl is now being hand-reared and the fluffy fella enjoys watching television with his new owl friends – and his carer’s cats.

Trainer Rod Angus, 53, describes the latest recruit to the aerial squad as ‘a bit thick’ and looking ‘like a tea cosy’.

 Rod, who runs the centre with wife Niccy, said: ‘Tomsk is five weeks old, really laid back and quite friendly.

‘We named him after Tomsk from the TV show The Wombles, and also after the town in Siberia, which is one of the Ural owls natural habitats.’

The centre is home to around 100 owls, including Snowys and Great Greys.


Most of the birds are breeding pairs on show to the public, but about 20 of them are part of the trained 'Flying Display Team' - the largest collection of trained owls in the world.

The owlet was born at the centre where his parents are a breeding pair. His siblings did not fare so well - one did not hatch and the other was killed by one of his parents.


Because he still needs regular attention, Tomsk spends the evenings with the centre's keepers, who take him home.

Although he is currently less than one foot tall, he will eventually have a wingspan of around five feet


Rod added: ‘When he goes to our other keeper's house they sit on the couch and watch TV.

‘He will also spend time at the senior keeper's home, who has cats, but its no problem because they are house-trained, so they don't hunt.

‘They just they sit together, growing up side by side.’




Source : dailymail

These bizarre images show a group of owls marching through a Lancashire farm in search of dinner for their newly-born young.

The birds, who had just hatched owlets, strutted while they hunted for food.

The scene was captured by photographer Austin Thomas, who said he had to stay camouflaged and stop himself from laughing so he wouldn't disturb the birds.

He said: 'They are both fascinating and amusing at the same time.


'They have such personalities and facial expressions it was incredibly difficult not to laugh at times as the action was genuinely funny.

'They give no warning and move erratically in random directions when they decide to move. That is difficult for me to predict and also difficult for the camera electronics to keep the owls in focus.

'It actually reminded me of the nursery rhyme 'The Grand Old Duke of York' because of their movement.

 'These owls are definitely at the top my of favourite things to take pictures of - I never get bored of watching them.'





Source : dailymail