REALLY Scary Stuff!

Remember how yesterday's post title was 'Scary Stuff'?

You ain't seen nothin' yet!!

At the risk of sounding like a bragger ... I won our flickr group challenge for November (2nd month in a row!!  Woot!!  Woot!!) ... the prize is 'a slight boost to your self esteem', which I can always do with, but also you get to choose the theme for the other challenge.

We have two challenges each month.  Our esteemed leader chooses the theme for the main challenge, and then whoever wins that challenge gets to choose a theme for the second challenge.

Last month, I chose a difficult theme, 'One of the seven deadly sins' (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth) and I was surprised by the number of people who made an effort to submit an entry!

This month I thought something a bit easier, with a Christmas theme would work.

"Self Portrait with a Christmas Theme"

This is my entry ...

Told you it was scary!

So this was my way of procrastinating.

I still haven't finished the wedding pics!!  UGH!!

For the main challenge this month, our esteemed leader has asked us to choose our favourite/best photo taken this year.

This is mine ...

I chose this one because I will ALWAYS remember taking it.

It was just 2 months after the tornado hit our town.  Our house was still in a state of disrepair and I was feeling pretty miserable, sitting in the Lions Park and looking at the bare trees and the devastation still evident in the neighbouring caravan park.

I saw this bird flying toward me from across the river and fully expected that he would veer right and fly toward the mouth of the river - a favourite spot for raptors at low tide - but he just kept flying toward me.

I reluctantly pulled the camera from the bag and took a couple of photos to make sure that my settings were right and then sat there watching and waiting.

He flew straight at me!  As he got to me, he turned and circled and then slowly glided with wings outstretched to within just a few metres.  My heart was pounding so hard and I began talking to him and telling him how beautiful he was and repeating OMG OMG OMG.

I had always wanted to capture, with my camera, a White Bellied Sea Eagle, and here he was, right in front of me - so close that he almost didn't fit 'in frame'.

I couldn't get home fast enough to check the shots on the computer monitor and was so pleased with the results.

This White Bellied Sea Eagle lifted my spirits and chased my blues away that day.

Such a spectacular bird.

Nite all.