Bald Eagle in a nest

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Bald Eagle in a nest

October 16, 2017 by Mike Powell

Recently at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the only views I have gotten of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have been of them flying away from me. Yesterday I got lucky and caught a glimpse through the foliage of one sitting in a distant tree in what appears to be a nest. Earlier this year, several roads in the refuge were closed after two eaglets were born. I don’t know if this was the nesting site, but suspect it might have been.

I was a long way away, but had a small visual tunnel through the trees that gave me a mostly unobstructed view of the eagle. I tried to move slowly, although I figured that the eagle was unaware of my presence. Apparently I underestimated the sharpness of the eagle’s vision, because it took off from the nest not long after I began shooting.

As I have said in the past, however, any day that I am able to see and photograph a Bald Eagle is a wonderful day.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Bald Eagle, bald eagle nest, Canon 50D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, nest, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 10 Comments

10 Responses

on October 16, 2017 at 8:09 am | Reply Dan Antion

So handsome!
on October 16, 2017 at 10:08 am | Reply krikitarts

We have a pair residing near our lake here and we get a glimpse of one or the other maybe once a week or so, but we hear them more frequently, perched in one of the tall trees. But you’re right–they are awfully hard to see clearly, especially when I’m trying to get a photo!
- on October 16, 2017 at 5:34 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  That is cool to,Gary, have eagles so close by. Of course, I can’t complain much, because the Potomac River has a pretty good number of them in various locations, so I see them fairly often. Getting a shot, of course is another story.
on October 16, 2017 at 1:18 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Magnificent!
on October 16, 2017 at 3:08 pm | Reply exploringcolour

Wonderful photos and utterly perfect with the clear blue sky behind. Love these!
- on October 16, 2017 at 5:35 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Liz. Recently we’ve had a spell of really overcast weather and it was nice for a change to see a patch of blue sky. It’s something that I take for granted, but I sure do miss it when it is gone for several days in a row.
on October 16, 2017 at 6:03 pm | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Great shots Mike! It’s nice that so many of us are seeing eagles again. I remember when there were none here.
- on October 16, 2017 at 10:09 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. We are blessed in my area to have a good number of bald eagles. I too remember when they were an endangered species.
on October 18, 2017 at 1:23 pm | Reply Robert Kirkendall

Beautiful!
- on October 19, 2017 at 7:35 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Robert.