It is always cool to capture an image with multiple birds of the same species, especially when they are at different stages of development. This past Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I spotted two Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched next to each other in some distant trees.
The larger eagle on the left was clearly an adult, with a white head and yellow beak. This eagle had its head raised and was calling out loudly. In similar circumstances in the past, it appeared to me that one member of a couple was calling out to its mate. I am not at all sure if that was the case this time.
The eagle on the right is quite a bit smaller than the adult. I cannot see all of its markings, but I would guess that it is about two to three years old—it takes almost five years for a bald eagle to mature.
Was this younger eagle related to the adult? Perhaps it was a parent-child relationship. For some reason I imagined a teenager that had left home to live on its own and then decided that it wanted or needed to move back in with its parents.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Enjoyed this photo, Mike, of both adult and juvenile. And great to see the adult calling.
Wonderful photo with a wonderful narrative about what is probably going on in the scene.