By Glen Davis

You are probably wondering why you should visit Williams. Most people think of Williams as synonymous with the Grand Canyon or the Train. If you’ve been here before, you may think of the Bearizona wildlife drive through park and the High Country Raptors show they provide.

Insiders know about a raptor show you may not know about, however. The one in the skies over Williams.

Eagle over Williams in October 2012

Last fall I shot these images of an eagle over the Santa Fe dam reservoir. That was a pretty exciting experience getting one so close. I was on my way to the reservoir to walk my dog and saw the eagle swoop down over the lake. I rushed to the scene, but did was not able to capture the fishing expedition the eagle was engaged in. The eagle continued to soar over the lake and I managed to capture a few more pictures.

I walked that way for several weeks after, but to no avail. The eagle never returned. Maybe it was something I said. Then, of course, winter set in.

Now that spring is here, I walked the woods once again. Actually, I walk the woods in the winter, also. But that’s another story.

Eagle swoops down to capture something out of the water.

While I was out snapping photos of the Herons, ducks and other water fowl this month, I was surprised when an eagle seemingly dropped out of nowhere to snag something out of the water right in front of me. I just happened to have my camera in that direction to get a shot.

Now eagles across Williams are not that unusual. But as I snapped this photo, something caught my eye and I looked over my eye to see his, or her, companion soaring in the air as well. The two eagles performed their extraordinary ballet for the next couple of minutes allowing me to capture a few seconds of good video, as well.

The thing is that if you come to Williams simply to rush to the Grand Canyon and snap a few photos, to take the train ride or the show at Bearizona, that’s great. The Grand Canyon trip is much better if you let Marvelous Marv do the driving, by the way.

However, you might want to consider taking an extra day, or two, to walk through the Williams’ Kaibab Forest. Plan a fishing trip to any of the lakes in the area. Drive south road toward Dogtown Lake or visit the new Cataract Lake Park and you might catch photos of deer or elk. Visit the Planes of Fame museum in Valle. Relax. Take your time. That is, after all, why you went on vacation in the first place.