White Tipped Eagle, one of the most beautiful birds in flight.

We are blessed with many beautiful aspects of the natural world in Hakai Pass.  Last year we witnessed the building of an bald eagles nest at Barney Point and the subsequent arrival of 3 eaglets; observed their feeding, development and testing of their wings with their maiden flights at the season end.  We were pleased to see them return this year and watch as the new brood develops.  A bonus this year was the sighting of a white tipped eagle.  We were in awe of this magnificent bird in flight and were surprised to find out that it was in fact an eagle with a pigmentation condition called Leukism.  Not the same as albinism which only affects melanin but rather a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in this bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal. This eagles wing tips have gone white as well as it talons.  It is one of the most beautiful birds in flight as the wing tips really accent its motion.

A special thank you to Rob Keating from Calgary for capturing the white tipped eagle in full flight about to grab a rock fish from the water, you can see clearly not only the white wing tips but also the white talons !