Mike Powell

When I spotted the Bald Eagle couple (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, they were perched closely together on a branch of a distant tree. My view of them was partially obscured by branches of vegetation, so I had to maneuver around to get a mostly clear shot of them.

I thought that the vegetation would mask my movement and the eagles would not detect my presence. I was wrong. As I was observing them through my long telephoto lens, one of the eagles, the larger of the two, took to the air without warning and I was fortunate to capture its departure from the branch. If you look closely at the perched eagle in the second image, it appears to be giving me a stern look of disapproval. A short time later, the second eagle also flew away.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.