I was concentrating so intently on photographing the large eagle nest at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last Wednesday that I almost missed the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that was sitting in the nest. This nest is really deep and during nesting season it is hard to tell if one or more of the eagles are inside of it. The nesting season ended quite some time ago, so I definitely did not expect to see the nest occupied at this time of the year.
The second shot is the one that I was intending to capture. I liked the way that the red leaves were creeping up the side of the trees holding the nest and that was what I was I was photographing. If you look really carefully, you can just see a bit of the yellow beak of the eagle stick out from behind the leftmost tree, but I did not notice it at the time I took the shot.
After I had taken a few shots, I continued on the trail a half dozen steps, seeking to photograph the nest from a different angle. It was only then that I spotted a bit of bright white that turned out to be the eagle’s head. The eagle was hidden really well, but appeared have positioned itself so as to be able to keep an eye on what was happening around it.
I captured a series of images, but the eagle’s head was blocked by the nest and/or the leaves in most of them. Fortunately, the eagle was moving its head from side to side and eventually I managed to capture a shot in which we can see the eagle’s eye pretty clearly.
Quite often in my wildlife photography, I detect the subject only because of its movement, but in this case, the subject was stationary and it was the difference in color of the eagle’s head that allowed me to spot it. As you can probably guess, my eyes are moving constantly when I am out with my camera, searching high and low, near and far, and left to right for potential subjects to photograph.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You definitely needed your eagle eyes to be able to spot that eagle among all the nest elements. It’s a really good shot that shows the eagle in its “domestic” context and I like the primary colours of the red leaves, yellow beak, and blue sky in the composition too.
Thanks, Laura. When the subject is so far away and fills such a small part of the frame, I pay extra attention to the composition, both when I am taking the shot and afterwards when cropping the image.
Those nests get huge 😁. Good catch to find a head in there 😂
If the eagle had been an immature one with a brown head, there is no way that I would have spotted it there. Somehow the sunlight caused the “bald” head to shine and that alerted me to the eagle’s presence.
Fun capture with the Eagle occupying the nest, Mike, and the bigger view with the red leaved vine is very “fall.”
I’m with Ted, the massive size of that nest is something, along with it seeming to have no support when seen from this angle. Great architecture on the Eagle’s part.
Thanks, Ellen. It is a bit of a mystery how the huge nest stays in place, but it has been there for quite some time and must be firmly wedged in place.
I’ve read they can weigh a ton, or more, as the birds keep adding material!
A great picture with the bird’s fierce look, the nest, the foliage and the dead (?) trees. From this angle the nest seems very insecure.
Thanks, Susan. I think the nest is getting more and more precarious as the eagles add to it each year.
This a reminder to keep your eyes wide open.
Thanks, kenne. “Keeping my eyes open” is my default approach to wildlife photography. I love to wander around with my camera, prepared to react opportunistically to whatever situation or subject presents itself.
Great images Mike. It’s a wonder that nest is staying in the tree. It looks quite precariously attached!
Thanks, Chris. The nest has been there for years and each year the eagles seem to add on to it. It looks to be listing a bit to one side and I worry that it may collapse eventually.