From a distance, I could see that a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was in the nest on Monday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. As I have noted in the past, the tree with the nest is right beside one of the trails at the refuge. Normally I approach the nest from the same direction and an eagle can see me from a pretty good distance away because the trail runs through an open field.
This time, however, I was walking from the opposite direction and the tree trunk blocked my view of the eagle as I got closer, which meant that it probably kept the eagle from spotting me. The first shot shows my initial look at the eagle once it came into view as I approached from the right. At this point, I think the eagle was unaware of my presence and I tried to remain as stealthy as I could.
I moved forward a bit more and continued to observe the eagle, completely in awe its beauty and majesty. My peaceful reverie was broken when I head the sounds of people approaching. Perhaps they were speaking at a normal conversational level, but it sure sounded loud to me. In the second shot, the eagle was looking in the direction of the noise. Had it heard the others? In the final shot, the eagle seemed to be looking right at me, having finally become aware of the fact that I was there.
The eagle did not take off immediately, but a short while later it flew off to a nearby osprey nesting platform. Later in the day I observed two eagles on the platform, which seems to be a favorite perching spot for the eagle couple.
It won’t be long before the refuge closes the trail from which I was taking the photos. I am wishing the best for the eagle couple as they move into nesting season. Last year there was one eaglet in this nest, I believe, and the year before there were two.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Fabulous shots of a majestic bird.
Nice images, Mike, and cool to observe the Eagle from a different angle. I don’t think they miss much, even if they are tolerant of humans in their space.
Thanks, Ellen. I agree with you about the eagles. Their sight and reaction time are so much better than mine that it is almost impossible to sneak up on them.
These are great images, Mike. Eagles are o magnificent.
Fantastic shots!
The enlarged photos are positively breathtaking…the blue of the sky, the construction of the sticks in the nest, the piercing gaze in their eyes, the layers of feathers to name a few. Oh my, Benjamin has certainly trained me well! The word majestic always comes to my mind whenever you share Eagle photos. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Thanks, Ellen. Benjamin has trained me well too–I always try to post an image that has enough resolution to be enlarged a bit to see the details.
When one stops to look through the eyes of a child, one finds there are treasures that might have been missed. “The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.” – Natalie Angier. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
The bald eagle ca a person speechless with its dignity & beauty
Amen to that!
Mike: Always great to see eagle shots! I LOVE eagles. You might be interested in a couple of photo trips in Alaska I have done totally focused on eagles. I won’t post info here since it’s not a sales pitch but PM me if you want info. Holly
I will have to put it on my bucket list–there are lots of other wildlife opportunities in Alaska too. 🙂 So far I have not traveled any great distance to photograph wildlife, but Alaska would provide what we military guys like to call a “target-rich environment.”
Beautiful. I had a much longer comment but I lost it while enlarging the images! Oh well.
Thanks. I appreciate comments, no matter how long or short. I know from past experience that you are one of my biggest supporters.