Sam says, “Merry Christmas!” Judging from the look on his face though, it appears Santa may have just left him coal in his stocking. 😉 From my family to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Bald Eagle makes a fast-moving flyby
It is Freedom Friday and the start of a long holiday weekend leading up to the celebration of the birth of Our Savior. I’ll be spending plenty of time with family and friends over the period and of course, certainly getting out and taking pictures.
This is a capture from this past weekend when I happened across this gorgeous Eagle northeast of Denver, Colorado. It was in no mood to stop and pose but did give me a nice flight series as it blasted by on a mission.
In the past two weeks I’m seeing Bald Eagle activity pick up quite a bit as more arrive for the season. Seems like this could be a really good winter for observing and photographing them. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Thank you so much for checking out my pictures!
Bald Eagle departs in the soft, morning light
I am a bit annoyed / sad / mad about the story I posted this morning so here is a picture in honor of the gorgeous raptor that some jerk shot and killed recently here in Colorado. See my page for a link to the story. It makes me mad and I hope they catch whoever did it.
Bald Eagle launches for breakfast
A bit of a funny story about this image… I and three other photographers were watching this handsome fellow as he sat perched in a tree by a lake. There was a dead fish on the ice about 30 feet away that another Eagle had dropped earlier. We were joking about how cool it would be if it came down and snagged that fish off the ice.
Well, I swear it must have been listening because what did it do? Out of the blue it launched and grabbed that fish! It all happened so fast I couldn’t get my tripod head loosened quick enough to capture the action of the grab. So frustrating!
I did however grab this nice shot not long after it launched. As I sit here typing this, I am still annoyed and can’t believe it came down and grabbed it so close to us.
The lakes here on the Colorado Front Range are starting to freeze up so there isn’t much open water left for the Eagles to fish. This will drive them out into the fields and prairies where rabbits and prairie dogs will become their primary source of food for a couple of months until things start to thaw out. Have a great weekend, everyone, and TGIF!
Video: Fishing fun with Bald Eagles
A couple of weeks ago I visited one of my favorite hot spots for eagle activity. There were about a dozen there and they put on quite a show. I managed to capture a number of sequences of them fishing for breakfast. I was disappointed in the quality of the images as for the most part, the eagles were a long ways off necessitating heavy cropping to show the action. Putting them in a photo slideshow allows me to show the action of them all and helps to make up for the lack of quality.
Fantastic flight shot for Freedom Friday!
The workday is done and now we escape into the weekend and after the week I have had, I am very happy about that to say the least. This Bald Eagle from a couple of weeks ago symbolizes how I feel right now as I get a couple of days break to recharge and get back after it. Are you ready for the weekend?
The business end of a Bald Eagle
Yup, I think those things would do some damage and I certainly would not want to be on the wrong side of them! 😉
One of my ‘friends’ was not too inclined to fly on this particular day due to some pretty strong winds. With him wanting to sit still so nicely, I was able to get a closeup of those amazing talons.
Bald Eagles are believed to have a grasp capable of exerting an astonishing 400psi. By comparison, the average human’s hand comes in around 20psi. Needless to say, when an eagle latches on to a rabbit, prairie dog or fish, the prey isn’t very likely to get away.
“It’s 20 minutes to quitting time on a Friday and you want me to do what?”
Ever had that happen? Just getting ready to head out the door for the weekend and the boss tells you something simply must be done before you go? I suspect a human’s reaction would be something like the stink-eye this male Bald Eagle was giving me last week. LOL!
Have a great weekend, everyone, and enjoy what is left of your Freedom Friday.
Young Bald Eagle keeps focused on the photographer
Taken last Saturday, these three-year-old saved my photo day. I had driven to all my usual spots in northern Colorado and had pretty much been skunked. No one wanted to play with me! I headed for home having taken only three pictures the entire morning.
Not far from my house in the suburbs north of Denver, I spot this large bird on top of a high tension power pole. Looking from a distance, I was pretty sure it was only a hawk but decided to get closer to check it out. Thank goodness I did.
The young eagle was hanging out, watching the traffic pass by. It gave me some nice poses then decided to head off and hunt a nearby field. On its return trip, it flew right back over me, keeping close watch on the guy with the camera. I managed some nice captures from the encounter and it salvaged what would have been a total loss of a photo day.
Flight of freedom in honor of Veterans Day
President John Kennedy said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
A select few men and women have served in our nation’s armed forces and endured hardships that are impossible for others to imagine. They have done so with distinction and honor, preserving our freedom and shedding a light across the globe to help those in need. Today we honor them, remember them, and ensure that they will never be forgotten.
I thank all of my brothers and sisters in arms today for their service. It is an honor to have served this Great Nation with you and like you, I would do it again if called upon. God bless you all.