As I rounded a curve on a trail at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge one morning last week, I spotted a fierce looking Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) almost directly overhead in a tree. I wasn’t sure if the eagle had seen me, but when it looked down and glared at me, I realized it was quite aware of my presence.
In several earlier postings I have mentioned that this is a tough time of the year for spotting birds, because most of the leaves are still on the trees. Often I can hear birds, but I can’t see them. It turns out that the leaves on the trees can also hide me from the birds sometimes. I think that is how I ended up almost directly below this eagle, forced to shot upwards at a somewhat uncomfortable angle.
It wasn’t long before the eagle decided that it had had enough of me and it took off. Alas, I was not able to capture any in-flight shots, but I am definitely happy with the shots I managed to get of the perched bald eagle.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
A magnificent photo Mike! Last year we spent 3 weeks on a West-East USA Rail trip starting in SF and ending in NYC. One day, I think it was between Denver and Chicago, the Amtrak train wound its way through a steep sided valley and alongside a fast flowing river. I lost count how many Bald Eagles we saw just sitting like this. It was a real wonder to us Brits who don’t have birds of this size at home.
Mike, my wife got very excited seeing this remembering our trip, hope it’s ok for her to keep a copy on her phone?
That is absolutely no problem. I love having my photos spread about for more people to see.
🙏🙏🙏👬
They are such magnificent birds. I like the second shot. He looks like he wants to say hi…or something.
Yeah, Dan, maybe he wanted to say “Hi,” though I had the distinct impression that the eagle was a little irritated at me for disturbing its peaceful reverie. 🙂
Such a magnificent bird, Mike!
I am blessed to live in a place where I see bald eagles fairly regularly, though most of the time what i see is their tails as they are flying off.
Wow! What a shot Mike! I like how the blue sky makes the Eagle stand out. Such an amazing bird! 👍
So majestic!
Indeed. That appearance is what caused the bald eagle to be selected as one of the symbols of the United States.
Nice Mike! Always nice fun to photograph Eagles!
Great shots, Mike. In the second, the caption could read: “Who are you looking at?” 🙂
Thanks, Eliza. I like your suggested caption.
That’s a wonderful stare down! Talk about communicating well.
Thanks, Lyle. Communication does not always require words (as I know from driving in rush hour traffic). 🙂