Yup, no matter where I go, I am going to find the eagles, you can be sure of that. Ha! Taken back at the end of May on our family vacation. This was one of a nesting pair near Kissimmee, Florida as it returned from an unsuccessful fishing trip.

I was struck by how much smaller the eagles down there were than the ones we have here in the west. I knew there were two different subspecies of my favorite raptor with the ones to the south being smaller but was surprised how noticeable the difference was. The two down there looked almost scraggly compared to the robust ones here.

Happy birthday, America!

I am so thankful to live in the greatest nation on earth. We also have a pretty darned awesome symbol IMHO.  😉

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Freedom’s launch! Today is American Eagle Day and I sure can’t let that go by without sharing a picture of my favorite photo subject.

According to Time & Date, the day is “Celebrated annually on June 20, the observance commemorates the day in 1782, when the bird was added to the official Seal of the United States.” IMHO it sure is a whole lot better than the turkey that old Ben Franklin preferred. 😉

This particular Eagle is one of my favorite mated pair and has a nest southwest of Denver, Colorado. On this particular morning about a month ago, they were quite busy keeping their two eaglets happy.

I paid a visit to my favorite nest site last weekend and was happy to see both eaglets were doing well. They are nearly the same size as the parents now and will probably fledge in the next couple of weeks. Lots of leaves in the way prevent a good view unfortunately. I did get some pics of them together and then of both flapping their wings as they practice for flight. Young or old, these are such impressive creatures.

I imagine this guy standing there saying, “I am MARVELOUS!” 😀

This is the male at one of the nests that I observe. He had gone on a bit of a fishing trip earlier in the morning and was doing this to dry himself out. This pose is more often associated with Turkey Vultures who do it in the morning to warm up before taking flight. However, I have seen eagles do it every now and then.

He does indeed look impressive in this pose and it does a great job of showcasing the six foot wide wingspan of these massive raptors.

Have a fantastic, Freedom Friday!

This guy has got to be the hardest working male Eagle I have ever seen. He is constantly with doing home repairs or fetching food for his growing family. His mate is definitely spoiled as she rarely has to do any of the work.

On this day, he plunged to the ground beneath the stand of trees where their nest is, disappearing out of sight. When he reappeared, he not only had grass in his talons which is common, he even had a mouthful of it! This is the only time I have ever seen an eagle do this.

Bald eagles have been a spiritual symbol of Native Americans for hundreds of years. There were variations between tribes as to the eagles’ symbolism but for most it generally represented bravery, wisdom, strength and courage. It was believed that the eagles carried prayers to the Great Spirit.

Have a fantastic Freedom Friday!

I had spent all morning hanging out at one of my favorite Bald Eagle nests. While the female and her two eaglets were around, the male was nowhere to be found. Just as I was packing up, I see him come flying in. I quickly started snapping pictures as I could see he was carrying something.

Once he landed I could tell – he had caught himself an American Coot! He sat just below the nest, enjoying his meal, shredding it as he did. After a time and having had his fill, he took the leftovers to the nest for the rest of his family. The light was pretty harsh by the time all this action took place so the pics aren’t the greatest but it sure was fun to witness!

Taken southwest of Denver, Colorado.

Regal Eagle looking forward to the weekend. And, so am I! TGIF! I feel like I have been put through the grinder after a rough week at work. With any luck, my wildlife friends will do a good job helping me let off some steam with weekend.

This handsome fellow you have seen many times before as he and his mate maintain a nest in northern Colorado. When I saw him this past Sunday, he was hanging out about a quarter mile from home. For an hour I watched him and the majority of the time he just slept. With two little eaglets at home, maybe he isn’t get much sleep at night. 😉

Sometimes it is better when your subject is a bit farther off and you don’t zoom in all the way. Such is the case, I believe, with this image. The sun was rising and it had colored the clouds to the west in pastels while shedding just a bit of light on him. He seemed to be reveling in it, soaking in the scene unfolding before him. I can’t blame him! We live in a pretty darned awesome place with some amazing creatures.

This past Sunday I made a long overdue visit to this nest southwest of Denver, Colorado. The mated pair of eagles here supposedly have two little eaglets they are caring for so I figured there would be a good bit of activity. I was not disappointed.

Dad was the doting father he always is, taking a turn feeding the little ones and performing some home maintenance. As the sun came up, Mom decided to take a break from keeping the little ones warm and went for a brief flight.

As she returned to the nest, she obliged me with a nice, head on pass, one of the images of which you see here. She looked absolutely resplendent in the golden light of the rising sun and it makes for a great image for posting on Freedom Friday. Have a great weekend and TGIF!