As I was observing a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) earlier this week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, something seemed to catch its eye and without warning the eagle took off into the air.
I was a little slow in reacting, but managed to capture an in-flight shot. The image you see is framed just as I took it. I was already partially zoomed out at 375mm on my 150-600mm, but that was not wide enough to capture the full wingspan of the eagle. When the action happens so quickly, it is hard to simultaneously track the moving subject and use the zoom—it is a bit like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time.
The second shot shows the eagle just before the takeoff. I like the tension of its body position and and the intense focus of the eagle’s eyes.
The final shot was taken before the other two and gives you an idea of how the eagle was perched as I approached it. There were a lot of branches surrounding the eagle and I tried to move slowly and cautiously to get a mostly unobstructed shot.
For those of you in the United States celebrating today, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day. It is good to pause and reflect on all the blessings in our lives, not just on the one day each year that is set aside for doing so. I thank all of you for your continuous support and encouragement for me as I share my photography and my life in this blog. Over the last six years it has become part of my daily life and I consider many of you to be a part of my extended family.
“In everything give thanks.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
A happy Thanksgiving to you, Mike.
Great photos, Mike. Happy Thanksgiving.
Majestic is the word that comes to my mind as I gaze at these beautiful photos of the noble Bald Eagle. Benjamin will love them! My Gram always said that “Thanksgiving should be filled with two things, thanks and giving.” To you I say : Thanks for all the gifts you give through your magnificent photos each and every day. Benjamin and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Much to give thanks for every day and this day especially. Wishing you a warm and abundant Thanksgiving, Mike!
Beautiful photos!
Happy Thanksgiving, Mike!
Wonderful eagle against the blue, blue sky. Happy thanksgiving!
Thanks, Liz. I did have to underexpose the image a bit because of the bright white of the eagle’s head, which made the sky slightly darker than it was in real life (but it was really blue).
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Mike!
Happy Thanksgiving! Blessings upon you and your cameras. May you always see things as quickly as the eagle does from the corner of his eye 🙂
Great captures of the Eagle, Mike, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Thanks for sharing your experiences with nature.