I hope you all had a good start into the new decade?

This little friend - a steppe eagle - seems to shout out loud for a peaceful new year.

When taking the portrait series (in captive conditions) , the slobber string was the cherry on the cake of that potrait - my personal favorite.

The close-up was taken with 400mm focal length (plus 1.6 times crop factor of the EOS 7D).

Join in welcoming the new year -with a traditional Irish toast:

"In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in need."