The eagle has landed! From a couple of weeks ago and a visit I made to my favorite nest. Having just done his duty delivering a meal to mama, this guy hopped away and landed on a nearby branch. You get a good look at those impressive meat hooks that these cool raptors have. Those beautiful Colorado skies provide a nice backdrop.
Young Bald Eagle on the hunt, returns with a meal
This was a rather fun encounter from early last month. This juvenile Bald Eagle was hanging out across the road from a small pond, clearly keeping an eye out for an opportunity to snag its breakfast. As I watched it, it focused its laser beam stare on the far side of the pond and took off at a furious pace. I captured an entire sequence of images as it launched and flew by. It’s chosen hunting ground was too far away for me to get pictures of it snagging its catch but with its meal firmly in its grasp it flew right back by me. The first image is of the raptor as it departed to hunt, the second is of it on its return trip with a small fish in its talons. Have a great weekend!
High-power launch
In looking for worthy photo subjects, sometimes you do a lot of driving for little return. Those days can be disappointing and maybe, just maybe, you get lucky at the end of your trip like I did when I found this gorgeous creature. I had spent a few hours out and on a weekend day last month and had little to show for my effort.
It was disappointing until, not 10 minutes from home, I spot this eagle on top of some very tall high tension power poles. A chance to salvage the photo day! Thankfully it worked out as the raptor gave me a fantastic launch and flyby series, this being one of the first of them as it took to the air.
Jailbreak! A sextet of Bald Eagles leap into the air all at once
This is a pretty darned fun capture I think. These six were hanging out in this tree along the shoreline of Jackson Lake State Park on Colorado’s northeastern plains last Friday. I’m sitting on the ground just enjoying watching them when suddenly the top, adult eagle decides it is time to go. That was enough to convince the others to depart as well leading to this image of all of them as they started to leap into the air.
The action is fun but one of the coolest things about the image is that it does a nice job showing the different plumage of Bald Eagles at various ages all in one capture. The bottom left two would be between 1 and 2 years old still having the dark heads they were born with. The bottom right two are about 3 years old and getting their white heads and yellow beaks. The upper two are full adults, showcasing the distinctive plumage that we are all familiar with on these majestic raptors.
Peter Cottontail for breakfast
Peter Cottontail for breakfast. 😉 I don’t normally shoot video but this was a good opportunity. This eagle had caught the rabbit and was taking his time eating it and there are only so many pictures of that you can take before it gets repetitive. 😉 I switched to video for a bit, allowing you to see the action as he dined. Twice you will see a Red-tailed Hawk buzz the eagle (once behind, then once in the foreground). It clearly was hoping to join the dinner table.
Bringing home the grass
Yes, we are in Colorado, but no, not THAT kind of grass. 😉 This male Bald Eagle is quite meticulous about keeping up the home and making sure his bride is happy. This was his second load of nesting material for the day, just a day in the life I reckon.
Bald Eagle makes a very close flyby
A prime example of how it is impossible to predict wildlife. This pretty lady caught me by total surprise. I was observing her and her mate when she launched at an angle away from me but then inexplicably turned right at me flying 20 feet over my head. Thankfully, my camera managed to keep up although I was a bit surprised as normally they would not choose to come so close. I have no doubt that she and her hubby were having a good laugh back at the nest that evening about the photographer she startled. 😀
“Get off my nest!”
Mama was not too happy to discover the neighboring Magpies were stealing sticks from her nest. Never could get both birds in the same frame but it was pretty funny to watch as she was definitely not happy to have the little ones taking from her home. 😉
Bald Eagle pair enjoys each other’s company
Spring is in the air as mating season in Colorado begins. For me that means I will spend every chance I get observing this pair, just as I did last weekend.
Activity at their nest was relatively quiet although I did get to watch them bring in some nesting material and saw the male bring a fish back for his mate to enjoy for breakfast. They spent some time perched together, just taking it easy allowing me to capture a number of nice shots of the happy couple including this one.
Any day now I would expect her to lay eggs and begin sitting in the nest. Once she days, it then becomes a 35 day countdown to hatching.
Our national emblem soars
To say I was tickled about this capture would be an understatement. Every now and then things just come together to make a great shot. It was a very fun encounter with this “new” Bald Eagle and its mate last weekend.
I visited a spot along the South Platte River where I had long suspected there was a Bald Eagle nest and sure enough, there was. Access to this spot had been restricted but with a recent expansion of a trail, I now can get a good look. I believe this is the female of the pair that was hanging out at the site. She left for a while but when she returned, she proceeded to give me many great flybys including this one.