As North America’s largest raptor, you wouldn’t think many creatures would dare push their luck with a golden eagle. On this morning in April though, a Swainson’s Hawk had decided it didn’t appreciate the eagle’s presence in the hawk’s potential nesting area.

The Swainson made multiple dives at the eagle, trying to get it to leave. Eventually the golden decided its perch wasn’t worth the hassle, taking flight and flying right by. I was shooting toward the sun so the light was tough but it was a thrill to have one so close.

Now that is a huge wingspan! Over the last month or two I have been fortunate enough to see a few golden eagles. Unfortunately, all have been under less than ideal conditions as was the case with even this one and the overcast skies.

Nevertheless, it gave me a ton of fantastic poses before launching itself into the air in an impressive display of its power and grace. With wingspans that can exceed seven feet across and capable of speeds to 200mph, they are nothing short of impressive.

It is little wonder that they are the most common official national animal in the world with Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan all choosing the golden eagle to represent them.

It had been far too long since I had seen one of these absolutely impressive raptors, probably about a year. This weekend I was fortunate enough to see one both Saturday and Sunday.

This is the one from Saturday and it proved to be quite a willing photo subject, giving me tons of poses. Normally I wouldn’t care for a shot from the back of the subject but in this case, I think it really is kind of neat. You get a look at that beautiful, golden nape (back of its neck) – just stunning.

The sun does a nice job lighting up those beautiful, dark, brown eyes as well. As you well know, I love my bald eagles but goldens, well, I think due to their even bigger size and greater rarity are perhaps just a touch more special.

What a massive, amazing bird!

A friend and I were both out in the same general area photographing wildlife on Sunday when he shot me a message saying he had eyes on a very patient golden eagle. I immediately high-tailed it to the spot and was excited to see this majestic creature just patiently hanging out on a utility pole.

Both my friend and I got tons of shots of it posing as it watched the traffic go by. Eventually, it decided to relocate to another pole a ways away and I managed some nice shots as it took flight.

As I said in the opening line, this is an immature golden. You can tell by the white at the base of the tail and on some of the primary flight feathers. Those areas on an adult would be pale brown. You do get a nice feel for the huge seven-foot wingspan these raptors are known for.

Oh how I wish the light was golden like these birds’ heads on this morning a week ago. I happened across my favorite pair of golden eagles, the first sighting of them I have had in months.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature opted to bring in lots of clouds making for very dim lighting and tough shooting conditions, including 14-degree temperatures. Still, it was fun to get to see these massive, gorgeous raptors again, even if the pics are kinda cruddy.

The male was hanging out on one of their favorite perches, a pole on a hillside that allows them to survey their domain. The female was about a quarter mile away, choosing more natural perch as she watched over a field waiting to hunt.

Going back to my encounter with this handsome fellow and his mate last month.

The pair gave me some pretty danged cool captures, including this one of the male soon after he took flight for a quick hunting trip. You get a good look at those killer talons and his impressive six-plus foot wingspan.

One thing that amazes me about golden eagles is their hunting ability. Certainly, their normal diet consists of small mammals like rabbits and prairie dogs. However, they have been known to take on much larger prey like deer, goats and pronghorn.

In Mongolia, golden eagles have been trained and used to hunt for centuries. Like many ancient skills, the tradition is fading but there are still those that practice it and what they do is truly amazing. If you have time, you might want to check out this documentary about it.

Or perhaps I should say high wire?

I always joke that I can find an eagle anywhere but there is some truth to that. They are my passion and if I really put my mind to it, I can usually find at least one on a photo outing.

On this day last week, I wasn’t even trying though and we came across this handsome golden while at Sand Wash Basin in Colorado. It was perched on one of the view utility poles in the area, keeping watch for a meal.

There aren’t many people – or much of anything else – in the area so it was not inclined to hang around. After giving me a few poses from the front, it carefully rearranged to turn its back to me. Kind of a fun shot as it does look like it is going to try to walk a tightrope.

A capture from my encounter with this handsome fellow and his mate a couple of weeks ago. This was not long after I first spotted him in a roadside tree. He had given me a few poses then took off and hunted the adjacent field.

Look at those talons! Holy moly. Those could do some damage, eh?

These eagles are one of the largest and fastest raptors in North America. With wingspans that can exceed seven feet across and capable of speeds to 200mph, they are nothing short of impressive. It is little wonder that they are the most common official national animal in the world with Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan all choosing it to represent them.

Oh my, goodness! I so needed this photo encounter this past Sunday. I felt like I had been in a bit of a “photo funk” lately. With the virus I had been limiting where I was going for pictures and I was getting burnt out on photographing the same stuff over and over.

On this day I went to an area I frequent in Boulder County, Colorado and almost didn’t go to this particular spot as I hadn’t seen my golden friends in quite a while. I decided to give it a shot anyway and thank goodness I did.

When I arrived, the male was hanging out in their favorite tree and he gave me some good poses, a nice launch and a flyby. He then went and perched on a pole on a hillside they like so I followed. Soon after, his mate, pictured here, showed up!

She tried to knock him off his perch and when that didn’t work, gave a beautiful flyby and then landed on the pole nearest to me. Wow! My heart pounded with excitement at the opportunity and I furiously squeezed my camera trigger.

In the end, the pair gave me some fantastic shots over an hour’s timespan, some of the best golden eagle captures I have ever gotten. The encounter was just what I needed to shake off the cobwebs and renew my photographic soul. When they left for their home on the mountainside, I made sure to tell them, “thank you.”