A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was wedged in so tightly between the branches that it almost looked like it was hugging the tree last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The eagle was perched in a tree just off of the trail that I was following. The sun was shining brightly, but it was not generating much heat and a breeze was kicking up periodically, ruffling the eagle’s feathers.
I realized that I had a problem when I first focused on the eagle—I was looking right into the sun and the eagle was nothing but a silhouette. On one side of me was thick vegetation and the water of the bay was on the other side, so my options for framing a shot were limited. I realized that the only way that I could get a decent shot of the eagle was to walk past it and then turn to face it with the sun to my back.
Sound crazy, right? I moved as slowly and cautiously as I could and amazingly my plan worked. As the first photo suggests, the eagle was aware of my presence, but did not immediately take off. I observed it silently for a few minutes as it adjusted its position and preened a bit.
I was preparing to move on when suddenly the eagle took off. My camera was zoomed in all of the way, so I was not able to capture the eagle’s full wingspan when it flew almost directly over me as it cleared the sweet gum tree in which it was perched. I managed, however, to get a pretty good shot at the eagle’s body and especially its talons from this unusual shooting angle.
It is almost time for the eagles at the refuge to begin their nesting and authorities have already blocked the roads in some areas of the refuge. With a little luck, though, I will be able to get some shots in the upcoming of the eagle couples as they renovate the nests, albeit from a far greater distance than when I captured the images in this posting.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Amazing photos! I can almost feel what it was like to be under that incredible wingspan. Thank you.
Dear Mike,
I concur with Ann! Thank you for featuring my avian colleague, the bald eagle, so commendably through the fruitful results of bird-watching and excellent photography. You are cordially invited to come and fly alongside SoundEagle in the following special post that can resonate with the (embodied, corporeal and/or transcendental) being and feeling of soaring like an eagle, whether symbolically, intellectually, aesthetically or spiritually:
Wishing you and Ann a wonderfully productive week doing or enjoying whatever that satisfies you the most! Take care and prosper!
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle
Wonderful captures, Mike, and what an experience for the Eagle to not fly as you passed by! Excellent views of those talons and the gum balls make the scene more interesting.
Very nice Mike! Always enjoy seeing your Bald Eagle images!
Great series of shots, Mike!
Always amazed at those feet 😂😂
The sequence of photos is excellent! It is amusing how he “kept an eagle eye” on you in the first photo and the wingspread in the last one is amazing. I was thinking of you earlier today as I read about an astounding event that took place yesterday in Massachusetts. Someone who helps monitor the state’s Bald Eagle population spotted a large bird along the Taunton River and sent photographs to the MassWildlife’s district office. Andrew Vitz, the state’s ornithologist, was astonished to see a Steller’s Sea-Eagle : “We’ve never had one here in this area of the world : Northeast coast of North America or Massachusetts.” The photo in the Boston Globe article was very fuzzy but a Google search netted me some photos of this magnificent bird. Need I tell you that ‘birders’ from all over descended on the area in the hopes of seeing and photographing this bird?! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Merry Christmas, Mike. Thank you for brightening my days with your wonderful pictures.
Thanks, Nina. It is always a joy and pleasure to share the wonders of nature with others.